If you’ve invested lots of time and money in creating a website and promoting yourself online, it could all be a bit pointless if people arrive on your site and then don’t stay long enough to get your message. These are a selection of things that stop people in their tracks – make sure your site doesn’t fall into any of these traps!

1. Don’t use justified paragraphs; quite apart from strange stretched words, people easily lose their place. Left aligned text works best.

2. Don’t test their eyesight with tiny text; anything less than 10pt makes the eyes work too hard, don’t make the reader work hard to get your message.

3. Long paragraphs look ‘hard’, so chop paragraphs into shorter chunks of no more than 5-6 lines long; all that white space will encourage people to read.

4. Light text on a dark background is really hard on the eyes, even though it may look ‘pretty’. The eyes focus on the darker colour and then have to refocus on dazzling text.

5. Lots of centred copy. This is good for headlines, but when you centre the main copy it makes the reader search for the beginning of each line – and they probably can’t be bothered!

6. Don’t risk using words they may not understand; keep the message jargon free and simple so anyone can understand it.

7. The word WE repeated many times. Inwardly focused copy is only interesting to the writer; talk about YOU (the reader) and ‘YOURS’, not ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’.

8. Splash pages (those entry pages that have whizzy graphics and a, usually well-hidden, note to ‘click here to enter) that prevent people finding out what you do or what you’ve got to offer quickly. Some people simply hit the ‘back’ button at this point.

9. Lots of boxes, all with different options give people too many choices and result in confusion. You need a single focus, so one headline or point on the page that is dominant and attracts the eye.

10. A headline that isn’t! If your headline doesn’t give the visitor a clear idea of what the site has to offer – or, worse still, no headline at all, don’t expect many people to make the effort to find out whether you’ve got what they want. No focus means your visitor will leave quickly.

11. Whizzy things that move either constantly or intermittently.  It takes people’s eye off your message. If you must have moving graphics, they should either move once and then stop or move continuously and very gently.

12. Clutter and general busy-ness. Keep the page clean and simple with lots of white space, make it look ‘easy’ and people will read.

13. Having a Home page that is really ‘About us’. Your visitor wants to know ‘what’s in it for me’ before ‘who are these guys?’ Talk about your visitor, what they get, how your product or service will benefit them and leave the information on the company for the ‘About us’ page.

These are just a few of the things that send people away from your site – if you want to keep their interest then don’t put obstacles in front of them that stop them getting your message!
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Advertising costs money – so why is it that so many people waste their money by creating ads that are ineffective, boring, and don’t have any focus? Before agreeing to advertise, whether it’s in a publication, online or in the broadcast media, think carefully about what you want the ad to do for you. If you don’t have focus, neither will your ad!

Here is a selection of tips that will help you to sharpen your focus:

1. Every ad needs an attention grabbing statement whether written or broadcast. It’s the ‘headline’ that tells people it’s worth exploring further.

2. What do you want people to do when they’ve read or listened to your ad? What do they need to know to want to do it? Don’t put unnecessary information in – make sure that every word and picture earns its space.

3. How influential is your brand? If you’re not a nationally known name, it might not need to be very big. If you have a well-known brand it may influence people to read more or even to buy, if you’re not known, your brand won’t help you and takes up valuable (and expensive) space.

4. It may seem ridiculous to say this, but don’t forget to include a means of contacting you and your web address. It’s surprising how many people forget to add a phone/email contact. The web address on its own just means people have to work harder than necessary to get in touch; they may not bother.

5. People will sometimes want to check you out so, if you want people to be impressed when they visit your website, make sure that the image is consistent with what is in the ad. Also make sure that the site is sticky and engages people when they get there. It’s no good investing all that money in an ad when people get to your website and don’t understand what you’re trying to tell them – or can’t see anything useful. They’ll just leave.

