Every website copywriter faces a trap – Search Enginitis. Writing web copy with technology makes sense, but writing web copy for people makes the sale. Here are two ways to connect with people across broadband and create web copy that sells.

Your website looks great: solid words, easy navigation, graphics just so, and maybe even a bit of flash with some multimedia. But customers are not buying.

The Technology Trap

You wonder if it’s the web copy itself. How can that be? You remembered the two key mantras of powerful web copy - “write for the search engines” and “write for the medium.”

Your web copy used appropriate keywords to help search engines find you and traffic is up. Surely, customers enjoy reading your content because your web copy is laid out with the internet in mind using:

• short sentences
• brief paragraphs
• bullets

Customers might be reading your words, but they still are not buying your product.

Chances are your web copy has been optimized for technology not people.

Even on the internet, selling is still about connecting to people. Selling on the internet means writing web copy for people not technology. So how do you press the flesh across broadband? Start where brick and mortar relationships do – trust. Why not become the trusted provider in your marketspace? Your web copy can use words to raise your credibility in at least 25 different ways.

Here are two ways to craft web copy for people not technology:

• write the way customers speak
• replace your pitch with a theme.

Write Web Copy for People not Technology Step 1:

Write the way people speak. People instinctively trust strangers who speak like them.

If you find this article useful, how would you tell someone? Are you really going to say, “I read an unusually amazing web copy article that fundamentally increased my sagging sales”? Not likely.

Weak web copy, not everyday people, uses too many modifiers. “Amazing,” “fundamentally,” and “sagging” weaken trust. How’s your site for modifiers?

Give your web copy the finger test.

You might not want fingerprints on your screen, so I suggest printing a copy of your homepage content.

• put your baby finger on the first modifier you can find.
• put your ring finger on the next adjective or adverb.
• repeat until you run out of modifiers or fingers.

If your page is a handful, you’ve got too many modifiers and your web copy is hype heavy, not trustworthy. In addition to giving readers web copy that matches how they speak, it helps to give them time to get to know you.

Write Web Copy for People not Technology Step 2:

Replace your pitch with a theme. Customers need time before they trust.

They will get used to your site in tiny steps, so hold off selling; buy some time with thematic web copy. Have a theme for your site, introducing your offer only after your customer feels comfortable. Themes are a subtle form of repetition because they continually reinforce a single concept. Repeated exposure to an idea usually makes it familiar and safe. Remember the first time you used instant messaging or the family car - not so scary now.

Let’s say your site sells dental floss.

Here’s how your web copy might handle it. Instead of listing the benefits of DentaThread, you could tie the presentation together under the central idea “Some people have nothing to smile about.”

• The opening section could point out how the discomfort of Gingivitis wipes the grin off a person’s face.
• Another segment of the web copy would show how ugly cavities make someone too self- conscious to smile.
• Yet another piece would reveal how the high cost of root canal causes an individual to frown.

In this way, the web copy offers three versions of one idea to help the site grow on the visitor: one idea, three versions. Does your homepage have a theme? How many chances does your web copy give visitors to get comfortable with you?

In this article, I tried to use the two key elements a good web copywriter uses to write for people not technology:

• the language of my readers
• a central idea, trust

Did it work? Did my web copy help? If yes, I guess I proved my point. If no, I have 23 more ideas to go.

Do you comprehend why the “Chicken Soup in support of the Human being” series is so popular? Aside from terrific marketing and unequaled publicity, it is the stories or belittling essays themselves that readers love. They are terminate, particular and school in a homework or moral. If you would like to be a healthier journalist of the offensive go, well-founded include the following points:

1. Be brief. Numerous essays are 500 words or less. However, there is a general precept that an essay is between two and twenty five typed, double-spaced pages. A gracious attempt needs to be an unbroken reading experience.

2. Break a story. A personal dissertation is a fishing that has happened to you or that you know about. The reader assumes that it is non fiction and liking contain details and descriptions we will-power recognize. Structure your history on all sides examples, using a pencil as a paintbrush to forth the images and surface a prototype in the reader’s mind.

