Writing for the Web

Many of our clients want to write their own copy which is fine if they know that writing for the web is much different from writing a brochure, sales letter, or print ad. If you are hiring a writer, make sure you hire a writer well-versed in writing for search engine ranking, and for how users read on the web.

Here are the basics to look for when writing for the web:

Rule #1 - Users don't read, they scan.

Use:

Bolded ItemsShort SentencesBulleted ListsShort ParagraphsUse Headings and Subheadings

Rule #2 - The longer the line of text is horizontally on the page, the harder it is to read and comprehend.

Use:

Narrow column widths (there is a reason newspapers are they way they are)Left aligned text (never right or center align it)

Rule #3 - The good stuff should be above the fold.

Use:

Calls-to-action and offers above the foldLinked keywords above the fold

Rule #4 - Your content makes or breaks your search engine ranking.

Use:

Keywords and phrases in title, tags, headersKeywords as far up the page as possibleOften, but not too oftenAs internal links

Rule #5 - Less is more except when it comes to search engines

Use:

Less than 100 words per page, if possibleCase Studies, Articles, Blogs to add content that everyone may not read but that is important for search engines.

If you put these best practices into work on your site, you'll have happy users and high search engine ranking. That means more leads, more sales and more traffic to your site, and who doesn't want that?