Bright Ideas # 43 – Why Writing for the Web is Different - Part I

“What’s so different about writing for the Web?”

I hear this question all the time. Usually followed by, “Can’t I just put my brochure content up there?”

The answer to that is sure, you can do that. And it might be okay as a temporary measure so you can get a site up in a pinch. But I wouldn’t expect to get a ton of sales from it. Or even many sales leads.

It might even be worse for your business than no text at all, depending on the information you have and how you organize it. If it creates the wrong first impression, is confusing, or doesn’t tell people what they want to know, most folks will be gone in a heartbeat.

And chances are they will never come back.

Think of it this way…in the physical world you have to cut through a lot of clutter. But there usually aren’t a hundred stores right in front of your customer, competing for their business.

On the Web, competition is virtually unlimited. And someone can easily go to another site if they don’t find what they want on yours right away. So they do.

This alone greatly affects the kind of content you choose to put up on your site. But there’s even more to it than that.

Let me explain…

There are three major differences between writing for the Web versus writing for print.
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First, you have to write for two audiences: potential customers and search engines. Each of these audiences has different information needs. And each is vitally important.

If you don’t write to suit your potential customer, you won’t make sales. If you don’t write to suit the search engines, your site has a harder time getting found.
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Second, people read differently on the Web than they do in print. This makes how you organize the information on each page critical.
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Third, you have to consider usability, or your overall content organization. Because you only have about four seconds to get—and keep—people’s attention on the Web. So the last thing you want is for visitors to have to search all over your site for the information they need.

I know, I know…You’re probably thinking that’s a heck of a lot to take into consideration. And you’re right.

Which is why just slapping your brochure text up there isn’t going to do the trick.

Instead it takes careful thought and planning—combined with on-target writing—to really make your site work for you.

But it’s worth it!

After all, few things beat having a customer get in touch out of the thin blue air because they found you on the Web. Or waking up with more money in your business account than when you went to sleep. It’s like manna from heaven.

And once you understand the basics, it gets much easier to create the content you need.

However, since there is so much to think about, I’m going to break up this discussion over a few emails. Today I’m going to start by talking about …

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What Your Content Really Needs to Do
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Think of your Website as your silent, 24-hour salesperson.

Just like a live salesperson, your Website should be friendly, easy to understand, and have all the answers to your customer’s questions.

In order to accomplish this, there are three things your site content must do…

1) Make the shopping experience easy and convenient.
Customers need to know right away that you have what they are looking for. And they have to be able to find it fast. So you want content that immediately speaks to them and their needs.
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2) Inspire confidence.
Customers need to know they are making a wise decision by shopping with you. You have to show them that you are legit, and that you offer quality products and/or reliable service.
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3) Show what’s different, or better, about buying from you.
You want people to realize that there is a definite, unique benefit to choosing your Website, products or business over anyone else’s. Otherwise, the only reason to buy from you is price. And in the wide world of the Web, chances are someone can always beat your price.
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Sounds logical, right?

Now that you know the basics of what your content needs to do, the next step is to discover exactly what information customers need to see in order to buy from you. And what content you need in order to achieve your business and Website goals.

So stay tuned for next weeks email where I will show you how to do just that.

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Do you have a marketing, advertising or writing question you’d like to have answered? Email me and you might see the answer in a future edition of Bright Ideas. Was this info useful?
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