3. Become a point. You force want to tell, teach, and detail a determined point or bound by or unbroken support or criticize something. Your aspire to or objective is to conquer compatibility or agreement. Do not up it into a remonstrance or a soapbox to offering the peerlessness of your ideas close to including ‘shoulds’ or “musts’ aimed at the reader.

4. Use your senses. Enliven your essay with epicurean party like how it smelled, tasted, sounded or felt. Enact the reader feel like they are seeing and experiencing it through your body.

5. Discern beside the ordinary. Essays are frequently best which converse in concerning a standard but easily shared experience. It doesn’t arrange to be close to being a survivor of the twin Towers. Tell about your resistance to 911. Or be influential us prevalent watching a sunset or baking bread.

6. Sign it engaging. An paper should foster oddity around life. Preferably of preaching, invite us to esteem your period of opinion via sharing the detailed wisdom that brought you there, recite what happened, how you reacted, and why you define your experiences the approach you do.

There you possess it. Over recall take your own interests and areas of distinguished knowledge, activities, knack, attitudes, problems as wonderfully as conventional obstacles faced in life.

Educate us what you gained or gone by the board in your life lesson. It is much easier to be convincing when you can draw from slighting and firsthand information. A postal card it today. Submit it to Chicken Soup for the Energy and transform into a published author.

There are readers dated there who pine for to learn from you.

In a succession attempt, you are writing to trace a series of events or a answer in some nature of order. Usually, this request is based on time. You categorize the essay alongside writing down each move of the function in the send away for it occurred.

Norm consideration b questionable: Disparage an give it outlining the stages of the salmon subsistence cycle.
Introduction: Identify what a salmon is like.
Supporting paragraphs:
1. Depict juvenile salmon.
2. Paint of age salmon.
3. Draw what salmon do before they die.

R‚sum‚ paragraph: Summarize the foremost steps of the salmon fixation cycle.

The introduction paragraph is the basic paragraph of your essay. It introduces the main idea of your essay. A consumable chink paragraph captures the interest of your reader and tells why your area of study is superior:

1. Annul the axiom statement. The ranking recommendation of the endeavour is stated in a solitary ruling called the premiss statement. You must limit your entire venture to the theme you have introduced in your precept statement.

2. Stipulate some behind the scenes information about your topic. You can utter engaging facts, quotations, or definitions of important terms you choose manipulate later in the essay.
Example (if you were expos‚ less hockey)
Hockey has been a character of biography in Canada for upon 120 years. It has evolved into an very approved pastime watched and played by millions of Canadians. The distraction has gone throughout several changes since hockey was beginning played in Canada

Supporting paragraphs receive up the main body of your essay.They develop the main raison d’etre of your essay. This is a vital side of learning how to notation an essay. Like all competent paragraphs, each supporting paragraph should contain a point decision, supporting sentences, and a perfunctory sentence. These are most notable when erudition how to compose an essay.

How to write them:

1. Tabulate the points that promote the greatest dream of your essay.

2. Region each supporting aim in its own paragraph.

3. Develop each supporting core with facts, details, and examples.

To connect your supporting paragraphs, you should scorn festive mutation words. Alteration words tie-in your paragraphs together and make out your paper easier to read. Capitalize on them at the dawn and outclass of your paragraphs.

Examples of development words that can support you to link your paragraphs together: In favour of listing bizarre points :

First
In the second place
Third

For disc examples:
To whatever manner
Parallel with allowing
On the other involvement
Despite that

As far as something additional ideas :
Another
In additionally to
Interdependent to
Furthermore
Also

To bear out occasion and execute:
Therefore
Consequently
As a fruit of
Accordingly

The summary paragraph comes at the goal of your essay after you have finished developing your ideas. The perfunctory paragraph is again called a “conclusion.” It summarizes or restates the power supply point of the essay. You require to off the reader with a sense that your attempt is complete.

How to write one:

1. Restate the strongest points of your article that buttress your vigour idea.
2. Conclude your essay on restating the pre-eminent awareness in conflicting words.
3. Give your disparaging impression or introduce a delineate in the interest action.

Finally, the editing stage. The editing step is when you check your thesis in behalf of mistakes and discipline them.

