So you’re ranking high on search engines – great! The traffic’s finally pouring in. As online marketing specialists, that’s something October 17 Media helps many organizations achieve. However, too many businesses on the Web overlook a key factor that helps turn this traffic into profits. What’s the missing ingredient? Strategically developed web content that connects with your visitors.
Sure, a thousand visitors a day to your business’ website is appealing. But what good is it if the vast majority of visitors immediately abandon your site, leaving you with no leads or sales?
So what makes web content effective with visitors? To get the scoop, we chatted with Vancouver web writer Rick Sloboda. He’s the Senior Web Copywriter at Webcopyplus, which provides optimized web copy to businesses big and small, from AT&T to local fitness trainers. Rick also teaches web writing courses and conducts web content studies with the likes of Yale University.
OCTOBER 17: Is writing web copy for search engines and writing web copy for people very different?
Webcopyplus: Quite different, but there is overlap. For instance, as all SEO experts know, keywords are essential for search engines. However, they’re also useful for visitors as about 80% of people scan web copy, versus reading it word for word. So, when someone’s scanning for a specific topic or information, his eyes are drawn to those descriptive keywords, which naturally indicate what the content is about. So the keywords serve both search engines and your visitors.
OCTOBER 17: And what’s unique about writing for visitors?
Webcopyplus: Well, with search engines, web writers cater to complex sets of rules called algorithms. But, when it comes to people, it gets even more complicated as you need to get the visitor’s attention, stimulate desire and then reinforce reasons to invest in your products or services. In short, good web copywriters write for an emotional impact.
Two fundamental flaws that hurt so many websites include self-centric and feature-driven web content. Webcopyplus frequently explains to business owners that their visitors don’t necessarily care about their company, but visitors definitely care about what the company can do for them. When you deliver visitor-centric web copy, you’re speaking to the visitors’ needs or wants – not yours. Most website copy, however, focuses on the company. Our web writers call it the “little piggy we, we, we” syndrome.
OCTOBER 17: You mention feature-driven web copy; isn’t this necessary? Are you proposing fluffy, feel good copy?
Webcopyplus: Definitely not. Well-defined and communicated benefits aren’t fluff. They distinctly convey how the prospect will be fulfilled, or advance or profit by investing in your offerings. That’s where the saying, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak” comes from. People make decisions emotionally, and then rationalize them logically, so we need to engage them emotionally.
OCTOBER 17: Can you give us an example of web copy features versus benefits?
Webcopyplus: Sure. Consider web content promoting military sunglasses. A web copywriter could concentrate on features, such as high-quality, oversized lenses and rubber coating. That is useful to gain credibility. But the web writer should also promote the benefits, which might include: clear visibility from dusk until dawn, and total comfort to allow extended wear.
OCTOBER 17: Okay, focusing on the visitors’ needs and benefits are important. Is there anything else that helps web content connect to visitors?
Webcopyplus: Branding. I agree with branding experts who insist a winning brand conveys why you are your prospects’ best solution. Branding goes so much deeper than logos and colours. Accordingly, you can build brands with words, too.
Do you demonstrate what makes you different and why are you better? Your web content needs to inspire consumer confidence to such an extent that potential customers will choose your product above all rivals. Plus, the more reasons you give people to choose your brand, price becomes a less important purchase decision factor.
OCTOBER 17: Easier said than done.
Webcopyplus: Yup. Webcopyplus employs Wardell, one of Canada’s leading business coaching firms. Even with our experience in helping so many other companies find their voice, and the support of a very capable consulting company, we reach out to guys like marketing mastermind Seth Godin to help us develop and define our position and strengths.
It’s extremely difficult for a business owner to see his or her business from a fresh perspective, and approach his or her marketing messaging objectively. As a result, an outsider has a clear advantage. A copywriter with a strong sales and marketing mind can determine and then effectively communicate to prospects why a certain business is the audience’s best choice.
Part of the reason is expert paralysis. That’s when a business owner gains vast knowledge and experience on a specific area, and it’s hard to introduce this knowledge in simple terms to others. Also, business owners tend to think just because they get excited about certain aspects of their business, prospects will too. Your web content has to be relevant to your visitors’ needs. If your web content doesn’t hit the mark, your visitors are just a couple of clicks away from the competition, and they’ll bail on you fast. One compelling, relevant point is better than five that prospects really don’t care about.
OCTOBER 17: So don’t waste your visitor’s time.
Webcopyplus: Right. Actually, today’s Internet user won’t let you. If you don’t answer their questions straight away, they’re gone. And with more than one trillion unique URLs on the Web, chances are they won’t come back.
Interested in getting an Online Marketing Review and Diagnosis? Check out our Usability Review Solution PDF.
Tags: Copywriting Vancouver, Rick Sloboda, SEO, Vancouver web writer, web copy
Valid point about web copy and copywriting in general (for print or websites). Thanks for the the insight.