Tips for Writing Effective Web Content

You website can be your most effective marketing and communications tool. But to really make your website work you need to understand your online audience: how they think, how they read and what they want.

The first thing you need to realize is that even with the greatest technology and design, effective words are what rule a site. If your copy is not interesting, compelling and useful your readers won’t stay – or come back.

A study by web usability guru Jakob Nielsen proves the power of web words. It shows that when users look at a site 78% of them first observe the text. Only 22% first look at the graphics and design. So, you’ve got to make your words work!

What’s different for the web?
Once you understand the importance of text on your site, the next thing to grasp is that effective website copy is different than effective copy for print. You can’t just tweak your marketing materials for online usability and expect successful results.

The web and its history demand a different approach, a different attitude, and a different voice than traditional marketing mediums. Online readers scan rather than read; they jump around a page rather than viewing it linearly; they expect a friendlier, more conversational tone; and most significantly, they desire an interactive quality.

So, how do you write web copy that works? Keep the following tips in mind and you’ll be well on your way to creating effective copy for your site.


Be Real
• Use a conversational tone
• Use simple language and simple concepts
• Write in first or second person (I, you)

Understanding that the internet is essentially a one-to-one medium is a crucial secret to good online copy. A somewhat conversational tone and a write-as-you-speak style are what allow a site to make a genuine, personal connection with its readers. Be straight-up and direct. The key is to communicate like a real person does. Speak directly to your readers using ‘you’ and ‘your’.

Be Concise
• Be brief and relevant
• Use short words and short paragraphs

Web experts have proven that it takes the average online reader 25% longer to read a block of text online than it does to read the same text on a printed page. And online readers typically spend less than 30 seconds viewing a web page.

This means you need to make your copy concise, without sacrificing the depth of the content. Strip out adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases and dependent clauses. Make every word count. A good rule of thumb is to keep the word count for online copy at about half of the print version.

Write simply. Get to the point. Stop.

Be Active
• Use active voice and active verbs
• Use an action-oriented style

Character counts in writing for the web, and you need to have a strong character to stand out. Using active voice – where the subject performs the action of the verb – has more impact and more energy and is also more personal than passive voice. Instead of writing “the services we provide are…”, write actively by using “we provide” or “we offer”. Active voice dramatically improves the effectiveness of web copy.

Also, keep in mind that your readers have come to your site to do something, so the content should be written in an action-oriented style. Every sentence should be moving them towards an action: a purchase, a subscription, a service, a solution.

Be Flexible
• Use headings and bullets
• Use links
• Repeat key words

Online readers scan text, read snippets and view content in a nonlinear fashion. Jakob Nielsen’s studies show that almost 80% of online readers scan a computer screen rather than read word-for-word. Basically, they scan a webpage to find an item of interest that encourages them to click a link or back-up and re-read content in more depth.

Accept the fact that your readers will jump around, and make the content flexible. Show them the way through your site using clear, precise headings. Breaking multiple ideas into single bullet points. Highlight simple pathways using links. And don’t be afraid to repeat key words to help your readers find the content they are looking for.

Be Interactive
• Call your readers to action

The web’s greatest advantage is its ability to be interactive. It is the first mass medium to enable two-way communication. The point of every website should be to use this factor to call its readers to action. So for every message you should offer an option for an immediate response: click here, enter now, contact us, for more information, buy now. Your website will not be effective if you don’t write to take advantage of the web’s unique interactive capability.