Wording Up Your Website

Navigation: Main page » Web Design

 Print this page Submit articleComment article

Author: Glenn Murray

Article source: http://www.divinewrite.com/. Used with author's permission.

Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the key to a clear and intuitive website.

Are you losing business because of your website? More and more customers are logging on to the Web to decide where to spend their money because it is quick and convenient, and they can jump from site to site instead of walking from store to store.

Web savvy customers don't need to be patient, studies have shown that you need to engage a potential customer very quickly by giving them easy, fast access to the information they need. Otherwise they will simply move on to the next site.

Appealing design and speedy functionality are important but they don't ensure that your site is well structured (intuitive) or well written (clear).

Write First

The real message on most websites is in the writing, and so it makes sense that the writing should determine the structure. Unfortunately, this is not the usual case. Most businesses choose the structure and design of their site first and then try and fit the writing around that structure. This flies in the face of commonsense. When you speak to someone, you structure your speech around your message, you don't decide on a structure then change the message to suit. So you need to plan what you want to say before you create the site. Maybe even write the whole thing first and then use the message to determine the structure.

When deciding what to write, think about what your customer wants to know rather than what you want to say. It's a subtle difference, but it is the key to engaging a potential customer.

Most customers will want to know the basics:

What do you do?

What benefit can you offer them?

Why should they choose your service or product?

What does it cost?

How can they contact you?

Where are you located?

Brevity & Clarity

Your website has to communicate a lot of information and to make matters worse, you are going to have limited space. Ideally, your customer won't have to scroll on any page (all your information will fit in a single window) and that single view will need to contain more than just words. The design and navigation elements take up about a third of a window, and you should leave a bit of room for white space (you don't want to overwhelm the customer). As a rule of thumb you should expect to have about half the window free for text.

How you are going to fit all your information in such a confined space? This is where writing skills come in - choose your words very carefully.

Websites can be an extremely powerful piece of marketing collateral. You can reach millions of potential customers for as little as a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, your competitors are all doing the same thing - it's a level playing field but there are a lot of players.

It is important that your message is structured and well thought out, otherwise your site will be a mess and no-one will bother to read about your business. If your message is clear, your site will be simple and easy to use. It's all in the words.

How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring
Hand-scraped and Distressed hardwood floors are becoming a popular choice in today's upscale homes and commercial buildings. These floors are a newer trend but...

So, Your Made A Mistake
Mistakes on the job are important. Put those you make in perspective. Rearlize every one who plays the game makes mistakes. That you make mistakes is not near...

To Be An Effective Leader, Do A Check-up From The Neck Up
Before we can effectively lead anyone, we must take an introspective view of ourselves. We must do a check-up from the neck up. We must be certain that the th...

How to Build a Home Sauna - Three Important Questions to Answer Before Building
Considering that home saunas are believed to produce numerous health benefits and provide a relaxing spa experience, it's no wonder than more and more people wa...

Shih Tzu - Canine Body Language
Shih Tzu and other canines do communicate with each other and with you through body language. You can learn to recognize and understand what your shih tzu is s...

A Mothers Love
There is nothing as strong as a mother's love. Our children may grow up and leave us but the bond remains, an intangible thread that ties us despite time and d...

Understanding Grief and Loss in Times of War and Disaster
In these troubled times of war and disaster, an understanding of loss and its resolution bodes well for challenged people and their families.

How to Get High Value Inbound Links
How would you like to get dozens of PR 5 Inbound links without having to link back to someone elses's website? This method was used by Gurus for years - long be...

Benefits of Wheatgrass Juice - What, How, and Why!
Since the late 1960's, wheatgrass has become frequently discussed in health and medical circles as one of natures greatest gifts. This article explores why whe...

PPC and SEO - Inhouse Vs. Outsource
Most small business owners struggle with the decision of whether to hire dedicated internet marketing employees or to outsource their marketing to a third-party...

Whats Up With Unconditional Love?
To tell you the truth, I'm a little disillusioned with the term unconditional love, lately. It's just not "natural". The phrase has been used for decades, by ps...

Identity Theft - Dont Think You Are Immune
You do all you can. You shred your documents and statements. You are very careful how you give out your financial information. It might not be enough.

Ask for What YOU Want and Gain More Business
When networking, you need to learn how to ask for what you want at that particular moment. You may want an employee, or are looking for a specialty item, you ne...

The Spirit of Fathers Day
Some time ago I received a gift from both of my children. It was spontaneous and had nothing to do with Father's day. Yet, at the same time it had everything to...

How to Find and Buy a Bargain House with Little or No-Money Down
This article from real estate credit expert Jeanette Fisher helps first-time home buyers with tips on how to get into a home with little or no money for a down ...

A Christmas History Lesson
An article discussing the religious symbolism in The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Future of Healing...
Western medicine has done a great job in treating the symptoms of energetic imbalances but doesn't it make more sense to heal the underlying causes of imbalance...

Keep It Simple, Stupid: The Beauty of a Clean Cut Website
If you are convinced that "more is more" when it comes to web design, you have a lot to learn. Forget the extra pictures and the hundreds of buttons, the less t...

Viagra or Penis Enlargement Pills
Viagra has clearly blown away erection problems for many men. Yet there are still some rumors floating around Viagra that makes people a bit edgy about taking i...

Chinese Gooseberries and Oprah?
Few individuals have neither understood, nor have even come close to emulating Oprah's success and ability to ingeniously-but simply-reinvent. Let's all learn f...

Why Not To Use Web Design Templates For Your Website
Many businesses are tempted to get their business on the web fast by purchasing design templates and adding their content. But can it really work?

Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing
*A DIRECT MAIL PIECE costs about 40-cents in postage alone.

The Serpents Genesis 1 and 2
You know the story of creation, with its awesome grandeur, its profound beauty, and its tragedy. Do you know the parallel story of uncreation? At each step alon...

12 Great Reasons to Know Your Target Market and Blow the Lid Off Your Sales!
There are many, many reasons to identify your target market...here are 12 of them.