If You Can't Write, Don't
Here's a hard truth. If you can't write, don't try. Do theresearch. Provide every tiny detail. But hire a professionalto write your pages.
This costs. But not as much as poorly written copy. Faceit. How long do you linger on a badly written site' It simplywon't work. Period. Hire the help you need or find anotherline of work.
It's Not Fair
Surfers become more demanding with each passing day. Theysimply won't tolerate errors on web pages. You can get by withone or maybe even two on an occasional page, but only if thebalance is flawless.
At first glance, this seems unfair. Most do not write well.How can such people demand that you do so'
Simple. They do know how to read. And they demand copythat is easy to follow. An error brings a stumble andannoyance. Much of either brings hasty exit.
Your visitors are, after all, volunteering their time tolook at your site. Beyond a hasty glimpse at art work, unlessit offends, their focus is on the content.
That's what they came for. And that's what they want. Youwill be judged, and quickly, by how well you provide what theyare looking for. And the copy simply must shine. People won'tlinger long unless it does.
11 Tender Writing Sins ... Part OnePut simply, producing a winning tender is all about being able
to sell your company face to face and on paper. It's about
addressing the needs your .....
Bad Examples Give You An Edge
The abundance of poorly written sites offers opportunity.Put your site together in solid fashion, and you can put a lotof your competition out of the running.
One of the problems on the Web is that most pages areself-published. There are no editors protecting againstblunders as there are in the print media.
As a result, sloppy or bad copy abounds. And if pointed outto the webmaster, the response is likely to be, "Hey. I wrotethis. And I worked hard. If you don't like it, go away."
The point missed in comments such as the above, is thatvisitors do go away. In great big bunches. They flee frompatronizing or self-congratulatory drivel even more quickly.
It's a grave mistake to look at such sites, and assume youcan be successful with such copy. Further, there's a hiddenassumption you accept when you do so. You accept as fact thatthe webmaster is "successful." Bad thinking, to put it mildly.
What's Required
You don't have to get fancy. Some who recognize theirwriting skills are not first rate, tend to become formal, evenpedantic, when writing. That is, they put on the "top hat andtails." Which is exactly the opposite of what is required.For only great writers can pull such stunts.
You know your Perfect Customer. So just think about whatyou want to say, and how you would say it to him or her. Inyour shop. Over the phone. Wherever. But just you and yourcustomer. Nobody else.
Chances are you'd chat as you do daily with others. Dothe same in writing. If this doesn't work, say it out loudinto a tape recorder. Then type what you recorded.
In speaking, we use a lot of incomplete sentences. And wehave body language reflecting back at us that points out rightquick anything not clear, the misuse of a word, and so forth.But beyond cleaning up these kinds of things, write as youwould speak to your Perfect Customer face to face.
To do otherwise, as in pretending to be profound, is torisk all.
Some Writing Tips
Here are some ideas often overlooked. Each notion can begreatly expanded. However, it is not appropriate to do so here.If you'd like more information about writing for the Web, visitmy site and click Topics in the navigation bar to the left.Then select Writing Skills. You'll find lots of good ideas andreferences here that may offer just what you need. Now to thosetips, ...
SEO Copywriting Makeover: Good Rankings But No Sales Part 2by Karon Thackston ' 2004-2005
http://www.copywritingcourse.com
In Part 1 of this article series, we looked at a local home security site that had fairly good rankings but whose conversion rate was lacking. (You can see the original .....
Your Perfect Customer Comes First - Hold your focus on thisperson. Everything you write is as closely targeted as possibleon this person's needs, hopes and dreams. If you can sustainthis interaction, the rest is just mechanics.
Talk With, Not To - Telling people what to do never works.Whether selling or providing information, your only hope is topersuade readers to buy your product or accept your point ofview. In short, always talk *with* your Perfect Customer.Never talk *to* them.
Forget About Maybes - A common mistake on many sites is theattempt to please all visitors. It won't work. Talk and sellto your Perfect Customer, and nobody else. That is, neverinclude even a comment in hope of converting maybes.
Use "I," not "We" - If you're just one person, stick toyourself as the subject. There is something pretentious, kindof phony, about a fellow ......
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