HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE COPY FOR SEARCH ENGINES

Does copy affect your search engine results?

 

Copywriting for the Web is very different than copywriting for print. Visitors rarely read web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking and choosing individual words and sentences. According to studies, 79 percent of our users scan and only 16 percent read word-by-word.

This means, web copy has to be scannable, using

• Clear and meaningful headings and sub-headings - dn't use "clever" ones
• Highlighted keywords
• Bulleted lists
• One idea per paragraph
• A fraction of the word-count usually employed for conventional writing
• The inverted pyramid style of writing - the opposite of what (some of) you were taught how to write in primary school. Most important content at the top and less important as you progress

Credibility is also key in creating copy. This is increased by high quality graphics, good writing and external links to related credible-looking websites. Links to other sites bolsters confidence in visitors because it shows some research was done in providing the content the visitor is reading.

Users also detest marketing jargon - promotional writing that is subjective and boastful that is currently very popular online. Web visitors are busy and want only the straight facts.