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3 Big Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy

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Web Copy Biggest Mistakes

Writing copy for the web can be as difficult as writing it for any other medium.

Big mistakes can be made that can effectively kill your web copy.

Here are three of the biggest web copywriting mistakes and what you should do to avoid them to significantly improve your web copy.

Here we go..

1. The Copy Was Written from the Wrong Perspective

Some individuals make the mistake of writing web copy in first person. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in web copywriting. No offense, but the reader does not really care about the author. What the reader cares about is how the content relates to them and what they can take away from it.

Web content needs to talk directly to these readers. Without talking directly to your readers, they are not likely to be interested in what the author has to say about him or herself and will probably leave to surf somewhere else rather quickly. Instead, you should always engage your readers by using a “you” perspective instead of an “I” perspective.

2. The Sales Pitch Is Too Over the Top

Another common mistake web copywriters make is they write their content with too strong of a salesman slant. We all know how incredibly annoying pushy sales people can be in real life. Most average people find them utterly irritating. You should translate this common sense fact about how people react to pushy marketing to your web copy. If the sales pitch is too “loud” in your content, it is likely to drive away readers.

Exaggerated claims about what a product actually does will also be met with strong suspicion. If the sales pitch sounds bogus on the surface, the reader is likely to assume it is some kind of internet scam. Instead, go for a more low key approach. Write web content that accurately describes what the product or service does and how it can benefit consumers. If the article sounds more informative than “salesy,” the reader may be more likely to believe the claims that are made in the web content.

3. The Copy Was Written with Little Knowledge of the Business or Product

Despite not wanting to come off as too “salesy” in your web copy, the ultimate goal of web copywriting is often to market some kind of product or service. While web surfers don’t want to be pressured into buying anything, they are also unlikely to be swayed by someone who doesn’t even seem to know what they are talking about.

Before you even start typing, you should always perform the proper research into the business, the products or services they offer, and the makeup of the customer base. Only after doing this research will you be able to write convincingly to those customers to get them to act to purchase the company’s products or services.

You shouldn’t only confine your research to the company’s website either. Call the company and inquire about receiving a sample of their product or services as part of your research for writing web content to market their business. They are likely to agree. If you experience a business’s products or services for yourself, you are more likely to be able to write truly convincing web copy about the benefits of those products or services.

These are only some of the things you should do while writing web copy. Of course, you should also try to write captivating content, find a reliable hosting provider to secure your web copy, and many other things. Still, following these three guide lines, you are certain to improve your web copy significantly.

About

Rebecca Wright is a 34-year-old native of Florida. She has a knack for details on web hosting and anything about it. She works full time as a Senior Web Copywriter for one of the country's leading web hosting company.

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{ 16 Responses }

  1. aperture says:
    Hi, Great Ideas! It can help me a lot to improve my writing skills. A lot of people like to right an article; however, they don't have the skills on how to do it. With these tips, they'll learn how to start an informative and provocative articles. Thanks!
  2. Peter Paul says:
    Great article. This is really the problem of some authors specially the newbie affiliate. They tend to hype the topic of what they are writing.
  3. Chadrack says:
    #3 is indeed the biggest of these mistakes. Writing a copy on a product or business you know nothing about brings you out as a blatant lier! And why become a lier in order to sell? Thanks for sharing.
  4. Colleen says:
    Basically what you are saying is the copy writing wasn't real. I mean, if you are going to pitch something, then it needs to be something you believe in. They say, '80% of communication is the non-verbals' If ya do not believe in the product then move on and find another, eh.
  5. Dennis Edell says:
    #2 is the biggest issue with them long sale pages; #3 I'd say is the biggest problem with most product reviews. It's almost entertaining to read some lame amateurish affiliate marketer trying to pass off a review when it is nothing but obvious that they have never even seen said product.
  6. element321 says:
    Thanks for sharing, Copy writing or writing in general has never been my strong point. I am always looking tips for better copy writing. These are some good tips to keep in mind when writing. I
  7. Kimi says:
    This is the one of unique posts that i have read since i hanged around in famousbloggers.net as i never read this post or similar somewhere else :) I haven't done anything to promote people products, so your post indeed give my internet knowlegde something "new". Thanks!
  8. Ryan says:
    These are key pointers Rebecca, thanks for sharing. As for over the top sales pitches it's impossible to out-hype the next guy, so why bother? Present the facts about your opportunity in an entertaining manner. Be clever, honest and up front. This attracts the type of person that you want. Writing hyped-up headlines attracts the type of people you don't want. These are usually the types who call you a scammer if the product doesn't fulfill it's claims. It's better to be honest than to open a can of worms with an unsatisfied customer. Ryan
  9. MirkoGosch says:
    Hey Rebecca, Thanks for sharing these important nuggets on how to write good web copy. Especially your reminder to avoid writing in the 1st person perspective is something I (you:-) needed to hear again. One thing you didn´t explicitly talk about but have shown through your post itself to be an extremely vital part of any copy is to have a captivating headline. I was drawn to read your post because you chose a captivating headline. Awesome. Have a great day and thanks again for sharing Mirko
  10. Nabeel says:
    Great tips. "Exaggerated claims about what a product actually does will also be met with strong suspicion." I see so many people doing this. The so called 'Hype'. It is true, many people will just see this with suspicion, so you are unlikely to get benefit from it. Nabeel
  11. rebecca says:
    Thank you. It's always a pleasure to impart something worthwhile to readers.
  12. Kristi Hines says:
    I think the best way to go about copy is to think about the writing that turns you on to a product vs. turns you off. If you are a copywriter, maybe you should save these examples as you find them, that way you can revisit them if you are unsure if your own writing has gone overboard or is still good for motivating readers to action.
  13. Kharim says:
    Hey Rebecca, really great post you have here. Thanks for this tips mentioned here about copy :)