When creating a profile on an online social network, think about it as the equivalent of meeting someone for the first time at a networking event.

What sort of things do you talk about and in what terms? Don’t turn people off with a sales pitch and don’t embarrass them with too much personal information.

People are interested in what you do and also in a little about your journey to your current career and expertise (and that can add credibility too). If you write about your business, do so with passion and explain why you’re doing what you are – but don’t try and sell from your profile page.

Some online networks are social (Facebook), some are totally business (LinkedIn), some are a mix of both (Ecademy). If you have the facility on any network to ‘write about yourself’, read a few other profiles before you do this and get a feel for the tone of them.

Even on social networks like Facebook and MySpace, give some thought to what you write – you’ll be surprised at what turns up in search engines and you may not want a future employer or client to know the gory details of your last mad night out!

Get the balance right and you’ll help people to get to know you AND to get an idea of your professionalism and passion; a powerful combination.

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Your About us page is not usually the first place people will look, but it is the place where they’ll check after they’ve decided you’ve got something they want. It’s where they ‘check you out’ – does your web copy tell them that you’re someone they will want to deal with?

If it’s a list of ‘we do this and we do that’ or ‘we’ve been in business for x years’, it won’t tell your reader much about you at all. What they want to know is who they’re dealing with – what are you passionate about, why do you think what you deliver offers something special, what are your values and beliefs?

Most About page web copy is pretty boring, having something with a human touch will bring yours to life and create energy.

By all means write in the third person ‘Inside News was launched in 2000 to deliver a first class newsletter to Ford Motor Company and the first assignment was to cover the opening of Fords new Environmental Testing Lab.’ However, your web copy need to include some quotes from the head honcho or founder or managing director. For example; ‘Managing Director, Lesley Morrissey, says “We spent the first three months finding our way around the huge plant, but soon built up a network of contacts and stories came to us allowing us to deliver a wide variety of information to the 5,500 staff.”

Find a way to include your track record and any special expertise, but keep your web copy lively and fresh, not dry and dusty. It may be the defining factor in someone’s decision to buy from YOU!

If your website has pictures or visuals of some kind – it lightens up the web copy and helps people to be attracted to the site, but pictures have their drawbacks too.

Where do you get them from?
If your visuals are helping you to get your message across, then not nasty stock photos! Look at the web copy and see what will help that message to hit home. Use a picture that works for its space. If you do use library pictures, make sure you have the necessary permissions and buy the ones you want outright. Better still invest in a decent photographer and get originals taken.

Where do you put them?
Ideally to the right of the web copy. If you put them to the left of the copy remember that the picture draws the eye down – so any text to the right of them may not be read.

Don’t allow them to push critical web copy down below the ‘fold’ (the bottom of the first visible screen). As this depends on the size of screen the viewer is using, then ensure that, even on a small screen the headline and first paragraph of copy can be seen. If the picture takes over the whole of the screen, some people may never scroll down and just won’t realise there is any web copy at all!

Pictures are powerful – but keep them in their place!

Usability is all about how easy it is for people to find the answer to their query, the information they wanted and their way around your site.

The first challenge is that people can see whether you’ve got what they thought they wanted quickly. This is usually down to clear headlines, clean navigation and no confusing clutter on the page on which they arrive and simple, straightforward web copy.

The second challenge is that the site is constructed logically with easy to understand menu choices – so NOT ‘who we are’, but stick to ‘About’; much less creative, but doesn’t require people to think about it! When they get to the ‘About’ page make sure the web copy doesn’t spawn lots of additional pages with details of ‘what we do’, ‘how we work’, ‘mission statement’, etc.

The third challenge is that your web copy only provides the information that people are looking for. Just because you know all the technical detail about your product or service, don’t assume everyone else wants to know it too (hopefully, that’s what they’ll be paying you for – your knowledge and the ability to make life easier for them). Don’t be tempted to write web copy on too many subjects, stick to the point.

The fourth challenge is to keep them focused on the key message – so no fancy whizzy things that take their eyes away from the web copy and resist the urge to litter the page with pretty coloured boxes and options that provide far too many choices for them to decide amongst.

This is just the start of it – but it’s a good start! Sign up to the news service (to the right of here) and you’ll receive lots more useful information in small bite-sized chunks!