Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the key to a clear and intuitive website.
Are you losing business because of your website? More and more customers are logging on to the Web to decide where to spend their money because it is quick and convenient, and they can jump from site to site instead of walking from store to store.
Web savvy customers don't need to be patient, studies have shown that you need to engage a potential customer very quickly by giving them easy, fast access to the information they need. Otherwise they will simply move on to the next site.
Appealing design and speedy functionality are important but they don't ensure that your site is well structured (intuitive) or well written (clear).
Write First
The real message on most websites is in the writing, and so it makes sense that the writing should determine the structure. Unfortunately, this is not the usual case. Most businesses choose the structure and design of their site first and then try and fit the writing around that structure. This flies in the face of commonsense. When you speak to someone, you structure your speech around your message, you don't decide on a structure then change the message to suit. So you need to plan what you want to say before you create the site. Maybe even write the whole thing first and then use the message to determine the structure.
When deciding what to write, think about what your customer wants to know rather than what you want to say. It's a subtle difference, but it is the key to engaging a potential customer.
Most customers will want to know the basics:
What do you do?
What benefit can you offer them?
Why should they choose your service or product?
What does it cost?
How can they contact you?
Where are you located?
Brevity & Clarity
Your website has to communicate a lot of information and to make matters worse, you are going to have limited space. Ideally, your customer won't have to scroll on any page (all your information will fit in a single window) and that single view will need to contain more than just words. The design and navigation elements take up about a third of a window, and you should leave a bit of room for white space (you don't want to overwhelm the customer). As a rule of thumb you should expect to have about half the window free for text.
How you are going to fit all your information in such a confined space? This is where writing skills come in - choose your words very carefully.
Websites can be an extremely powerful piece of marketing collateral. You can reach millions of potential customers for as little as a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, your competitors are all doing the same thing - it's a level playing field but there are a lot of players.
It is important that your message is structured and well thought out, otherwise your site will be a mess and no-one will bother to read about your business. If your message is clear, your site will be simple and easy to use. It's all in the words.
About The Author
* Glenn Murray is an seo copywriter and seo copywriter. He is a director of seo copywriter and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at seo copywriter. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a... Read More
Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of... Read More
The internet is full of web design companies pleading for... Read More
When considering whether or not to incorporate Flash into your... Read More
Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More
The Basics You have a flourishing business ? everything is... Read More
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately,... Read More
There is nothing wrong with making your own website if... Read More
What Will My Site Do?This is the first of eight... Read More
Home PageHome page should clearly indicate what the site is... Read More
A picture is worth a thousand words.And it still is... Read More
If you've a website but not making a lot of... Read More
So how do you know when your graphic designer costs... Read More
Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding... Read More
(Making Your Graphics Work For You)It's no secret that a... Read More
You have an idea for a website and you are... Read More
One product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More
Everybody talks about the importance of testing your sales copy... Read More
If you have a business, big or small you may... Read More
The question that I most frequently hear from people is... Read More
It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for... Read More
Studies done by Jakob Nielson the man touted as the,... Read More
What colors do you have at your website?Can they make... Read More
The landing page or entry page of your visitors is... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..(Making Your Graphics Work For You)It's no secret that a... Read More
When creating an e-cover the what's the first thought that... Read More
ActiveX uses an interesting method for enforcing security ... it... Read More
Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More
So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More
10 Ways Web Site Text Can Impact Your Reader's Buying... Read More
You may not believe it, but people still judge things... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding... Read More
Know what you wantMake sure you know why you... Read More
How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More
Countdown to Armageddon - at least you'd think so judging... Read More
Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved... Read More
First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do... Read More
Do you have a website? If so, you need an... Read More
Whether a business has just got off the ground or... Read More
Before you start worrying about marketing your website on the... Read More
If you are reading this, I assume you either have... Read More
Web design is a very competitive area and there is... Read More
A web site builder can be a real life saver... Read More
Why is the quality of your text layout and design... Read More
In my last article entitled, Maximizing The True Value Of... Read More
If you're not getting a lot of traffic to your... Read More
I've seen articles (and websites) that suggest you can buy... Read More
As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold... Read More
Web Design |