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Fixing Bad Web Site Copy
Author : Jon Wuebben
Let’s face it – a lot of web pages and web sites out there could
use a little improvement in the copywriting department!
>From boring prose to bad sentence structure, from poor logic to
inadequate copy optimization, I’ve seen it all. And this is what
your customers are reading as they jump on to your site! If they
have to sludge through bad writing, they will get a negative
feeling about your product or service. Is this the impression
that you want them to have? Definitely not.
The bottom line is that bad copy means fewer sales. That’s how
important it is. Don’t discount it. And one other point - an
impressive site design can never rescue poor copy.
So what’s the process that a copywriter goes through when they
are re-writing a site? Good question. There are lots of
different methods and approaches, but here’s what I look at when
I first set my eyes on those broken letters and words:
1.The Copy Itself - What’s written? 2.The Copy and how it
relates to the design - How does it look on the page? 3.Search
Engine Friendly – Is the copy optimized?
The Copy Itself – What’s Written?
The first thing that I look at when I’m analyzing a page of copy
is the copy itself. In this day and age, there really are two
fundamental things that most people do when they are reading
copy on a web site: First, they “scan� read – they don’t read
every word. And second, it’s better comprehended when the copy
is written the way people speak. Here are the other things to
look for when you’re analyzing the copy:
Are bullets and lists utilized? The copy can’t be in
standard block paragraphs like you see in books and magazines.
Remember, you’re competing for their time. If they don’t get the
info they need fast, they’ll jump to the next web site.
Is there too much copy on the page? If you have more
than 450 words per page, you have too much. How many times have
you seen the never-ending Home Page as you scroll forever to
find where it ends? This technique only works for those cheesy
direct sales letters you see on certain sites. And they only
work sometimes.
Does the copy grab you? Is it interesting and
informative? Does it address your needs? And does the copy have
a rhythm to it? It should.
Is there variety in the writing? Are all the sentences
long with multiple adjectives and adverbs? The goal is to
combine short sentences with a few long ones. The trick is to
make the copy flow. Using fragments is not a bad thing. Quite
the contrary actually. The occasional fragment or sentence that
starts with “But� or “And� can re-capture reader interest and
keep it lively. Try it out. You’ll like it. And your customers
will too! (See how effective it is?)
Are Headings and Sub headings utilized? If not, get them
in there fast. You gotta have them there to break up the page
into digestible parts. It also helps the eye focus. There are a
ton of sites out there that have absolutely NO headings or sub
headings. That’s a bad thing.
Are you using AIDA? Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before: Grab the reader’s attention,
build interest, and create a desire so they will take action.
Are you closing the deal with your customer? This is the
ultimate goal of any copy. Make the reader do something. Fill
out a survey, submit a request, sign up for a service, or buy
the product. Whatever it is, you must have a call to action in
the copy.
The Copy and How it Relates to the Design - How Does it look on
the page?
What good would the copy be if it was placed on the page in long
lines and block paragraphs?
Not too good.
Recently, I was working on a Home Page re-write for a financial
services company who was having a conversion problem. They had
no issue getting people to the site. They just couldn’t make
them buy once they got there.
After taking a look at their site, I was struck with one
startling reaction – the copy was placed on the page like it was
a college essay with no variation or eye catching design
elements integrated. Clearly, it was a web site template and no
customization was used at all.
Their competitors Home Pages were very different. They all
employed easy to read charts, testimonials, and other design
elements. And my client had none of these. Obviously, something
had to change, or his conversion rate would continue to suffer.
Here are some of the things you want to look for when you
consider the copy and how it relates to the design:
Is there contrast in the type of fonts, the size of
fonts, and the colors that are used? Some of the most
eye-catching web sites use lots of contrasting fonts, with
various sizes, and complimentary colors. This can only help the
copy, as it wraps it up in a great looking package and truly
brings it to life. Here are three examples of great copy wrapped
up in brilliant design: http://www.omniture.com/s2/index.html
http://www.6smarketing.com/ http://www.zephoria.com/
Is the copy broken up into readable/scanable sections?
