Web surfers are a savvy lot:-

• they scan a page in a single moment,

• they know just what they are looking for,

• and they are allergic to the hard sell approach.

However, they can be distracted from their initial goal and they can be influenced to act... when the information that you give is "massaged" into copy. Yes, this is a little sneaky, and no business will survive for long if they use these kind of sales techniques without also offering great products and services, excellent reliability and customer care and business integrity.

But, if you run a good and honest business, then the right content and copy can help you sell it to the people who use the web.

WRITING IT - Here is a useful checklist for when you are writing your copy for the web pages:-

• Use short sentences and short paragraphs
• Use the simplest words that describe what you mean accurately
• Use the language appropriate to your target market
• When you must use an abbreviation, an acronym or a phrase of jargon, always define the term in parentheses the first time you use it
• Remember that people surfing the web seldom have the patience to read long winded copy, so ensure that most of your pages are short
• Use headers and bullets points to aid scanning
• Long pages are appropriate for articles and when you are giving specialist information.
• On the whole its best not ever to scroll sideways and not to scroll down more than twice your usual page length.

Try to offer information rich content. Even if your site is little more than a shopping basket, make sure you describe your goods accurately and clearly, that you include your Terms & Conditions of sale, Refund Policy, and some details about your shop or business

Other Useful Pages

You my find some of our other information pages of value, they are about planning your website, web presence, web site optimisation, web standards and accessibility.

Content & Copy

There are loads of books (good, bad and indifferent) on copy writing. Many of the traditionally accepted rules and guidelines can be translated to the web and some cannot. What you do need to know is that COPY and CONTENT are not considered to be the same things on the web.

CONTENT is simply information. The purpose of content is to answer the need of most of the people most of the time - information. Information is the number one reason that you, your clients and customers and I go to the web. So, content is king! But if content is King, then Copy is Queen.

COPY is information that persuades your website visitors to do something - sign up for your newsletter, buy your products, contact you, etc... "Good" copy looks a lot like classic content, but if it is written well it will increase the responses that you get from your website.

If this sounds subtle and a little confusing - then you are right with me.