Finding your voice online

If you have always written your own sales copy, but haven’t the faintest idea how to approach web copy, then let me offer a few pointers to guide you on your way.

Since the birth of search engine optimisation, writing web content has taken on a whole new meaning - placement of keywords in sentences to optimise rankings has just added a new layer of complexity to sales writing.

The Essence of Good Web Copy

The key to good sales copy, particularly web copy, is effortlessness: users must be able to glide through sentences without realising that they're actually reading anything.

Why? Because if users are conscious of reading something, they are undoubtedly also conscious that precious time is passing before their very eyes. And we all know that web users are the biggest time-poor lot of them all.

Needless to say, complex sentence structures and non-intuitive wording are fatal mistakes in the online environment - it's best to avoid 'cognitive hoops' which force users to convert words into their own understanding.

So how do you balance this level of simplicity with the imperative of clever keyword placement for search engine purposes? Here's how:

Choosing the Right Voice in Your Web Copy

The difference between active and passive voice can mean the difference between a captive and a lost audience. As a general rule, active voice enhances simplicity and comprehension, while passive voice enhances keyword placement for SEO. Let me explain:

Active voice is usually better than passive because it more directly expresses the action that's taking place. Readers don't have to jump through as many 'cognitive hoops' to understand what's going on:

  • Worst: "The passive voice should be avoided" (passive)
  • Bad: "The passive voice should be avoided by writers" (passive)
  • Better: "Writers should avoid using passive voice." (active)
  • Best: "Writers should use active voice." (active)

BUT, sometimes passive voice is the only way to place vital keywords upfront in headings, blurbs and lead sentences. This 'front-loading' of keywords can fuel both search engine rankings AND text readability. Example:

  1. "Most business owners adopt search engine optimisation as prime sales tool." (active)
  2. "Search engine optimisation is used as prime sales tool by most business owners." (passive)

Not only is the 2nd sentence structure more search engine friendly, it gives users the most topical phrase upfront - they don’t need to read the rest of the sentence to get the gist. Clearly, passive voice lets you pull key terms into the lead.

Words: the Great Web Money-Makers

Selecting the first 2 words for your lead sentences is probably the highest-impact decision you can make for the ROI of your website. Front-loading important keywords should trump most other design considerations.

To summarise:

  1. For body text, favour simple sentence structure and active voice;
  2. For lead sentences (headlines, subheads, summaries, captions, hypertext links and bulleted lists), use whichever sentence structure allows you to place key terms upfront.

WebDynamic offers professional copywriting services to enhance the performance of our clients' websites. Contact WebDynamic for further information.

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