Writing Copy For The Web

To write copy for online use, even good writers have to learn how to apply their writing skills to the Web. The basic differences between print copy and online copy go deeper than just formatting the copy itself. It is the intent of this article to outline these differences so that a writer better understands what makes good Web copy.

For starters, use short sentences. (No more than sixteen words per sentence) Keeping your paragraphs to three or four sentences is also a must. Clear, concise points that quickly sums up the message presented work best.

The reasons for this are because most people consider online copy a bit harder to read than print copy. Therefore, if you expect your copy to be read in its entirety; make it somewhat easier on your readers by following these guidelines.

Nothing will make readers reach for the "back" button faster; than coming across a huge block of unformatted Web text. It is also a known fact that a lot of readers "scan" online copy instead of reading it word for word.

People's patience tends to be somewhat short online. They want to be able to find their answers fast as well as easy. So keep your reader interested by giving them what they want. Dynamic, high impact Web copy is what most people like to find online, so to stray from this format one can expect the writing to perform poorly.

Excess verbiage that rambles on and on (while saying little) will cause a writer to lose his audience quickly. Most people enjoy reading copy that is engaging, personable, and well thought out. For online use, "active voice," style writing will outperform "passive voice" copy.

When it comes to online content, the same copy that worked well in newsprint will not work for Web copy. The same holds true for advertisement. As a "test," a few years ago some businessmen took a brochure that did well in print, and placed it online to see how it performed.

Then they drove nearly a million visitors to it. This same ad that sold well in print was a total failure when they tried to use it to make sales on the Internet. (This is of no surprise because that's why writers need to know how copy is going to be used before they start writing.)

You can take a print article and repurpose it by simply rewriting the content to transform it into good Web copy. The opposite is also true. You can take Web copy and rewrite it to change it into print copy.


------

Professional Web Copywriter
Stephen E. Monday
AAA Web Copy Services