Copy that works online

Unfortunately far too many new media agencies treat web development as a factory process where "the more web sites churned out in a day the better". As a result of this, many web sites use exactly the same content they already have in their company brochures which offers no added value online.

Sites must offer user groups good content and copy. Whenever I visit sites that have cut and paste long pages of existing content from their offline corporate material I immediately click away. Time is precious and people do not use the web to read long paragraphs of text, they want it to be concise but informative, easy to read and interactive.

Marshall McLuhans statement "the medium is the message" is still highly relevant and copy must be developed specifically for the web. The quality of your web site copy should never be a compromise. If used well, the Internet allows business communications to be fast, easy and cost effective, however many companies fail to deal with their web site content and copy.

Amalgamating the necessary content
Bringing quality content together demands the input of multiple disciplines so that all departments in an organisation are involved. Each department has specialist skills and knowledge of the area of business they are responsible for. For this reason it is important to involve the whole business in the creation of the content.

Customer service departments need to provide online order forms and FAQs; investor relations need to provide all corporate literature; marketing and product development will be responsible for the product/service information; human resources will need to provide job opportunities and applications etc.

Once all this information has been gathered together, it is important to realise that this content is nowhere near the final stage, but it will provide the web copy writer with the content basis for key parts of the business.

Creating the Copy
Writing for the web is different from writing for any other medium. Once the information architecture and the content for the web site have been brought together, it is important to involve a professional web copywriter. A copywriters task is to create a style for the copy which must reflect the organisation online as well as leading the different user groups to action. Effective web site copy must include a number of features:


Web site copy should be simple, clear and concise

The style of the copy should be consistent throughout the site

Users scan and less is more - hypertexting allows for detail to be placed in layers

The home page copy should offer clear overviews to different parts of your web site

Create summaries/overviews/benefits on top layers to give the viewers the option to click away from an area or to delve further for more detailed information

Use multiple links to layers of information to offer detailed information

The copy should guide different user groups through the site areas relevant to them. The end of a process should lead users to a call of action e.g. order or request forms, purchase a product, view a press release

Verbs should be used to enable action and interactivity

The vocabulary used need to be carefully selected as it is once of the key factors that will determine your success with search engine positioning

Avoid asking viewers to download documents when the information can be web enabled

Linking to other web sites may result in viewers clicking away and never returning - Offer this information as a part of your own web site.

Updating Copy
When creating the copy for your web site, remember you will need to remove and add content on ongoing basis. Once the copy is finalised an ongoing web development plan should be decided and the copywriter must be involved in order to keep the style of the web site consistent. Every update will involve creating copy specifically for the web, and therefore an organised way of doing this is arranging for weekly, monthly, or seasonal updates.

Considering Alternative Languages
English covers a vast amount of the world and is the official business language, however if your business is targeting specific markets such as Japan or Latin America it is worth translating your site into the relevant language.

Successful Search Engine Positioning
A long term vision is fundamental when writing web site copy. You must consider the key words you are using throughout the web site as this will effect the ranking of the web site on search engines. Using the right vocabulary is instrumental in determining your success with the search engines.

About the author.

Alexea Grech.

alexea@nmsglobal.com
http://www.nmsglobal.com