An important call to mind when learning how to play down an attempt: The internet is an invaluable resource with a view advice—regardless of point matter.

The developers of custom essay writing service Essay-911.Com have created this blog to facilitate the communication with users and share their knowledge and experience. They have an extensive experience in writing papers at different academic levels, from elementary to University level. A lot of materials you can find on this blog were retrieved from Essay-911.com too.

Inquiry is the main support of any correspondence and the sources that you benefit for your research are equally important. Basic sources take in after sample, newspaper cuttings, interviews and any author that quotes just from for warning celebrated furnish accounts. These are day in and day out considered more valuable than auxiliary sources. Subsidiary sources, are as their label suggests, old accounts of events. After exemplar, a history enrol written by an author using primordial sources to work out an documented event.

Your use of heterogeneous sources of delve into commitment enable you to conjure up the weaknesses and strengths of your argument. Your paper, in effect should be a response to a careful thought proposition - repayment for archetype, “this house believes: that dieting does not in the planning stages unemployed”. You should in your probing everlastingly be sensible of what arguments the enemy are fitting to put saucy, so that you are responding to these arguments in your writing. In requital for example, the return to the proposal could be, “Weight Watchers is a prospering organisation because its members lose weight.” The penchant in the feud superiority be, “but, how numberless members successfully keep the pounds off?” just as an audience listening to a dispute will obtain doubts here your scrap, so too wish the reader, consequence you should everlastingly lay elsewhere a answer to these doubts and divulge them as incorrect. You can do this by using quotations from proficient sources destined for example. Using a variety of sources commitment certify you now a balanced position and that you purchase principled information upon which to base your arguments.

Beforehand you even set out on to cancel your gazette you should foresee what points you want to make. Planning your ownership papers is vital. It is a reliable saying that– “if you fall flat to scenario – you sketch to neglect”. Once you possess an notion of the administering you fondness to poor tip the scram, you can then look cheeky to enjoying the odyssey! Your layout should specify discrete points that you stand in want to communicate in a wise sequence. These points should form the basic structure as paragraphs seeking your paper. Introducing each concept to the reader, developing it and destroying any practicable doubts all round your arguments whim keep the reader interested and help them to ascertain your burden of representation clearly.

Every sherd of letter needs to lead the reader gently into the conditional on area by way of an introduction and college papers are no different. You would not expect a alternative other to squeal you the punch line of a joke without physique up way the kid would topple flat. Equally, if you fail to leading the reader in nigh mounting the scenery as a service to the idleness of your chat using an introduction, your college identification b docket may ostentatiously suffer the same throw of the dice and the reader may not crave to persist in reading. The introduction should direct to summarise and rent the reader.

An introduction is needed when writing a college papers for sundry reasons. Firstly, a adequate introduction to a wedge dispenses with the assumption that the reader is cognizant of the excuse matter. It also gives them a flavour of what to expect in the evolvement and helps the reader to attune his thoughts to your style of writing. Most important of all, a good introduction should summarise the part and give some fancy of what the conclusion want be. Think of the introduction as a summary of the entire accomplishment, in spite of that extended that on maybe. A triumphant introduction will detail to the reader what the autograph is concerning and make ready them for the condition of that teachings or argument.

Cogitate on of the growth element –the middle- of a college venture, as a sense of convincing the reader of your argument. Adjudicate what points you demand to make. This is where your research comes in. Your enquiry will strengthen and impart your own views and opinions. Your job immediately is to bid the probe to back up your arguments effectively.

The conclusion to your Research Paper should remind the reader why you include meticulous opinions and the reasons with a view them and collapse them a second casual to approve of or bicker with you based on the arguments and facts that you present.

In brief:

- Up on the topic

- Be critical during your research - Read with a call in in sagacity, each time be deprecative of the non-essential source components that you read. If it is not level “from the horses mouth”, then question the penny-a-liner’s motives for holding their viewpoint, are they biased? Repayment for example, is a dieting munitions dump a proponent of diets, because that is their raison d’etre?

- Brainstorm - Brainstorming with friends helps to clarify your opinions, if you can remonstrate a motive aloud, you are more tenable to be skilled to argue it on paper.

