6 Keys for Writing Copy for Your Website

The more websites I design the more I realize that most people don’t know how to write for the web. I’m not just talking about keywords, that is just part of it.

Content is king on the internet no matter how you look at it.  It’s true for the search engines and true for your visitors. If you want your information absorbed, you need it to be digestible.

Most people don’t read on the internet, they scan. Here is a great article on how people absorb content online. Yes, I realize the article is 12 years old, but it still tells it like it is.

Here are the 6 things you should remember when you write your blog posts or copy for your site:

1. Use an informal style. It’s faster and easier to read.
2. 1 idea per paragraph. Since most just scan, they will miss the second point.
3. Use bullet points and highlight important points.
4. Outbound links increase your credibility.
5. Keywords. Using  the who, what, where and why in your copy is a great way to starting about adding keywords in a conversational tone.
6. Inverted pyramid style. Put your news and conclusions first and add details and background further in.

Above all, keep it short and sweet. I love this quote:

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Further Reading

Seven types of bad writing

Being human is overrated (but not when you are writing)

Related posts:

1. 5 Things That Need to Be on Your Website The more websites I build, the more I learn. So...
2. Is Your Website Just a “Pig with Lipstick”? I have been a follower of Holly Buchanan”s for a...
3. Relax, it’s Only Blogging or Why Vanilla Won’t Get Me Off the Couch In a recent post I asked the question, Why Do...
4. Prices on Your Website? It seems to be a question as old as the...
5. A Different Type of Website This website that went live last week was a little...
6. When Did You Last Update Your Website? I had an interesting conversation with a new client recently....
7. Social Media: Still Think Its A Fad? Every now and then I run across these videos. I’ve...