Entries Tagged 'Website Writing' ↓

Make Your Website Headline Sell

Author: Chris Mole

When a visitor arrives at your website, the first thing they look at is the headline. You have just a few seconds to make a good impression. Otherwise, they may not stick around to read the rest of the page.

Unfortunately, most small business websites waste the huge opportunity to be gained from their headline. Typically, at the top of the page you�ll find the company�s name. Or perhaps something like �Welcome to our website�.

Don�t make this mistake. If you�re serious about marketing your business on the Internet, start by writing a truly compelling headline for your site.

I�m not saying it won�t take some effort to write a good headline. I sometimes try up to 100 different options when writing a client�s website before coming up with a headline that�s just right.

But here are 6 tips that will make the headline writing process a whole lot quicker and easier for you.

Tip 1. Identify the biggest benefit of your product or service.

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Originally posted 2005-04-20 22:37:55. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Writer’s Block Begone

Author: Michele Pariza Wacek

Back when I was in college, I belonged to one of those professional associations for the video industry. (I was a student member.) The monthly newsletter had a column called “Writer’s Block.” Although called Writer’s Block, no one ever wrote about this mysterious and debilitating condition. So, finally, one day I decided to tackle the subject.

I don’t remember much about the article except it seemed to be about eating chocolate, taking walks and not doing much writing (it was supposed to be tongue in cheek). I don’t think it turned out as successful as I had hoped.

Anyway, my point is this — while I still eat lots of chocolate and take lots of walks, I’ve also been forced to wrestle with that particular nightmare many a time. And in those wrestling matches, I’ve learned a few moves that might help you in your own struggles.

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Originally posted 2005-04-20 11:42:21. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Author: Gordon Goodfellow

Content is King! shout the search engines. That’s what the search engines love. We also love the non-reciprocal links that we get for our websites when our articles are published on other peoples’ sites with our resource boxes dutifully appended below them.

To create a well written article takes time and effort. We have to get everything right: it has to be of relevance to the reader in that subject field; it has to be well researched; all spelling, punctuation and grammar must be correction; it has to be a genuine contribution to that particular area of specialization, and so interesting that the editor will jump at the chance of publishing it. And, oh yes, all the right keywords have to be there, of the right density and in the correct proportions.

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Originally posted 2005-10-16 13:31:47. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Anyone who knows anything about web accessibility knows that images need alternative, or ALT, text assigned to them. This is because screen readers can’t understand images, but rather read aloud the alternative text assigned to them. In Internet Explorer we can see this ALT text, simply by mousing over the image and looking at the yellow tooltip that appears. Other browsers (correctly) don’t do this. The HTML for inserting ALT text is:

But surely there can’t be a skill to writing ALT text for images? You just pop a description in there and you’re good to go, right? Well, kind of. Sure, it’s not rocket science, but there are a few guidelines you need to follow…

Spacer images and missing ALT text

Spacer images should always be assigned null ALT text, or alt=”" . This way most screen readers will completely ignore the image and won’t even announce its presence. Spacer images are invisible images that pretty most websites use. The purpose of them is, as the name suggests, to create space on the page. Sometimes it’s not possible to create the visual display you need, so you can stick an image in (specifying its height and width) and volià, you have the extra space you need.

Not everyone uses this null ALT text for spacer images. Some websites stick in alt=”spacer image”. Imagine how annoying this can be for a screen reader user, especially when you have ten of them in a row. A screen reader would say, “Image, spacer image” ten times in a row (screen readers usually say the word, “Image”, before reading out its ALT text) – now that isn’t helpful!

Other web developers simply leave out the ALT attribute for spacer images (and perhaps other images). In this case, most screen readers will read out the filename, which could be ‘newsite/images/onepixelspacer.gif’. A screen reader would announce this image as “Image, newsite slash images slash one pixel spacer dot gif”. Imagine what this would sound like if there were ten of these in a row!

Bullets and icons

Bullets and icons should be treated in much the same way as spacer images, so should be assigned null alternative text, or alt=”". Think about a list of items with a fancy bullet proceeding each item. If the ALT text, ‘Bullet’ is assigned to each image then, “Image, bullet” will be read aloud by screen readers before each list item, making it take that bit longer to work through the list.

Icons, usually used to complement links, should also be assigned alt=”". Many websites, which place the icon next to the link text, use the link text as the ALT text of the icon. Screen readers would first announce this ALT text, and then the link text, so would then say the link twice, which obviously isn’t necessary.

(Ideally, bullets and icons should be called up as background images through the CSS document – this would remove them from the HTML document completely and therefore remove the need for any ALT description.)

Decorative images

Decorative images too should be assigned null alternative text, or alt=”". If an image is pure eye candy then there’s no need for a screen reader user to even know it’s there and being informed of its presence simply adds to the noise pollution.