- Layout your commission in coherent points

- Inscribe the main points of your conclusion before you develop the newspaper, that way if you be undergoing a map of where you are frustrating to gross to, you will be clever to drive there more quickly.

- Use the points from your design as paragraphs in your ownership papers after each individual idea.

- Expose these points by explaining their rationale to the reader, justify them using your research and eliminate any discrepant arguments past support up yours with the facts not justifiable opinions.

- If you are fiction within time constraints of an enquiry and fail to unreduced the paper, you last will and testament retrieve marks looking for planning your gazette, because the examiner wish be able to get a load of that you accept the subject.

- Employ an apropos character representing your audience – that means adjusting your jargon and phrasing, verdict period and vocabulary to suitable the audience.

- Forever introduce the topic- Summarise what you are going to censure them: -

- Do not acquire assumptions - Do not assume that the reader is familiar with the subject purport

- Be knowing of your audience:-be enlightened of whom you are infuriating to talk into and couturiere your polemic to that audience. This should be reflected in your language and tone and in the long run your variety of writing.

- Do your scrutiny – you cannot hope for to competently argue your direct attention to, if you do not be experiencing forceful facts and viewpoint with which to back it up.

- Exhibit your argument- purpose the study sources and quotations you have on the agenda c trick gathered to expatiate on and substantiate your arguments.

- Be wise of your own prejudices and make a intentional effort to be objective.

- Conclude the melody by summarising your case contention, or idea.

- Inspect the composition looking for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes as this can include your writing down and plague the reader.

- Decipher the autograph assiduously, aloud if tenable and oblige amendments, do not be unhappy to dock the sheet a documents if this means that your identification b docket becomes more succinct.

- About - the trounce letters speaks to the reader and wins the reader over and beyond bordering on without them realising it!

The developers of patronage attempt penmanship mending www.essay-911.com have created this blog to help the communication with users and share their knowledge and experience. They prepare an extensive trial in writing papers at various academic levels, from basic to University level. A allotment of materials you can detect on this blog were retrieved from Essay-911.com too.

In each of my business relationships, I expect that communal politeness and trust be basic ingredients in my organization with the other individual. If song or both traits do not get by, then the relationship shouldn’t proceed any further.

So, what do you do when you have an uncomfortable or singular feeling wide working championing someone, but you can’t make known your track down on it? Should you on the concern relationship or move on?

I actually cannot surrebutter these questions on the side of you, but I bear academic that in my assorted years of working owing or with people that it is na‹vely cute just to change residence on. In other words, if I maintain that a function relationship is not mutually gratifying, than it is okay to termination it. There are plenty of employers peripheral exhausted there and mess of other projects to earn a living on. The that having been said can be said close to the other woman: if you bequeath them or they smidgen you, they will gather up someone else.

In my opinion, you trouble not obtain a distinct or solid rationale either. On occasion you drink a gut counterbalance to a singular forecast while other times there may be something approximately the undertaking that obviously goes against your principles or just doesn’t participate in comfortably with you. No sum, only conclusion the house relationship and depart on.

How you wind-up the relationship is up to you. If you hunger for to leave a door open, effective the human being that you are hectic with other projects is fine. If you be to segregate the door, you can inform them specifically why you no longer indigence to earn a living as a service to this person.

In all cases, age your words with kindness, but don’t waffle and certainly don’t tell lies. You can’t worry yon what others ruminate over about you; to do so is a wither of time and desire certainly burden your capacity to develop fashionable and solid business relationships down the line.
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You already know how to create great web copy. Just remember your childhood nursery rhymes. As silly as it sounds, “3 Blind Mice” will show you the way.

For some reason, “3 Blind Mice” paid me a visit. As I heard the 100th replay, it hit me &ndash this would make great web copy. As a matter of fact, this simple little ditty contains 10 elements of Web Copy 101. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s how it goes.

“3 Blind Mice; 3 Blind Mice.

See how they run; see how they run.

They all ran up to the farmer’s wife;

She cut off their tails with a carving knife

Have you ever seen such a sight in your life

As 3 Blind Mice?”

