Web copy may seem like a minor part of your overall website presentation. It is not! What you say and how you say it matters very much. Your clients have every right to judge you first by your words.
Your message must be clear. Assume that your site’s visitor knows nothing at all about you. Start from scratch. Introduce yourself and your products and services without using acronyms and insider lingo. The very foundation of every clear message is proper writing.
A beautiful, fancy website can’t hide poorly-written copy. Your words must be carefully chosen for their intended target. Your message must be clear and concise. Poor spelling, grammar and punctuation can be a clear indicator to potential clients that you offer poor services and products.
This isn’t an A-through-Z list, but let’s take them alphabetically…
Big words
Don’t show off your knowledge of long, obscure words. Use simple words whenever possible. You are not “dumbing down” your copy. You are writing to a broader base. It’s your goal, after all, to reach the most people with your message.
Brevity
Run-on sentences can be a nightmare. A sentence with more than 20 words can become bogged down by too many ideas. By the time the reader gets to the end of a very long sentence, he can forget the beginning of the sentence. Train of thought is more clear when the train cars are short and concise.
Grammar
How you say something is very important. Reading is not as obvious as hearing. The reader must assume inflections and attitude. Regional sayings and slang should be avoided if you are writing to the world. Plus, proper grammar indicates education and bolsters your website’s credibility.
Punctuation
There are several common punctuation marks:
- period .
- question mark ?
- exclamation point !
- comma ,
- semicolon ;
- colon :
- dash —
- hyphen –
- parentheses ( )
- brackets [ ]
- braces { }
- apostrophe ‘
- quotation marks ” “
- ellipsis …
This includes bullet points, liberally displayed above.
Punctuation marks tell the reader how to read sentences. Where to pause, where to stop, whether the words are a question or an exclamation. They help organize your words and clarify your message. They also give you a chance to change up the look of your copy. Visual variation in web copy can be very effective. Just be sure to use them properly!
Relevance
If you are presenting to a specific group or niche, be sure to use a few words or phrases relevant to that specific audience. We’re not suggesting speaking in otherwise unintelligible technobabble or corporate speak. Just let your readers know that you are one of them.
Spelling
Correct spelling is the quickest and best indication that you care about details. Mistaking “their” for “they’re” or “there” isn’t the end of the world and may not even be caught by every reader, but it may muddy your message or lead to misunderstandings.
Uniformity
Your website is part of your company’s “voice.” Your website should maintain a style and message consistent with your sales literature, social media posts, press releases, newsletters, eBooks, etc.
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Web Content Store has decades of cumulative experience editing copy for clarity, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We’re also experts at writing custom copy for your website, social media, press releases, newsletters, technical papers, abstracts, and advertising campaigns. Feel free to Contact Us if you need any help producing great copy.
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