Writing copy for your website, Part 1

Web Boutiques have brought you a revolutionary web solution where you can easily update all the information yourself. Now that you are self-sufficient in running your own website, the next step is to make sure that you can continue to draw people into your site by maintaining good web content.

Not everybody has a knack with words. But if you follow a few key points, you can create good, clear text that will get your message across and get your website working for you.

Think

• Look at your website from your site visitor’s point of view
  Is the information they are looking for easy to find, easy to understand and easy to use?
• Think of the questions they might ask and write down the answers
  Don’t be tempted to include anything extra – they won’t want to read it.
• Focus on your essential message
  Keep it simple and short. People don’t want to read reams of text – they scan for keywords.

Write

• Use clear, simple language
  If people understand you then they will connect with you.
• Adopt a friendly, conversational tone
  Use ‘you’ and ‘we’, and be consistent
• Break text up into headings, sub headings and bullet points
  This gives text order and will make it easier for your site visitor to read. With web text, people scan, grab and leave.
• Avoid writing in capitals
  There’s no need to shout!
• Only underline if it is a link
  Avoid any risk of confusing your site visitor.
• Keep italics to a minimum
  They are hard to read.
• Avoid placing one heading on top of another
  Don’t be afraid to create space between your key points – it’ll make the text much easier to read for your site visitor.
• Think about the type size
  It is not just very small text that is difficult to read. Very large text can also be hard on the eye. Stick to your default Web Boutiques size setting as a standard.

Approach your writing with the intention of keeping the page looking and sounding as clean, simple and concise as possible. Think about what appeals to you when you browse the internet. What draws you into a site? If you can’t find what you are looking for easily within less than a minute, you try elsewhere.