Website Copywriting 101

You're a genius marketer and you know everything about the differences between copy that's appropriate for a website vs. copy that you incorporate into collateral...Then again, tips like those below might enlighten you..(courtesy of this week's edition of Startup Nation--but you don't have to be a start-up to learn from these 10 basic tips!)

Here are 10 website writing tips to help get you started:

• Address people directly as “you.” This personalizes your message and involves readers directly. Too many small business sites say “we” this and “we” that, never bothering to involve the customer.
• Write like you talk. Be friendly. Use contractions and expressions, just as people use in everyday speech. Use anecdotes. In other words, don’t be boring.
• Let your passion about your product or service come through in your online voice. Show that you believe in what you are doing.
• Testimonials are a powerful credibility tool for most small business websites. Feature them prominently. Place two or three of your best testimonial quotes or anecdotes up front. Sprinkle others throughout the site. Use them to reinforce specific points of your sales pitch.
• Keep your writing simple. Avoid jargon and overly-technical explanations, “corporate-speak” and excessive use of capital letters (boldface is better) or exclamation points. Clarity is key. Keep sentences and paragraphs short to conform to the short time you have a visitor's attention.
• Write tight. Cut unnecessary words. If you mean to say, “If there’s a problem,” don’t write “In the event of an unsatisfactory experience.”
• Talk benefits, not features — age-old copywriting advice that applies equally to the web. Will your product or service save me time? Make me money? Entertain me or make me feel better?
• Don’t plop a mission statement on your homepage. Most are boring and repetitive. Visitors don’t care.
• Build credibility with a guarantee or free trial. Show a small photo of yourself, and perhaps your place of business.
• Proofread everything at least three times. Spelling, factual and grammatical goofs cramp your credibility.