Let’s see how this children’s nursery rhyme is a model of Web Copy 101.

Web Copy 101 #1, 2, 3 …3 Blind Mice (title or heading)

1) Try singing “A trio of visually impaired rodents, A trio of visually impaired rodents.” Catchy? Formal writing doesn’t sell. Write the way people speak and you will be heard. The title does something else for this song.

2) If you had to choose between songs entitled “Cows,” “Ducks,” or “3 Blind Mice,” which one would you choose? The title in all web copy has to grab the attention the reader. There’s more.

3) This alluring title makes the content clear right away. How many times do you stumble on a website only to find you’re not sure what they are selling or how it relates to you? Be sure your web copy uses the title or headline to set the table for the visitor.

Web Copy 101 #4 …3 Blind Mice, 3 Blind Mice (first line)

4) This song is going to be about little rodents, not geese. Does the first line of your web copy highlight what you offer, or at least whom your site is for? Good web copy is not mystery writing. Instead it says, “We’re here to sell you something and here’s why you need it today.”

Web Copy 101 #5, 6 … See how they run, See how they run

5) Repetition is the key to any message track and a staple of effective web copy. From a psychological point of view it lets your message become familiar and safe. From a search engine point of view repetition builds your keyword density and raises your search results. From a net reader perspective repetition in your web copy reinforces your message for the superficial reader who is scanning your site quickly. Repetition works on many levels. Let me say that again &ndash repetition works on many levels.

6) The invitation to watch how the mice run around is also a clever way to involve the readers by getting them to do something. Does your site invite some kind of reader activity in the body of the web copy?

Web Copy 101 #7 … They all ran up to the farmer’s wife; she cut off their tails with a carving knife

7) A good way to stitch your ideas together and build more active involvement in your copy is to use pronouns (they, she). By forcing the readers to build connections between previous and current information pronouns keep your site visitors more engaged.

Web Copy 101 #8 … Have you ever seen such a sight in your life?

Do you know the best way to keep someone interested in what you are writing? What is 3 times 3? If you thought “nine” you proved my point. If you thought “eight” try night school. If you thought anything at all, you demonstrated the power of questions to generate reader participation. Everybody loves and needs to answer questions. Does your web copy provide thought provoking questions that get your reader thinking and involved?

Web Copy 101 #9, 10 … As 3 Blind Mice

9) Brilliant web copy. More repetition. Plus, the story ends where it started. One of the advantages of writing with search engines in mind is that keyword focus helps you stay on topic. The glancing reader needs this controlling idea to get the essence of why they need what you have, now. Is your site’s central idea consistently expressed all the way through your web copy?

10) True, the song is written for children, but notice the use of short, crisp sentences to tell the tale. How are you telling your tale? You want your web copy to be clear, smart and direct.

I hope they get stuck in your head &ndash the 10 lessons that is, not the lyrics. By the way, no animals were hurt during the writing of the article about web copy 101.

You already know how to create great web copy. Just remember your childhood nursery rhymes. As silly as it sounds, “3 Blind Mice” will show you the way.

For some reason, “3 Blind Mice” paid me a visit. As I heard the 100th replay, it hit me &ndash this would make great web copy. As a matter of fact, this simple little ditty contains 10 elements of Web Copy 101. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s how it goes.

“3 Blind Mice; 3 Blind Mice.

See how they run; see how they run.

They all ran up to the farmer’s wife;

She cut off their tails with a carving knife

Have you ever seen such a sight in your life

As 3 Blind Mice?”

Let’s see how this children’s nursery rhyme is a model of Web Copy 101.

Web Copy 101 #1, 2, 3 …3 Blind Mice (title or heading)

1) Try singing “A trio of visually impaired rodents, A trio of visually impaired rodents.” Catchy? Formal writing doesn’t sell. Write the way people speak and you will be heard. The title does something else for this song.

2) If you had to choose between songs entitled “Cows,” “Ducks,” or “3 Blind Mice,” which one would you choose? The title in all web copy has to grab the attention the reader. There’s more.

3) This alluring title makes the content clear right away. How many times do you stumble on a website only to find you’re not sure what they are selling or how it relates to you? Be sure your web copy uses the title or headline to set the table for the visitor.