…or is it simply placed on the page haphazardly without regard
for the needs of your customer? Like my example above, you need
to ensure the web page can be scanned in 30 seconds or less.
Remember, we’re dealing with short attention spans.
Are the areas that you want your customer’s attention
drawn to clearly visible? If you’re using a “Learn More�, “Buy
Now� or other clickable button, is it obvious? Make sure it
stands out on the page and can’t be mistaken for something else.
Is the design simple and easy to navigate or is it
cluttered? Some of the very best web sites are really very
simple in appearance, even if they do have lots of content.
Don’t “drown� your copy in a complex design structure or have a
million different web pages on your menu. White space is
important. Let the copy breathe!
Search Engine Friendly – Is the Copy Optimized?
Of course, the grand puba of them all – Is the copy optimized?
Not the site itself (Although that is critically important), but
the copy. And is it optimized the right way? We’ve all seen
those web sites that use a keyword phrase 59 times on one page.
Who exactly do they think is going to read that garbage?
Exactly. No one.
And Search Engine Optimization is always a moving target. It’s a
complex process that must be constantly fine tuned and tweaked
to keep up with the Search Engine’s changes and your
competitor’s moves. Because you can bet that you have a few who
are jockeying for that first page placement for the perfect
keyword phrase. When it comes to optimizing your web site copy,
here is what you need to look for:
Above all else, keep this in mind: Copywriting for the
web is a balancing act. You want to ensure you have used your
keyword phrases enough times without compromising the
readability of the page. If you’re looking for a quick rule
regarding keyword density, think 5%. More often than not,
staying close to this number will get you where you need to be.
Do your Keyword Research! Whether you use Overture (now
Yahoo) or Word Tracker, be sure you take a look at the keywords
people are using or the keywords you think they should be using
to find you. Then jump over to the competitors web sites and
view their “Source Code�. (Go to their home page, right click,
and select View Source) When you do this, you’ll see their Meta
Tags with the keywords they are using. These may or may not be
the right ones to use. But, you should definitely take a look to
see what they are using. The next step is to see where they are
ranking for those keywords. Try to find them on Google or Yahoo.
That will give you a good benchmark.
Focus your Keyword Phrases. Don’t use more than three
keyword phrases per page. Actually, it would be better if you
used one or two. And don’t include every keyword phrase on every
page. Break it up, and use your Services page to get specific.
Do your Linking Research! The next step is to compare
your links with what your competitors have. Here’s a site to
bookmark immediately: http://www.linkpopularity.com. Along with
Word Tracker or Overture, it will become your new best friend.
Remember, that inbound links are a very important component of
the overall SEO effort. With Google, it’s extremely important.
One thing to know is that optimizing the copy alone won’t get
you the rankings you want. You have to approach the SEO copy
effort holistically. And if a copywriter says they can get you
higher rankings by just working on the copy alone, you may want
to take your business elsewhere. It’s rarely that easy. With
linkpopularity.com, you simply type in your url into the link
analyzer, and take a look at the results. Then do it for your
competitors. Presto! You have just unlocked a great resource.
Use Keyword Phrases in Links, Headings, and Sub
headings. These are all places that you must use keyword phrases
in to get higher rankings. What’s that you say? No Headings and
Subheadings on your web page? That’s a good place to start if
you’re doing a copy re-write (or even starting from scratch)
Also, be sure you definitely link your pages together with text
links. This helps the search engines know your pages are related.
Use Go Rank’s Keyword Density Analyzer. Jump on to
http://www.gorank.com/ as soon as you get the chance. They have
a number of different SEO tools you can utilize for your SEO
copy project. Along with Overture and Link Popularity, I use it
on every client I work with. The best tool is the Keyword
Density Analyzer. Use it and be amazed at what it tells you.
So there you have it! Your Website Copy makeover lesson is
concluded. Hopefully, there were a few tricks or tips that you
may not have known about. You’ll find that if you follow the
advice in this article, you will have a better looking, and an
easier read site. And eventually, you’ll get higher rankings for
your selected keyword phrases.
Good Luck!
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