Do you hate playing web copywriter, banging at the keyboard for hours with precious little decent web content to show for it? Business Owl to the rescue, with 11 quick tips on writing effective headlines, and captivating copy for your website…
Writing Effective Headlines
Headlines are the point of entry for any story. If your headline’s no good, you’ve already lost the reader. Game over. Web copywriters use these tricks to craft headlines that hook readers’ attention, enticing them to read further:
- Alliteration in headlines – use the repetition of a sound, like Swiss Skier Soars to Success
- Use word play, or do a new take on an established phrase or saying, like She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain on her Skis
- Ask a question – Is Pink the New Black?
- Make a statement – Pink is the New Black, Says Designer
- Keep your headline short – seven to ten words, maximum.
Writing Captivating Copy
The ensuing copy needs to deliver on the promise hinted at in the headline. Reading through a story which seems unrelated to your headline is frustrating for readers and a waste of their time. Disappointed, readers will leave your website, never likely to return.
Web copywriters make sure readers don’t abandon the story by:
- Making sure that the lead paragraph – the one which takes the reader from the headline into the story – contains a hook, like a quirky piece of research, an interesting fact, or a short narrative.
- Banishing dry, dull, unimaginative copy. Copy is a conversation – build rapport through injecting warmth and emotion into your copy. Be descriptive. Tell a story. Engage your readers.
- Making web copy visually appealing – Break up solid blocks of copy into smaller chunks of information by paragraphing correctly and by using headings, sub-headings, bullet points and numbered lists.
- Including strong calls-to-action in your copy, that is, instructing the reader what to do next, for example, to call or request a quote.
- Including SEO keywords, or words and phrases that people are searching for when they enter a particular search into a search engine. Readers are more likely to read a story if they believe it’s relevant to them.
- Writing first; editing later – Get your ideas down on paper first, and then fine tune your copy through several edits. Write the body copy first, then the lead and, lastly, the headline.
Last tip: Does web copywriting still sound too challenging? Hire a professional web copywriter – it will save you precious time, and in the long term, will save you money, too. Not to mention you’ll have better web content than your competitors, and isn’t that the point?
Keen to know more about how to write effective web content to improve website traffic?