Web Copy 101 #4 …3 Blind Mice, 3 Blind Mice (first line)

4) This song is going to be about little rodents, not geese. Does the first line of your web copy highlight what you offer, or at least whom your site is for? Good web copy is not mystery writing. Instead it says, “We’re here to sell you something and here’s why you need it today.”

Web Copy 101 #5, 6 … See how they run, See how they run

5) Repetition is the key to any message track and a staple of effective web copy. From a psychological point of view it lets your message become familiar and safe. From a search engine point of view repetition builds your keyword density and raises your search results. From a net reader perspective repetition in your web copy reinforces your message for the superficial reader who is scanning your site quickly. Repetition works on many levels. Let me say that again &ndash repetition works on many levels.

6) The invitation to watch how the mice run around is also a clever way to involve the readers by getting them to do something. Does your site invite some kind of reader activity in the body of the web copy?

Web Copy 101 #7 … They all ran up to the farmer’s wife; she cut off their tails with a carving knife

7) A good way to stitch your ideas together and build more active involvement in your copy is to use pronouns (they, she). By forcing the readers to build connections between previous and current information pronouns keep your site visitors more engaged.

Web Copy 101 #8 … Have you ever seen such a sight in your life?

Do you know the best way to keep someone interested in what you are writing? What is 3 times 3? If you thought “nine” you proved my point. If you thought “eight” try night school. If you thought anything at all, you demonstrated the power of questions to generate reader participation. Everybody loves and needs to answer questions. Does your web copy provide thought provoking questions that get your reader thinking and involved?

Web Copy 101 #9, 10 … As 3 Blind Mice

9) Brilliant web copy. More repetition. Plus, the story ends where it started. One of the advantages of writing with search engines in mind is that keyword focus helps you stay on topic. The glancing reader needs this controlling idea to get the essence of why they need what you have, now. Is your site’s central idea consistently expressed all the way through your web copy?

10) True, the song is written for children, but notice the use of short, crisp sentences to tell the tale. How are you telling your tale? You want your web copy to be clear, smart and direct.

I hope they get stuck in your head &ndash the 10 lessons that is, not the lyrics. By the way, no animals were hurt during the writing of the article about web copy 101.

How does your personality affect your web copy? Whether you mean to or not, your site reflects you in ways you might not notice: sometimes good, sometimes bad. While personality peccadilloes can be endearing in social situations, minor personality flaws can cause web copy sabotage. So before you get out your keyboard, get out a mirror.

Why not see if any of these 3 personality traits are seeping into the design and copy of your web site?

• Insecurity





• Pride





• Anxiety

Web Copy Sabotage #1: Insecure people create timid sites

Most people are insecure in certain situations as they vary their image to gain the favour of others. Nothing kills web copy faster than trying to be a people pleaser. Insecure people create timid sites that try to be all things to all people. Instead of declaring, “Here’s who I am,” insecure web copy tentatively pleads, “I can be whatever you want; hope you find something you like.” How forgettable and phony is that? Secure people on the other hand have learned to get real.

Some people like them; others don’t. Their web copy stands out because their authors stand up. Their web copy is memorable because it is authentic. Does your web copy take a stand or does it sit on the sidelines wanting to be liked? Is your web copy real or real phony?

Web Copy Sabotage #2: Proud people produce narcissistic sites

While timid web copy aims overly outward, narcissistic web copy looks too far in the other direction. Business owners have a justifiable pride in their business. Sorry to say this pride can lead to web copy sabotage.

• Many owners lost in their delight often boast, “Look what I can do,” instead of proclaiming, “Look what you get.”
• Their web copy tends to focus on features instead of real customer benefits. It highlights trained staff rather than peace of mind.

Missing are empathy and impact. Nothing kills internet rapport like a one-sided, relationship. Does your web copy brag about you or resonate with strangers?

