Feature
Article
Jason Gerend
and
Stephen L. Nelson
Contact Information:
Sacra Blue Editor
Excerpted by permission from New Webmaster’s Guide to FrontPage 2002: The Eight Steps for Designing, Building, and Managing FrontPage 2002 Web Sites
Redmond Technology Press
ISBN 1-931150-02-8
304pp, $24.95.
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Web Writing Tips - Do’s and Dont’s
Writing effective copy is just as important on the Web as it is in the print medium. Good writing clearly conveys your message to your visitors, doesn’t call attention to itself, and establishes a tone for your Web site.
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Do:
- Keep your copy tight. Conciseness is power, and short and clear sentences are easier to digest than longer sentences with too many ideas.
- Use a lively tone. Contrary to what many Web marketers say, your Web site shouldn’t use a flat, serious tone, unless absolutely necessary.
- Use the active voice. Instead of saying simply that something happened, state who performed the action. For example, instead of "The prestigious Widget of the Year award was won by the WaterWidget™", try "The WaterWidget™ won the Widget of the Year award."
- Make a call to action. Instead of "Click here to select product," try "Buy." Also try enticing visitors with special offers, such as, "For a limited time, purchase a WaterWidget™ and we’ll throw in a WackyWidget™ free!"
- Write good headlines. Newspaper and magazine editors write headlines to call attention to their content, and so should you.
- Consider telling a story or including a testimonial about your product. Both increase the interest factor, and can enticingly convey information about your product or service.
Don’t:
- Use the spacebar or TAB key to position text. If you want text indented, use your Web authoring tool’s formatting toolbar, which relies on HTML tags.
- Press the Enter key at the end of a line—only at the end of a paragraph. If you press Enter at the end of every line, the lines will be of uneven length when displayed on a different-size monitor or in a different-size window.
- Use clichés. They’re by definition overused and tired—let them rest in peace.
- Use hyperboles, unless it’s used to lighten up the writing. Every Web site can’t be "the best widget shop on the Web," so don’t make meaningless assertions.
- Be overly pushy. Web visitors are coming to you, so making a hard sell is unnecessary, and probably undesirable. Provide the information visitors are looking for, and let them do the rest.
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