Video: How To Write Killer Copy For The Web
The Lancaster SEO Meetup Group recently invited me to speak on one of my favorite topics, writing killer copy for the web.
Copywriting describes writing that appears on sales and marketing materials. (No, it has nothing to do with copyrighting, or registering stuff with the government.) Continue reading
Why 95% of Web Copy is Crap (and How to Tell if Yours is Too)
A recent article on Inc.com asked “Why is business writing so awful?
The article faulted a growing trend toward diluted language and jargon-filled corporate speak. While I agree, I think the problem goes deeper than that.
Consider: most business owners wouldn’t dream of designing their own web page. They know that good design leads to good first impressions, and good first impressions lead to sales. Graphic design, therefore, is a task they’re happy to leave to professionals.
Not so with web copywriting. When it comes time to fill their web site with words, many business owners act either cheap or controlling.
The Cheap Copywriting Mindset
The cheap business owners think, “We already have copywriting in our company brochure, so why pay for something new? We’ll just use what we have.” They forget that the brochure was written by business owner’s teenage nephew back when the company was started eight years ago.
They also ignore the fact that people read web copywriting with a completely different mindset than they read brochures and other marketing materials. Their eyes tire more easily, for starters, so most people tend to skim rather than reading every word.
As a result, web copywriting has even less time to catch readers’ attention and keep them reading.
The Controlling Copywriting Mindset
The controlling types are so focused on how their business should appear that they forget about the customer’s perspective. They’ve told their story so many times that it’s become their entire identity.
Unfortunately, most of these stories and sales pitches are filled with self-serving fodder. Does anyone really care that you’ve been in business for 36 years? Does anyone really care if you’re an expert in your field? If anything, these should be given. Yet much of web copy is shoving it down people’s throats.
An Example of Bad Web Copywriting
The resulting copy reads something like this: Continue reading
Free Guide to Copywriting from the Heart (No Signup Necessary)
We’ve all read bad copywriting. The kind that tries to strong-arm you into making a purchase. The kind that makes one bogus promise after another. The kind that makes you feel dirty for having read it.
Good copywriting is much harder to spot, because it calls so little attention to itself. Rather, it pulls your attention to its subject matter, and sparks a desire that seems to grow organically.
The Problem with Copywriting
Many small business owners have become so turned off by bad marketing copy that they swing far in the other direction. They hesitate to write or speak anything positive about whatever they’re promoting, afraid it will be taken as hype. They avoid calls to action, fearing they’ll be construed as manipulation.
As a result, their written marketing materials come off as dry and boring. In trying to be inoffensive, these solopreneurs strip their marketing materials of anything that might arouse interest. Continue reading
