There are some very different rules that apply when you’re writing for the web. That’s because people read differently on the screen than from a piece of paper in their hands. Here are some suggestions to bear in mind:
There are 2 Kinds of Reader. Some people just like to skim down the page and pick up the important points without getting into the detail. To keep them reading, use sub-headings and bold font. Other people like the detail so give them plenty of interesting content to keep them reading.
The Heading is more important than the Content. The heading has the crucial job of making you read further. Unless the heading pulls you in, even the best content in the world won’t get read. There’s a great tool that will analyse your headlines at http://www.aminstitute.com/
Write as You Speak. When you’ve been used to writing formal letters and reports, this can be a hard concept to get your head around. Give yourself permission to get the grammar wrong! This doesn’t mean that it’s OK to write in ‘text speak’ or be sloppy in your spelling.
Write for Your Target Audience. There’s a lot of pressure, when you write copy for the internet, to remember to include lots of keywords to rank well in the search engines. I agree, but not at the expense of turning off the people you hope will become clients! Google isn’t going to buy from you.
Give Great Value in Your Content. There’s so much excellent stuff out there (other websites, blogs, newsletters, articles, etc) that to keep people interested and coming back for more, until they’re in the right space to buy, you must give value in your content.
Attention spans are getting shorter so you have less time to make an impression and get your reader interested enough to visit again.
