Web Writing Principle #2: Make it actionable

The second principle of Web Writing is to make your words “actionable”.

What does that mean? It means you must use your words to take advantage of the unique interactive characteristic of the web. Unlike other communication mediums – print, radio, tv – the web allows users to take action right then and there. This distinction makes a huge difference to what you write and how you write it.

On a website, your viewers can click, subscribe, download, give you information, or – if your content is not compelling enough – they can simply leave.

Know your website goal

Before you sit down to write for your website, you should know what the goal of your site is. Commonly, the goal is either to convert visitors directly into customers or to convert visitors into named leads.

Once your goal is defined, keep it in mind on every page, and with every word you write. Provide your visitors with opportunities to do things that will lead to fulfilling your desired end goal. And make sure the opportunities are enticing enough for your visitors to WANT to do them.

“Click here to subscribe to our enewsletter”, in order to get named leads to add to your database, is not nearly as enticing as “Subscribe to our enewsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest techniques for influencing your web readers”.

Never "click here"

A key piece of advice on this topic is to never waste valuable website real estate with the words “click here”. Instead, use informative, compelling words that will entice your visitors to “click here” without having to tell them explicitly to do so.