February/March 2008

Hello Friends,

Welcome to the first of The Copywriter Online's bimonthly e-Newsletters. The plan is to provide you with some easy-to-follow advice about writing for the web and help you get the most value out of your business website. If you have any topics you'd like covered in future issues just email me at munaiba@thecopywriteronline.com.

Five tips on writing for the web

Here are five strategies that, if you use them, will improve your web copy:

1. Write a list of the main benefits you are offering and then construct your headline using the most important one.
2. Use or imply the word "you" in your headline
3. Try, wherever possible, to include one of your keywords in your headline.
4. Try to use sub-headings for each paragraph as people scan when they read online. And try to use a benefit in each sub-heading.
5. Write your copy as if you were speaking to your reader. It tends to make the copy less formal and impersonal and people will relate to it better.

Example
I don't know about you but I learn better by example so let's take a fictitious law firm (C&C) and put the five tips into practice. Five benefits in order of importance: multilingual, first meeting free, wide range of litigation experience, try to use non-litigious methods of resolution where possible, centrally located.

Based on this, the headline may read: Our lawyers speak a wide range of languages, including plain English! The second tip says we should use or imply the word "you" so let's change it to: Need a lawyer that speaks your language as well as plain English? Call us!

We've taken care of the third tip as we've included the word "lawyer" in the headline. The next sub-heading could be: Your first appointment is free. And so on for the other benefits.

Last, and certainly not least, let's write the first paragraph. It could go something like this:

Need a lawyer that speaks your language as well as plain English? Call C&C Lawyers!
If your first language isn't English, or even if it is and you have trouble understanding legal papers, then C&C Lawyers can help you. We have lawyers who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, Greek, French and Arabic and all of them have taken specialist plain English communication training. So call C&C today because we speak your language.

Websites that you may find useful in running and promoting your business online

Check out which keywords will work best for you with one of the following:

• http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/index.php
• https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
• http://www.webconfs.com/keyword-playground.php

I hope you've found this newsletter useful. If you know anyone else who may like to receive it, they can sign up at: http://www.thecopywriteronline.com;">

Till next time, all the best

Munaiba Khan
The Copywriter Online

Tel: +61 2 98253866
Fax: +61 2 98253866
Web: http://www.thecopywriteronline.com

http://www.thecopywriteronline.com