Do you want your website to be so persuasive that potential customers are driven to contact you?

Getting great copy online is a fine mix of science and art. For example, did you know that research shows that only 16% of people read web pages word by word? The vast majority of people scan pages, picking out individual words and sentences. They then dive into the pieces that interest them. As a result, successful web pages employ scannable text, using:

• highlighted keywords
• meaningful sub-headings (not “clever” ones)
• bulleted lists
• a single idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
• the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion

Text is really important for online SEO performance.

Not only does your online copy have to be well crafted for your visitors, it also has to be well crafted for non-humans like Google search-bots. When Google reads a web page, it only scans the text looking for keywords which, along with other factors, determines your ranking for particular search phrases. When we write, we have to balance our copy – compelling sales focused copy for humans with search engine rich structures for Google.

We don’t cut corners with web writing. Your website is your main marketing showpiece. Because most marketing will lead prospects to your website, a well written site will add value to your entire marketing strategy.

The more you tell, the more you sell: Google loves long copy.

We all love a great photograph. However you can’t afford to cut copy in favour of images. An engaged customer who wants to buy from you will want to scan your site for as much information as possible. If there is little on offer, your prospect is likely to pursue a competitor that offers more information. In addition, Google prefers to index pages that contain more than 250 words per page. On both counts, you’re on a losing street if you cut the copy.