Technology & Internet
Ask SCORE                                                                        Word Count 412

Make Your Web Text Sparkle

Many elements go into creating a successful small business Web site—one
that showcases your company’s products or services and entices people to
buy. But one of the most overlooked items is the text that goes on each Web
page. Writing copy for Web sites is, in fact, different from other forms of sales
writing. Web writing requires a different approach, a different voice and a
different attitude from the offline world.

With millions of Web sites competing for attention, attracting visitors is hard
enough. But once you get them there, the real test is convincing them to buy.
Site builders often turn to flashy graphics, sound and other fancy features to
cinch the sale.  But in the end, it’s what you say and how you say it that are the
keys to Web site success.   

Focus first on establishing credibility. The content on your site must be crisp
and intelligent. What you say should grab a visitor’s attention, pique their
interest and motivate them to action. But avoid sounding like a commercial.

“Don’t make your Web site look like an ad” is rule number one of Web
copywriting, says Maria Veloso, director of Web Copywriting University. We
are all bombarded by ad images daily, says Veloso. The last thing we want to
see on a site is another ad.

Yet many small business sites seem specifically designed to look like
billboards. Avoid this trap. “People go online for information,” says Veloso.
“That’s why they call it the information superhighway.” Your site should provide
help, not hype, with the feel of editorial, not advertising. Web visitors consider
themselves active participants in a shared online experience, so the writing
should speak to them in this way.  

For example, address people directly as “you.” This personalizes your
message and involves readers directly. Small business sites too often say
“we” this and “we” that, never bothering to involve the customer. Write friendly
with words and expressions you would use in everyday speech. Let your
passion about your product or service come through in your online voice. If you
show that you believe in what you are doing, customers will notice.

For more advice on marketing your small business, contact SCORE
"Counselors to America's Small Business." SCORE is a nonprofit
organization of more than 10,500 volunteer business counselors who provide
free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small
business owners. Go to www.scoredm.org on the web or call (515) 284-4760
between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.