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.