Users on websites are fickle – faithless, impatient and selfish. To keep them on your website, you have to deliver relevant content and communicate it clearly in the context of their immediate needs. They want answers right here and now. And if you are holding them up, they’ll split.
“Get to the point, and if in doubt make a full stop” was my journalist mother’s words of wisdom. And that goes double for writing web texts. Except for the header. Long headers are great online – preferably formed as a question.
Often you only have a split second to catch potential customers’ attention, so use it wisely. Start with the big draw for your message: The header.
Get to the Point already in the Header
You don’t read webpages – you browse. So don’t save your gold nuggets. Put them into play. As the most important part of any text, a web header must be:
- Instantly intelligible. Catchy without becoming too cryptic, whimsical or implied
- Matching expectations, so the user doesn’t waste time on irrelevant content
- Able to stand alone – meaningful in and of it self, and in Google’s search results
And remember to include the most important keywords for usability as well as for SEO.
More Tips for Effective Web Writing
The internet spills over with good advise on how to optimise texts for web, but here are a couple of the most important:
- Use bullet points for readability
- Limit the copy and use deep links for those who are interested
- Use sub-headers to give users quick perspective and use bold to emphasise
- Use vivid and active language in present tense. Make it personal and avoid passive sentence constructions.
- Always end with a clear call to action that leads the user in his customer journey or decision making process
Please contact Mette Stenstrup on +45 40 88 13 60 or mette@nzinck.com for further information or to set up an appointment to discuss your opportunities.
