Webwritng: It's All About You!
Writing for the web is different to writing for print. Understanding this difference is increasingly important.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself on this page, you are going to give it only 8 seconds before deciding to stay or move on. It gets worse. There is only a 1% chance that you are going to take any action. By action, I mean signing up to receive a free report, telephone or e-mail. Such odds apply to the vast majority of web-pages including yours.
Understanding webwriting is a way of reducing these odds. Despite what a web-designer will tell you, the web is primarily an information-gathering resource. You can have the most beautiful and sophisticated design, the most compelling of animations but unless you are providing information that is useful then forget it! It’s not a beauty contest. It’s a battle to make sure that your visitors have a better understanding of what you can do for them than anyone else.
Different Media = Different Styles
Since 1895 and the invention of radio, there has been an acceleration in audiovisual media. Photography, audio, cinema and television, all converge on the web which means that your typical web-visitor is very sophisticated at handling and processing different types of media.
If so much media is competing to attract your readers interest, what’s you’re most powerful weapon? Words – and the way that you use them; copywriting is still the most powerful way of getting the attention of your user. However, on the web your visitors behave differently and so your 'webwriting' needs to reflect this.
The Psychology Of The ‘You’ Word
You need to understand the psychology of the web-user. By their nature, visitors to your site are selfish individuals, in a hurry and on a quest to find a particular piece of information. They are scavengers. They scan the page for relevance stopping only if they come across something to satisfy their hunger.
They are not interested in a web-page that says how great it is and what it’s achievements are. They are only concerned with whether the page is going to help them, or not. They want open, factual information that communicates with them directly. Visit web-sites at random and you’ll find that the majority love to talk about who ‘we’ are and what ‘we’ do; not about ‘you’ and ‘your’ needs.
An Advertising Lesson
David Ogilvy, the copywriting genius, once explained to a colleague that it was useful copy, and lot’s of it, that was able to sell a product more than anything else. His colleague disagreed; he believed that the better the visual design of the advert, the better it was. Ogilvy challenged him by explaining that he could guarantee that he could write a page of copy and that his colleague would read it. Ogilvy explained, “I don’t even have to write it, all I have to do is to tell you the title. It is: “This page is all about ‘you’ and he inserted his colleague’s name into the title of the copy.
Never underestimate the power of the ‘you’ word. Reading a web-page is a solitary experience, so write your copy as if it is a one to one conversation, not collective corporate speak. You’ll automatically use different words and expressions and get a more receptive response.
If you've read to the end of this article then you’ve been on this page for 160 seconds. Are you ready to take action?