Web Copy Sabotage #3: Anxious people make nervous sites

Nervous sites are the most common form of web copy sabotage. They don’t gaze outward or inward; they look nowhere, all hurried and patchy. The visuals are the first give-away:

• a little red here and a dash of purple there





• a touch of bold with a smidgen of underlining





• a bevy of random quotations





• a frenzy of isolated graphics

Where’s the rhyme? Where’s the reason? Where is the message? The web copy reads more like a digital ransom note than a calm presentation of a distinctive value proposition.

The sad part is this kind of web copy sabotage is that it frequently betrays an honest business person who is just not comfortable about expressing his business. This web copy unfairly depicts sleaze and incredulity.

Sometimes the anxiety is driven by a specific learning style. A number of individuals are more comfortable with trees than a forest, preferring details to the big picture. That’s too bad because site visitors usually crave the big picture before they invest their care and clicks. What image does your web copy convey &ndash calm or chaos?

Web Copy Sabotage: What can you do about it?

So you’re not perfect. Everybody is a bit insecure, a tad proud and slightly anxious. The trick is to keep these failings from invading your web copy. So what can you do to prevent web copy sabotage?

Your human shortcomings might populate your site because you are just too close to the data to detect your demons creeping up the keyboard.

You’ve got to get some distance. First have a third party who’s not a family member play site doctor, looking for symptoms of insecurity, pride, and anxiety in your site design and copy.

There’s nothing like conducting your own foible check to be sure you parked your sabotaging issues at the curb, not in your web copy. Here are 3 questions to ask:

• What exactly does my site stand for?





• How do my visitors see themselves?





• How have I organized my design and copy?

If these tactics don’t help you improve your web copy, you could either see a qualified psychiatrist or hire &ndash you know &ndash a handy copywriter.

How does your personality affect your web copy? Whether you mean to or not, your site reflects you in ways you might not notice: sometimes good, sometimes bad. While personality peccadilloes can be endearing in social situations, minor personality flaws can cause web copy sabotage. So before you get out your keyboard, get out a mirror.

Why not see if any of these 3 personality traits are seeping into the design and copy of your web site?

• Insecurity





• Pride





• Anxiety

Web Copy Sabotage #1: Insecure people create timid sites

Most people are insecure in certain situations as they vary their image to gain the favour of others. Nothing kills web copy faster than trying to be a people pleaser. Insecure people create timid sites that try to be all things to all people. Instead of declaring, “Here’s who I am,” insecure web copy tentatively pleads, “I can be whatever you want; hope you find something you like.” How forgettable and phony is that? Secure people on the other hand have learned to get real.

Some people like them; others don’t. Their web copy stands out because their authors stand up. Their web copy is memorable because it is authentic. Does your web copy take a stand or does it sit on the sidelines wanting to be liked? Is your web copy real or real phony?

Web Copy Sabotage #2: Proud people produce narcissistic sites

While timid web copy aims overly outward, narcissistic web copy looks too far in the other direction. Business owners have a justifiable pride in their business. Sorry to say this pride can lead to web copy sabotage.

• Many owners lost in their delight often boast, “Look what I can do,” instead of proclaiming, “Look what you get.”
• Their web copy tends to focus on features instead of real customer benefits. It highlights trained staff rather than peace of mind.

Missing are empathy and impact. Nothing kills internet rapport like a one-sided, relationship. Does your web copy brag about you or resonate with strangers?

Web Copy Sabotage #3: Anxious people make nervous sites

Nervous sites are the most common form of web copy sabotage. They don’t gaze outward or inward; they look nowhere, all hurried and patchy. The visuals are the first give-away:

• a little red here and a dash of purple there





• a touch of bold with a smidgen of underlining





• a bevy of random quotations





• a frenzy of isolated graphics

Where’s the rhyme? Where’s the reason? Where is the message? The web copy reads more like a digital ransom note than a calm presentation of a distinctive value proposition.

The sad part is this kind of web copy sabotage is that it frequently betrays an honest business person who is just not comfortable about expressing his business. This web copy unfairly depicts sleaze and incredulity.

Sometimes the anxiety is driven by a specific learning style. A number of individuals are more comfortable with trees than a forest, preferring details to the big picture. That’s too bad because site visitors usually crave the big picture before they invest their care and clicks. What image does your web copy convey &ndash calm or chaos?

Web Copy Sabotage: What can you do about it?

