Truth 34. Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites

Most organizations create Web sites with an underlying flaw that can be fatal, virtually speaking. The site is painstakingly structured and designed, and when everything is in place, someone says, “Okay, now go get the copy.”

Then the PR staff digs out the company’s old promotional brochure so it can be crammed into the spaces left by the designer. This presents two problems: First, even good copy written for print is unsuitable for online use. Web site copy generally should be half the length of print copy and devoid of empty phrases and promotional hype. Because reading on screen differs from reading on paper, to work well, Web site copy needs to be carefully crafted for the medium.

And second, by leaving the writing for last, chances are that no one has planned the site properly. The designer cares about how the pages look. The programmers are concerned with site structure and navigation. Other specialists may focus on search-engine optimization. Who asks what the site’s goals are, who its audiences will be, what features might draw visitors, and how they will use it?

Even if the site development team includes marketing mavens, it’s important to give the writing function a place at the table during the early planning stages.

When you’re involved in building a departmental Web site—or in creating one for your own business—fill the vacuum: Assume the role of thinker and planner, and view the job as packaging information. Look at the design and production functions as serving the business purposes you want to achieve. Do this tactfully, of course. This is a team enterprise, and it is the good meshing of skills—and planning—that creates great sites.

What defines good Web site writing?—As always, knowing what to aim for makes the difference. But for Web sites, “writing” means more than just contributing words. Whether you’re able to work with the best graphic designers and programmers or are in do-it-yourself mode, Web sites require a big-picture perspective.

Good Web site writing is built on how people look at sites and use them. Remember that they are viewers, or users—not readers. They scan. People decide what information they want and then dive for it. Watch a high school student work on a paper on, say, the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. Probably he or she will Google “Birthdate TR,” and pull this piece of information from the top site or so listed; then it’s back to Google for “early education of TR,” “TR’s parents,” and so forth, checking only the first few sites referenced for each case.

Good Web writing is tightly written—It’s not edited down but crystallized and stripped of everything the user won’t find compelling. Hyperbole about a product, service, or person…a promotional tone…empty statements are turnoffs, and users will skip them or go elsewhere quickly. The short-everything-is-better rule applies doubly to Web sites: short, basic words…short sentences…short paragraphs one or two sentences long, three at most. People don’t like to read on screen and will resist scrolling, so you must give them less.

Think about information chunking and graphics—Package the information for the audience: Use self-contained chunks of content within a clear context so that people know where they are and what they’re looking at. Individual pages should be self-explanatory—even if that means repeating material from other pages.

Because people usually come to your site via links on e-mails, other sites or search engines, they will see only what’s called a “landing page”—the page that contains the material they want to see. That’s why most visitors will never see your home page or read through the site sequentially. So aim for clear labeling—descriptive heads, subheads, bold lead-ins, color to draw attention. Lists and bullets work well.

Provide continuity elements throughout the site—Even though we’re learning to think in self-contained information blocks, you should still provide for continuity. The graphic look should be consistent. Try to end each content page with a suggestion of something else the viewer should look at next—another product, how the company works with customers, or ordering information, for example. Some specialists feel that as many pages as possible should end with a call to action: Buy now, call us today, subscribe to our newsletter, or ask for our brochure.

Think links—Based on your subject and purpose, think how one page or one chunk connects to another, or to an outside source. Make that connection for your viewer by hyperlinking, providing instant connections to another part of the site or an online resource. But too many links will interfere with the visitor’s ability to absorb content. Also, if you’re linking to lots of information on other sites, your viewers may never return to your page.

Choose your writing style and tone carefully—Good Web writing can range from fairly formal to pretty casual, depending on the business. A law firm can’t be flippant, for example, but an advertising firm may consider this tone a definite option.

One way to make your tone less formal is to use contractions (it’s, won’t, can’t, and so on), but if you’re aiming your site at a global audience, go easy on these because they may be misunderstood by readers whose first language isn’t English.

All sites should feel friendly, accessible, and as conversational as possible.

Should a company site look and sound consistent from page to page—even if individual sections are administered by various departments? That’s a company policy issue, but visual variation can work—as long as there’s graphic consistency and the differences aren’t extreme enough to confuse viewers.

On the other hand, word usage, spelling, punctuation, and terms and acronyms should be consistent throughout the site. Even if various pages of your site were created by different departments of your organization, the pages should be consistent with regard to the basics.