Conversely, you could argue that the images on your site create a brand identity and by hiding them from screen reader users you’re denying this group of users the same experience. Accessibility experts tend to favour the former argument, but there certainly is a valid case for the latter too.

Navigation & text embedded within images

Navigation menus that require fancy text have no choice but to embed the text within an image. In this situation, the ALT text shouldn’t be used to expand on the image. Under no circumstances should the ALT text say, ‘Read all about our fantastic services, designed to help you in everything you do’. If the menu item says, ‘Services’ then the ALT text should also say ‘Services’. ALT text should always describe the content of the image and should repeat the text word-for-word. If you want to expand on the navigation, such as in this example, you can use the title attribute.

The same applies for any other text embedded within an image. The ALT text should simply repeat, word-for-word, the text contained within that image.

(Unless the font being used is especially unique it’s often unnecessary to embed text within images – advanced navigation and background effects can now be achieved with CSS.)

Company logo

Websites tend to vary in how they apply ALT text to logos. Some say, ‘Company name’, others ‘Company name logo’, and other describe the function of the image (usually a link back to the homepage), ‘Back to home’. Remember, ALT text should always describe the content of the image so the first example, alt=”Company name”, is probably the best. If the logo is a link back to the homepage then this can be effectively communicated through the title tag.

Conclusion

Writing effective ALT text isn’t too difficult. If it’s a decorative image then null alternative text, or alt=”" should usually be used – never, ever omit the ALT attribute. If the image contains text then the ALT text should simply repeat this text, word-for-word. Remember, ALT text should describe the content of the image and nothing more.

Do also be sure also to keep ALT text as short and succinct as possible. Listening to a web page with a screen reader takes a lot longer than traditional methods, so don’t make the surfing experience painful for screen reader users with bloated and unnecessary ALT text.

Originally posted 2009-05-26 17:00:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Author: Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com

Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to attract attention and falsely position themselves as experts, are like impurities in the water, clogging up the pipes. This is indeed a sorry situation. Unlike the days when the internet was young, if you want to find good information, you have to filter out the dirt first.

When you do web research using keywords, do you generally have to read anywhere from 4-7 articles on one particular topic before finding one written by an intelligent human being? SEO abuse is making it more and more difficult to locate the people with real expertise and valuable insights. It’s a growing problem, to say the least. But in terms of information-gathering, how do we pick through the chaff and get to the gold?

Use Specialized Terms in Your Keyword Search

When I’m in research mode, in addition to keywords, I use specific and/or specialized terms in my web searches. This helps me scope out authors with real knowledge as opposed to the BS artist looking to make a quick buck. It works for me, and it can work for you as well.

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Originally posted 2005-06-26 18:10:15. Republished by Old Post Promoter

An Editor Spins Her Thoughts about Web Content

Author: Linda Jay Geldens

A glossy magazine placed an advertisement on its Web site,
targeting the publication�s upscale subscribers. The expensive
ad emphasized how perfect the tiniest detail would be for guests
who stayed at a certain, very fancy hotel. There was only one
small problem in the ad, but it was big enough to undermine the
credibility of the hotel�s claim to perfection. The headline
blared, When Everything Has to Just Right Uh-oh. What happened
to the �Be� before the �Just Right�? You may be losing business
or hurting your professional reputation by sending out unedited
Web site copy. Text that is riddled with errors will distract
present or potential clients. The reader will think, do I really
want to buy a product or service from someone whose copy is
sloppy? One way to ensure that your Web site message will be as
perfect as possible is to invest in the services of a
professional copyeditor/proofreader. In the twinkling of a
well-trained eye, a topnotch editor can clean up your Web site
copy so it sparkles in the sunlight. Misplaced modifiers,
dangling participles, your�s/yours, two/to, and other
hair-raising/hare-raising errors will melt away. Skilled editors
say that mistakes �leap off the page� at them. And potential
clients will leap off the couch to e-mail or call you because of
your magnetic Web site copy. Horror Stories about Unedited Copy
When Web content is launched into the stratosphere raw and
unedited, unfortunate occurrences happen: – A national
eNewsletter goes out with the headline �For Pubic School
Educators� (the �l� is often left out of that pesky word Public)
- �And as we stand on the toes of those who have gone before
us�� appears in a scholarly piece (should be �stand on the
shoulders�) – A financial consultant offers a complimentary
phone call (which would only have favorable news � the word here
would be complementary) – $25,000. instead of $250,000. in a
document might cause a legal nightmare – The non-word its� (an
apostrophe never follows its) works its way into an otherwise
excellent story – �We�d like to pedal your ideas� is sent
worldwide in a magazine ad, and not just to bicycle owners
(peddle is the operative word here)

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Originally posted 2005-04-26 01:05:01. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Author: Karon Thackston

by Karon Thackston � 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com

Only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned. I’m sure you’ve heard the statistic before. It’s nothing new. While it might sound frightening or frustrating, it’s a fact of copywriting life. So what do you do next? Give up? What difference does it make if only about 20% will be read anyway?