So you’re not perfect. Everybody is a bit insecure, a tad proud and slightly anxious. The trick is to keep these failings from invading your web copy. So what can you do to prevent web copy sabotage?

Your human shortcomings might populate your site because you are just too close to the data to detect your demons creeping up the keyboard.

You’ve got to get some distance. First have a third party who’s not a family member play site doctor, looking for symptoms of insecurity, pride, and anxiety in your site design and copy.

There’s nothing like conducting your own foible check to be sure you parked your sabotaging issues at the curb, not in your web copy. Here are 3 questions to ask:

• What exactly does my site stand for?





• How do my visitors see themselves?





• How have I organized my design and copy?

If these tactics don’t help you improve your web copy, you could either see a qualified psychiatrist or hire &ndash you know &ndash a handy copywriter.

Every website copywriter faces a trap &ndash Search Enginitis. Writing web copy with technology makes sense, but writing web copy for people makes the sale. Here are two ways to connect with people across broadband and create web copy that sells.

Your website looks great: solid words, easy navigation, graphics just so, and maybe even a bit of flash with some multimedia. But customers are not buying.

The Technology Trap

You wonder if it’s the web copy itself. How can that be? You remembered the two key mantras of powerful web copy - “write for the search engines” and “write for the medium.”

Your web copy used appropriate keywords to help search engines find you and traffic is up. Surely, customers enjoy reading your content because your web copy is laid out with the internet in mind using:

• short sentences





• brief paragraphs





• bullets

Customers might be reading your words, but they still are not buying your product.

Chances are your web copy has been optimized for technology not people.

Even on the internet, selling is still about connecting to people. Selling on the internet means writing web copy for people not technology. So how do you press the flesh across broadband? Start where brick and mortar relationships do &ndash trust. Why not become the trusted provider in your marketspace? Your web copy can use words to raise your credibility in at least 25 different ways.

Here are two ways to craft web copy for people not technology:

• write the way customers speak





• replace your pitch with a theme.

Write Web Copy for People not Technology Step 1:

Write the way people speak. People instinctively trust strangers who speak like them.

If you find this article useful, how would you tell someone? Are you really going to say, “I read an unusually amazing web copy article that fundamentally increased my sagging sales”? Not likely.

Weak web copy, not everyday people, uses too many modifiers. “Amazing,” “fundamentally,” and “sagging” weaken trust. How’s your site for modifiers?

Give your web copy the finger test.

You might not want fingerprints on your screen, so I suggest printing a copy of your homepage content.

• put your baby finger on the first modifier you can find.
• put your ring finger on the next adjective or adverb.
• repeat until you run out of modifiers or fingers.

If your page is a handful, you’ve got too many modifiers and your web copy is hype heavy, not trustworthy. In addition to giving readers web copy that matches how they speak, it helps to give them time to get to know you.

Write Web Copy for People not Technology Step 2:

Replace your pitch with a theme. Customers need time before they trust.

They will get used to your site in tiny steps, so hold off selling; buy some time with thematic web copy. Have a theme for your site, introducing your offer only after your customer feels comfortable. Themes are a subtle form of repetition because they continually reinforce a single concept. Repeated exposure to an idea usually makes it familiar and safe. Remember the first time you used instant messaging or the family car - not so scary now.

Let’s say your site sells dental floss.

Here’s how your web copy might handle it. Instead of listing the benefits of DentaThread, you could tie the presentation together under the central idea “Some people have nothing to smile about.”

• The opening section could point out how the discomfort of Gingivitis wipes the grin off a person’s face.
• Another segment of the web copy would show how ugly cavities make someone too self- conscious to smile.
• Yet another piece would reveal how the high cost of root canal causes an individual to frown.

In this way, the web copy offers three versions of one idea to help the site grow on the visitor: one idea, three versions. Does your homepage have a theme? How many chances does your web copy give visitors to get comfortable with you?

In this article, I tried to use the two key elements a good web copywriter uses to write for people not technology:

• the language of my readers





• a central idea, trust

Did it work? Did my web copy help? If yes, I guess I proved my point. If no, I have 23 more ideas to go.