Costly Web Copy Pitfalls by Vanessa Selene Williams

Costly Web Copy Pitfalls by Vanessa Selene Williams

One secret to a site that sells: Look at your site from your customers perspective. Another secret: Watch out for these common web copy pitfalls.

Welcome tonothing
Look at your sites web copy. Does it begin with Welcome to? If so, get rid of it. It means nothing. It doesnt speak to your customers. Its just a waste of your customers time and space. Rather than the worn out phrase, Welcome to try a statement that captures the essence of your company, explaining it in terms thatll benefit your customers. Instead of Welcome to Crazy Daves CD Emporium, try Crazy Daves CD Emporium, where you can find quality CDs and crazy prices.

Where do I go?
If you track your sites metrics, look at your customers paths. How many customers get past the home page? If its less than desired, there might be a problem with your sites navigation. If youre one of those people with mega-content sites, add an internal search to help your customers find there way. If youre a smaller site, add navigation bars that update automatically when your sites structures changes or evolves.

Its all about me.
Your site is supposed to be about your customers not you. Lets face it: Your customers dont care about your Nobel Prize or that you were the first person to sell a condominium on Jupiter, they do care, however, about how your expertise can help them.

Quick tip: Visit your site. Does the copy contain more we, me, and I statements than you and your?

MarcoPolo
Have you ever visited a site to be sold on the product, then when you needed to ask a quick question, you couldnt find their contact information? The solution: Put at least an email address or phone number on each page, preferably at the top or bottom. Then put more detailed contact information on your contact page.

Rarely read but really important.
Just the presence of terms and conditions and privacy policies instills confidence in your product. It also eases the minds of your more anxious customers.

Vague, iffy, testimonials
Testimonials are the easiest and perhaps the best way to capture your customers attention and confidence. But simple statements saying that your product is good, wont work. Detailed testimonials praising how much your product improved their life work best. Another way to give testimonials more selling power, get a picture. Even better, get a picture with you customer using your product or benefiting from your service.

About the Author
Vanessa Selene Williams an independent writer who writes for businesses and corporations. She currently offers 30-minute and 60-minute critiques and consultations. To learn more about Vanessa and her services visit her online at http://corp.vswilliams.com or email her at info@vswilliams.com.