6. If you’ve got pictures in your ad, put them to the right and the copy to the left. We read from left to right and generally scan pictures from top to bottom, so pictures that have a message on their right often prevent people from reading it, they just scan down and carry on underneath the picture. Getting the layout right improves your chances of the ad being read.

7. When including testimonials ONLY use the power statement, not the whole thing. The power statement is the bit that tells people what the customer got that made a difference, the information about how nice and friendly your team were doesn’t work anywhere near as well.
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The hot shot ad agency types will tell you it’s about something gimmicky, shocking or what’s hot today. They’re only partly right. There are many reasons people ‘get it’ – and plenty of obstacles that stop them getting it! Here are 7 tips that will help your copy to be read:

1. I don’t want to know what you do, I want to know what I get so write about what’s in it for ME (your reader).

2. If you give me lots to read I might not bother, keep paragraphs and sentences short and to the point.

3. When you start writing you MUST know why people buy you and tell your readers that’s what they get.

4. Most people don’t read online, they scan, so put easy-to-read devices like bullets and subheads to help them get your message – and whilst people tend to read more from paper, it’s a good way to draw their attention to the key points.

5. What do people REALLY want to know? Not lots of detail. Tell them what they want, not what you want to say.

6. What do you want people to do when they’ve read your message? Don’t forget a call to action.

7. Don’t make people work hard; tell them what to do and make it easy for them to do (i.e. make the words a link) or put the phone number right there (don’t expect them to search around for it).

There are many more reasons people stop reading – but just getting these right will make a real difference.

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When you present your business in writing there are a few critical things to remember:

Whatever else you do your website is usually the place people go to follow up or check you out. It needs to connect with people quickly and to be easy to navigate in order to keep people interested for long enough to get them to take action.

If you’ve got obstacles in their way, some of them will leave. So your website needs to be usable and readable.

If you’ve got a strong message it needs to be on everything you publish. You need to be consistent, clear and concise.

Finally, use your social networks, Twitter and your lists (you have got a list, haven’t you) to keep in touch.
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If you are the company owner you’re probably the worst person to write your website copy – you simply know too much!

Most of us are so passionate about what we do (or why are you doing it?) that we want to tell our readers EVERYTHING. The trouble is that they simply don’t want to know.

When people arrive on your website they are there for a reason – they’re either looking for information or trying to find a specific product or service and probably comparing offerings. All they are interested in is:

That means that every word on your site needs to address those two questions.

Here are 7 key things to avoid:

1. Don’t start with ‘Welcome’ or the page name – start with a big bold headline that tells them the site is will address their needs.

2. Don’t use the home page to tell them how wonderful you are, how long you’ve been in business and all your qualifications and experience. The home page should be about your visitor and what they’re looking for.

3. Don’t assume that they’ll arrive on your home page – every page should stand alone; strong headline; content that supports that and outlines clearly what it’s about.

4. Don’t imagine that people will rush to your testimonials page and read them all avidly. Scatter your testimonials throughout the site on relevant pages.

5. Don’t put too much information on the pages – people don’t read it anyway; they just scan for key bits of information. Put key words in bold (but not too many); use bullet lists (no more than 5 to a list); keep paragraphs short and the page should not be more than 2 screens to scroll down. Aim for 200-250 words max.

6. Don’t forget to put page titles that go in the blue bar at the top – or get your web designer to do it; it helps people to know what the page is about – especially the bots!

7. Don’t write a dry fact based About page – give it some energy! Quotes from the founder, MD, CEO, Owner, that bring their passion, beliefs and values to life – you might find that real people are the deciding factor in whether someone ‘buys’ your organisation or a competitors!

Over to you!
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English is one of the richest languages in the world – the multitude of words with nuances of meaning is awesome. It’s astonishing that it’s become an international language, simply because there’s so much vocabulary to learn – and let’s not get started on the irregularities in English grammar!

Talking to a client we got on the subject of ‘understanding’. I think that the word ‘understand’ means that the person gets the message correctly and clearly. He says they may understand something, but not understand it correctly.

