Attract more enquiries and sales with website text that really hits home
You are the expert on your business, so your ‘DIY’ web writing may well cover all your product details adequately – but it may be unpersuasive, unclear, or unprofessional to your customers, without you realising it…
Web writing will make or break your sales – an often overlooked reality
Graphics are really important for first impressions but web writing has the final say on the success of your email or website. Many sites look nice enough, but their professionalism, credibility, and sales appeal are let down by their web writing.
In the technological world of the web, writing skills and discipline are often overlooked. Web development companies, though usually skilled in graphic design and programming, may lack ability in web writing and information organisation.
Confusing or tedious language, jargon, or bad grammar can put people off. And they won’t respond much to a bunch of boring company facts.
So what is it about web writing that will bring sales in for you?
First things first – priorities
We need to guide a person’s eye directly to the most important information first – a basic principle of design. Many websites dump so much information all over the screen that it’s hard to know where to look first – losing readers in a busy world of information overload.
‘Levels’ of information based on relative importance is the answer. Text needs to stand out for vital information and stand back for mere details. If too many things are highlighted, nothing gets special attention. Like they say… “too many priorities is no priorities”.
So, what are the most vital things you need to get across in your web writing?…
Talk in terms of customer interests, not just product features
The first thing to get across after you show viewers what you’re selling is why they should buy from you – what’s in it for them. Many websites just have bland facts dumped on them like “we are…we do…our products…”.
People get tired of wading through it all to find what’s important to them – their needs, fears, dreams, and questions. They’ll give up, moving on with one click.
Do car buyers care about ‘double overhead cams’ or ‘alloy wheels’ unless they know this means better fuel efficiency and acceleration? We’ve got to talk real benefits to their life.
State your main selling points, differentiators, and unique value proposition – what you offer customers that competitors don’t or can’t do as well.
Concise and relevant
Viewers usually browse websites quite impatiently, unlike printed material where they’re happy to sit down and take their time. To hold attention on the web, writing needs to be concise and to the point – relevant to your readers’ interests.
This is even more important for email newsletters.
Short versus long?
There’s no point in text dragging out longer than necessary to get the main points across clearly and convincingly. In advertising they say “the more you tell the more you sell”. A contradiction?
We’re talking about giving lots of solid reasons to buy your product. But long-winded waffle that doesn’t actually say much only bores people.
Accurate and realistic claims
Web writing needs to be truthful and down-to-earth. Any claims you make need to be backed up with facts or figures. Exaggerated hype like “best offer in town” or “unbeatable value” only raises doubts for the commonly sceptical Kiwi.
Credentials that build trust – a biggy these days
People are hardened by so many empty claims, hype, and scams out there. What evidence can you show your viewers of your trustworthiness and competence to deliver the goods’?
Tell them your qualifications, experience, industry association memberships, and guarantees. Your customers’ raves about you will carry a lot more weight than your own trumpet blowing, so testimonials are powerful – if they’re done right…
Surnames and company names will carry extra believability, and photos are great if your customers aren’t too shy. Interviewing customers with the right questions can produce testimonials that are specific and strategically support your selling points.
Scanable – getting the gist at a glance
Meaningful headings are important for content on the web. Writing needs to enable viewers to quickly scan over it to get your gist. Most people don’t want to wade through a sea of text to find what they’re looking for, like the old ‘needle in a haystack’. They’ll get impatient and bail out.
Lists are also good to stand things out of the body text.
The personal touch
On the web, writing with a personal one-to-one manner can make a good connection and build trust, versus an impersonal ‘broadcast to the masses’. Encountering a real person builds rapport with a viewer. Remember the old adage…“people do business with people”.
This is especially true for services – more so than for commodity products where viewers only need to see a brand, photo, price, and guarantee.
Attracting the right searchers through Google
Optimisation of website pages to attract search engine traffic relies much on web writing. It requires key search words and phrases to be weaved into the page titles, headings, body text, links, and hidden meta data.
Articles providing useful information can draw lots of search engine traffic, if sprinkled with relevant key words and phrases. Can you see the key phrase I’ve used for this article? I’ve used some subtle techniques to vary the appearance of it so it’s not over-saturated. Find out more.
Links from other websites, especially using those same key words, will raise your site’s profile too.
Clear call to action
You need to be clear on the intended purpose and outcomes for your website. Do you want to sell products, take bookings, get newsletter subscriptions, or what? To this end, web writing needs to persuade and give a clear call to action.
Make it simple, easy, and attractive for people to do business with you!
Getting it right to bring in the sales…
Does this all sound common sense and easy? It seems most people struggle to put words together that achieve all the above aims. Finding someone with good web writing skills is important – a friend, business associate, or professional.
An objective outsider can often see things that you can’t and write more to your customer’s viewpoint, reaching them more effectively. Good professional web writing can more than pay for itself through increased sales.
Have a look at how Spectra can help you increase your online sales…
