Writing website copy
Contact us
Contact us. Or don’t! Do we care?
Some websites with contact pages require you to divulge personal information before you can ask a simple question. Does your site do that? If so, do you think it pushes away the very potential new customers or clients you want to attract?
Make certain that you ask only for what you really need — an e-mail address. Delete stringent requirements that compare you to a knight peering through a slit in the castle wall. How? Imagine being your own customer.
Case in point. In a public elevator I found two blank checks belonging to a lawyer I know. I couldn’t e-mail him until after business hours. I wrote in the blank box on his contact page that I would destroy and discard the checks. But in order to send the message, I had to supply 9 tidbits about myself — and then identify the crooked letters and numbers in one of those stupid security codes. No way.
So I phoned. The voice-mail commando instructed me to punch the name, last, then first, into my phone. Punch, indeed.
Imagine, though, that I wanted to hire this man to represent me in a legal matter. I know of his excellent reputation and community work, and I have met him at Peggy’s dictionary parties. No way would I reveal all that info to gain permission to bow and ask a simple question. Lawyers abound in my town. Some are easier to reach.
Moral: Check to see if your site allows ready access or forbids easy passage.
Write in 3s
When you list ideas, examples or foreign countries, name 3 at a time. Like 3 strikes in baseball, 3 little pigs and 3 little words. When you mention the highlights of your vacation, name 3.
Three examples sing. Two examples thud. Four examples overdo. Note the difference between:
- 2 adjectives: The future of the stock market looms dark and heavy.
- 3 adjectives: The future of the stock market looms dark, heavy and ominous.
- 2 names: The editors’ names are William Strunk and E.B. White.
- 3 names: Manny, Moe and Jack sell car parts.
- 4 foreign countries: The firm has offices in Iceland, Ireland, Israel and Iraq.
- 2 foreign countries: The mediation firm has offices in Ireland, Israel and Iraq.
Maybe it’s the 3 Musketeers. Maybe it’s 3 coins in the fountain. Maybe it’s the Holy Trinity. Whatever.
Write in 3s.
Write strategic content
Is someone trying to sell you pay-per-click services again? Promising to submit your domain name to key search engines? Suggesting you pay them to create keywords to promote your site?
You can certainly pay someone to perform those tasks. Or, in this economic earthquake, you can reap the same benefits without spending a penny: Do it yourself.
Take a fresh look at the content on your website. Does it contain the words your prospective clients and customers might Google? Those “key words” determine the likelihood of attracting new visitors to your site – and ultimately new income for your business.
- People searching for podiatrists probably type podiatry, foot doctor and ingrown toenails. So make certain those words appear on most of your pages.
- People wanting a new hair salon might search for cut, style and custom hair-dye formulations. Have you mentioned those terms often enough?
- If you sell medical supplies, your prospective customers could search for diabetic testing, mobility scooters and customer service. Do those terms appear on your pages?
Use likely search terms within your site to optimize the chances that search engines can find and refer to it. That’s called search-engine optimization, or SEO. Help your URL help itself by repeating appropriate keywords within your site. That’s strategic writing.
Address one reader at a time.
Write to one reader at a time.
Whether you are writing to an audience of 2 or 20,000, address each reader as an individual. Readers think of themselves as individuals because the are individuals. If you refer to them as a group, you minimize their personal role. For example:
- Don’t write If each one of you donates $100, we will be able to make our goal.
- Instead, try If you donate $100, we will be able to make our goal.
In the first case, each reader will think someone else can spare 100 bucks.
- Don’t write Those of you who love urban life will love this condo property.
- Instead, try If you love urban life, this is the condo for you.
The second sentence speaks directly to the reader.
Make copy pop.
Q. What does it mean to make copy pop?
A. Making copy pop means writing copy that captures attention. Popping is neither a technical term nor a term of art. In fact, if you Google the term, you’ll find 945,000 references to Pop3 e-mail accounts and 87,000 ways to make your photos pop off the page. So let’s define pop.
To pop. Verb, intransitive. Make the copy on your website pop by
- Writing the keywords that your audience will search for.
- Frequently updating your content.
- Presenting new ideas or new twists on old ideas.
- Addressing your readers instead of discussing generic thoughts.
- Selecting precise words rather than vague or imprecise words.
Please send in more examples of questions about making your copy pop. Or ask more questions about writing and editing.