This all ties into the issues of whether the accurate understanding of your message is the responsibility of the receiver, or the responsibility of the sender (that’s you).

When you say something to someone else, it’s hard to say ‘did you understand that?’ without sounding as though you’re also saying ‘I think you’re a bit thick, so I’m checking up on you.’

Of course, even so, they will probably say ‘yes’ in any case. This might mean:

Professional speakers are taught to repeat their points three times – just to make sure we all get it. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow.

So, now you’ve read all this, did you understand what I thought I’d said, which was …

Be clear, be concise and, if in doubt that you’ve been understood, say it again in different words!
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When you create a website you are usually hoping that people will be interested in your products or services and, eventually, part with their money to buy what you’ve got.

So, who are the people that you want to make those purchases?

Please don’t tell me ‘everybody’!

If you deliver a specific item or service you should know what your target market is. For instance, if you sell left-handed scissors, you’re not interested in selling them to right-handed people. If I’m hearing all you left-handed people saying “My Mum/husband/daughter could buy me a pair as a present,” I know that – but your target market is left-handed people – and those people who are present-buying will know to look at places where there are items for left-handed people.

So, what you need to present is the information that your specific target group will be looking for.

If your product or service is suitable for lots of people in many different niches – pick one niche and write for them. When you’ve got that cracked, choose another niche; create another ‘home’ page for that niche and you’ll find that you can bring people to your website based on their specific set of needs and wants.

Trying to write one page that targets financial advisors, horse racing aficionados and computer programmers is impossible – but they all buy products in common (office supplies, computer hardware) and, potentially, they could all be in the market for the same service (coaching, VA services) you just wouldn’t present those products and services in the same way.

Get focused, aim and then fire – your chances of hitting the target are much greater when you can see it!
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Most people sit down and write what they want to say – and the result may have all the information in it, but doesn’t have structure. It’s a bit like Eric Morecombe said to Andre Previn “I’m playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.”

Much of the copywriting that’s done by people who haven’t been trained in the skill falls into that category – all the right information, but not necessarily in the right order!

If you have something to write it needs structure – so here’s the steps to success. First answer these questions:

1. Identify what the purpose of the piece is? What do you want people to do when they’ve read it?
2. What do they need to know in order to make the decision to take the action you want?
3. What are the emotional triggers that will make them feel they want to take action?

Then plan your piece:
What will attract their attention? Use it to create your headline and opening paragraph.
What are the key pieces of information? Arrange them in a logical order that leads people on?
Remember – one thought per sentence, one idea per paragraph – and keep your paragraphs short (you can cheat a bit and divide longer paragraphs into two related thoughts, rather than write a long paragraph that loses your reader).
What is your call to action and how will you make this a no-brainer?

Spend most of your time on the headline and opening paragraph, if you don’t get people started they’ll never see the rest of the message!

With a skeleton plan to work around, the writing gets easier.
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You are probably the worst person to write about your business! That applies to me too – even though I’m a professional copywriter. The problem is that we know too much – and we’re so enthusiastic about our businesses that we want to tell everyone everything!

People ask how I can write about businesses that are technical, complex and all about minute detail without hours, weeks or months of research. However, if you put yourself in the shoes of a typical customer the picture changes dramatically.

It may sound brutal – but as a customer I really don’t want to know everything there is to know about your business. I want to know what I get – aren’t you the same? Have you ever glazed over as an overenthusiastic business owner or sales person waxes lyrical about their goods or services?

With general material – like web copy – you have to find a way to engage a wide variety of potential readers, or have several different websites for several different markets. However, when it comes to targeted campaigns it gets easier – if you want to address doctors, lawyers, accountants, plumbers, DIY enthusiasts, financial advisors – you have to know what each niche market will respond to – and then hit those hot buttons!

My job is to get that information from you and then present the message that does exactly that. I love it!

P.S. Someone else goes to work on my material – I have the same problem everyone else does – too much information!!!!
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