It makes a world of difference. Especially if you understand that there are some sections of your copy that are practically guaranteed to get read. If you know what these are and work to reinforce them, you’ll see your conversions increase dramatically whether your copy is geared toward online or offline promotions.

HEADLINES

Headlines have always been and will always be the most important section in any copy. They are the first thing to get read and have the greatest impact on whether any of the other copy gets read. Those stories you’ve seen floating around the Internet about marketers who have made minute changes to a headline and tripled their conversion rates are true. It happens all the time. In fact, it’s happened to me.

Headlines and sub-headlines can guide your visitors to read deeper into your copy. If you set up a structure of progressive headlines (http://www.marketingwords.com/articles/articles_progressheadline s.html), you’ll have a better shot getting your point across. Pay a lot of attention to your headline. It’s the powerhouse of your copy.

CAPTIONS

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Originally posted 2005-04-20 10:54:08. Republished by Old Post Promoter

The history of the meta tag started off as a nice tool that web sites could use to show the search engines what the site was about without the words showing up on the actual page. It seemed like a great idea until people started to abuse the meta tag. They would add highly searched for keywords that were unrelated to their site in their meta tags in hopes of attracting additional traffic. The search engines caught on and lowered the importance of meta tags – they figured out that if they put more emphasis on the visible content of a site, people would have a much more difficult time “cheating”. Turns out that they were right.

Now, don’t get me wrong, meta tags still do carry some significance. They need to be consistent with the content of your site, but most importantly they’re somewhat of a measure of the legitimacy of your site. The most common myth when it comes to search engine optimization is that the best meta tag is the one packed with the most information. This couldn’t’t be further from the truth.

The keyword meta tag has been abused more than any other meta tag and does not carry as much importance as most of the others because of this reason. Most search engines only read the first few characters of the tag, if they read it at all, because they know that most keyword meta tags are filled with spam – Just the same words repeated over and over. That is why it’s important to get your most important keywords to the front of your keyword meta tag.

The meta tag that still carries the most importance is the description meta tag. This is because it serves as a description for the particular page of your site that it is included in. Description meta tags should be unique to each page of your site, as search engines frequently use it as the description under your page title that appears in the search results. Obviously, you want your description to be representative of the page being displayed.

So in conclusion, don’t use meta tags the way we all have a compulsive urge to – by packing it with everything that we can think of. It seems like a good idea, but it will only help you to fail in your goal of the holy grail: higher rankings.

John Sheridan

A professionally presented business website is a powerful and essential marketing tool: it’s the first thing prospective customers will look at before they decide to contact you. If the copy on your website is not written to an acceptable standard, it may be losing you customers. It’s not enough just to have amazing graphics and imagery: you need the words to make it complete. Is the spelling correct? Are punctuation marks in place? Does the copy make sense? These are questions that website designers should be asking themselves before they upload a new site.

One of the biggest flaws with website copy is inconsistency: for example the word ‘website’. Some sites spell it as one word, some as two words; as far as I am aware both are acceptable, but not both versions on the same site! In my opinion, a lack of consistency will deter a significant amount of would-be customers from using the services of a company that has not taken the trouble to proofread their website.

Poor spelling on a website is another costly but avoidable mistake.

The majority of visitors will leave the site very quickly if they find too many spelling errors. This again will give them the impression that the site owners don’t really care; and they would be right! I am also convinced that copy that has been ‘padded out’ with insignificant trivia is also a big turn-off for visitors – clear, concise and informative is the order of the day.

Anything containing textual content should as a matter of course be proofread: it’s important that not only are mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar found and corrected, but that the text flows smoothly for the reader. The copy on a website should not be treated as the ‘poor relation’ of the project. You can have the most up-to-date, eye-catching graphics available but you will still need well-written copy to compliment them.

There are the odd few web design companies around that will happily inform visitors how they can supply them with a state-of-the-art website but then insert second-rate copy, which totally negates any good work they have achieved. This will reduce the initial impact of the site, and more often than not will have an adverse effect on business.

It pays to have the copy checked professionally, whether the design company has written it themselves or had it supplied by the client; it may cost a lot less than you think to have a website proofread – it could cost you considerably more if you don’t!

Remember: if visitors to your site cannot find the information they are looking for because of badly written copy they will simply leave the site. The only people to benefit will be your competitors.

Author: Tim Bossie

One of the most important priorities of evey online business should be their copywriting. Online copywriting skills are a “must have” for anyone who is thinking about real success with their online business.

It doesn’t matter if you’re marketing a product, a service, a network marketing opportunity, or if you’re an affiliate selling someone else’s products; you need to know a little bit about online copywriting. You don’t need to be an expert at it, but you should know some basics to help with constructing landing pages, content pages, or just simple ads for advertising.

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