Caption - write what people will link to

Creating Website Copy

Writing website copy is a chance to communicate, sell, share ideas, content should be for people not search engines. Improving visitor numbers is welcome but filling pages with unnatural wording will not please users, or help in search. Relevant terms should be included but the days of heavy keywording are over.

Major search engines have become adept at analysing content with a human eye, to satisfy their users. Think from a visitor's point of view, make website copy appealing, unique, useful, please readers and you will please search engines. Don't pad content for them, just make sure they understand your intent.

Focusing Website Content

Whilst core wording should be logical and readable, pages in search returns need to match search terms. If you have leeway in the wording you choose, no harm adopting words people use to look for your type of site. Check search databases for popular terms, such as those from the largest search engine:

These shouldn't dictate content but can be used like a thesaurus and provide insight into how others think. More information can be gained when your site is up and running, install analytical software to monitor terms visitors arrive by and adapt the copy. The same principle can be applied to other elements, page titles, alt text, anchor text on internal links. No need to stop focusing on people, just help search engines as well.

Your research will bring up alternative phrases, not heavily used but worthwhile. "How to write good website content" may be less popular than "writing website copy" but if this fits, the phrase could draw traffic. You could decide to focus a page on secondary terms, competing for the most popular not always the best approach.

Working With Visitors

Visitors read websites in a different way from other media. Look at successful, sales orientated pages, their content often concise in response to focus groups. People given identical text to read in a newspaper and on a website go through the website 25% faster. Your copy shouldn't simply be bullet points, just try not to be wordy. As in the second option below, with the same meaning as the first:

  • If you decide that you might want to write some website copy, I think you might enjoy doing that.
  • Writing website copy can be fun.

A website is not a personal letter, visitors want to see what you offer in a minimal time frame. Even if the content is informational, give your views but avoid the "I" or "I think" approach. A politician's trick to give them a way out but not needed for websites, visitors know your copy is an opinion. Neither are "this" "that" or similar pronouns ideal. They are grammatically useful at times but consider two alternatives:

  • More images can help, that might make your website more use to your business.
  • More images may help, adding visual appeal to a website can increase business.

Apart from nominal editing, "that" has been replaced with "adding visual appeal". This phrase also now joins with "to a website" forming the type of entry which may be used as a search term. Certainly more likely than the word this replaced and informative, repeating the process throughout a site will bring traffic.

The Style Of A Website

With traffic comes expectation from visitors. Every website has the right to individual style, an accountant's site will differ from one selling hair extensions, language, layout and proportion of text to images need to be seen by visitors as in context. Still no reason for an academic site to dispose of headline text, or a sales site to forsake good grammar and spelling, both give the right impression.

A stylish concept can help a website but should not overpower, or be in place of valuable content. Think of the web's top sites and you generally find they do not use flashy add ons, preferring to concentrate on the reason visitors came. They also tend to follow essential rules:

  • Website content should be purposeful, make the theme of pages clear and avoid padding.
  • Header text provides structure but must relate to the content below, part of building trust.
  • Keep text layout similar through the website, consistency makes your visitors comfortable.
  • By all means choose a language style to suit your site but this is no reason for being sloppy.
  • Choose fonts that are on most PCs and not many, spraying fonts around is unprofessional.
  • Avoid attacking competitors, politics, religion, or being too personal, focus on information.

Above all, enjoy creating your site. Popular website copy is seen by many people, who appreciate content matching their needs. Consider your composition from their point of view, read aloud to yourself to pick up areas that stick. You may also be interested in a couple of pages which tie in: