Is There a Write Way? Best Practices for Digital Copywriting
In today’s world of digital media consumption, people are always looking at something – emails, articles, social media, fan pages, you name it. While these platforms can vary in so many ways, there is one constant that we see everywhere: copy.
Copy is everywhere, and in order to reel in users or, more importantly, to get them to stick around, it’s important to know these best practices concerning digital copywriting.
1. Know your audience
The COVID-19 pandemic really changed the way people act as digital consumers. In order to copywriting to be effective, you must cater to these consumers and use language your audience understands and feels comfortable with. To do that, you must first identify your specific audience.
Do your research. Learn what users want to know and what they need and analyze your web metrics to see what people are looking for on your website.
Don’t “dumb it down.” Think about your audience’s current level of knowledge and write accordingly. Don’t write for youth readers if your audience are PhD candidates. By paying attention to this, you can make your content and copy more relatable.
Avoid jargon. Don’t use words or abbreviations that your audience doesn’t know. If they need a dictionary to understand your copy, you’ve lost before you even began.
2. Keep it simple and concise
We live in a fast-paced society, and that also applies to reading. People don’t have the time (or attention spans) to read as much long and complex writing as they used to. Because of this, it’s important to write clearly and concisely.
Also, most users are accessing sites from their mobile devices, which is a much smaller screen. So, what may be a standard size paragraph when viewed on a desktop can look like a novel on a mobile screen.
According to a study from the Nielsen Norman Group, most web users read only 20% of a page’s content, and that percentage varies inversely with the amount of content on a page. In other words: the more you write, the less they will read.
3. Use headings
When people are scrolling, they are looking for something to grab their attention. A bolded heading could be just what you need.
Headings help to separate chunks of text and can act as the informal outline of a page, while also detailing what users can expect to read in the next section. This can help users decide whether or not they wish to read that section or skip to a different section that interests them more.
4. Make your words stand out
With so much content, it can be easy to get lost or lose interest if the copy all looks the same. Nowadays, users are looking for phrases and keywords that grab their attention. So, if you make your copy eye-catching, there’s a better chance a user will want to read it.
One way to do this is to bold your keywords or italicize important points you wish to make. These slight formatting changes will make a world of difference when it comes to attracting readers’ attention.
Also, use bullet points.
Bullets allow for optimal readability
Allows readers to easily understand and store information, and
Gives copy a fresh look, instead of being another series list separated with commas
5. Frontload important information
When users first get to a page, that’s when they are the most interested. Take advantage of that by putting the most important information first, also known as writing with the inverted pyramid technique.
By starting with this important information, users can stop reading at any point and still leave knowing the main point of the page. That is crucial in today’s world of scanning and short attention spans.
6. Consider the hot spots
Scanners don’t read content thoroughly, so it’s important to place your copy in the most looked at areas of a page. Through techniques such as eyetracking, marketers can understand how consumers interact with a site and learn these consumers’ behaviors; all based on where they look.
Top Left Corner – It’s the first thing we look at, so usually you’ll see the company name, a telephone number or other identifying information here.
Top Right Corner – The second spot we look, but this usually features some sort of logo or link.
Middle – This is where copy gets to shine. However, a scanner often will read the first and last sentences of a paragraph and sometimes only the first and last word.
Bottom Right – As this is the last place users look, it’s important to use this area to influence their next move, using either a call-to-action or something leading users to another page to continue their journey.
What about the bottom left, you may ask? When’s the last time you looked at the bottom left of a webpage? Exactly.
7. Be conversational
The days of corporate, stuffy language are nearing their end. Today, people want to read something more natural and relatable. By being conversational, your writing can become more accessible and readable to users.
Second-person point of view: If you are trying to engage your users, address them directly. Use “you” and “your” in sentences, as it will evoke a closer connection to the reader.
Use contractions: It’s important to write like you talk, so use contractions!
Don’t use slashes: Slashes, like the classic “and/or,” can make your writing ambiguous. Decide what you actually mean and want to say. And, if you actually mean both X and Y, don’t add a slash; write out “either X, or Y, or both.”
8. Keep SEO in mind
No matter how good your copy is, if you don’t focus on SEO and incorporate it into your copy from the start, your page may not get as many users as you hoped.
I won’t get too detailed, as this post is more about copywriting, and SEO is its own whole industry; however, these things go hand in hand. To create copy and content that’s also optimized for search engines, you must:
Determine what your customers are searching for. Then, write copy that addresses those search terms.
Naturally integrate keywords into your copy. Don’t stuff these keywords into your copy just to maximize the number of times the keyword appears. That’s called keyword stuffing, and it will do you more harm than good.
Write a gripping meta description. This is what users will see when browsing search results. It can make a huge difference, so make it count.
Link internally to other relevant pages on your site. This will make it easier for users to explore your site and increase time on site.
Effective copywriting can move mountains when it comes to increasing web traffic and boosting conversions. Find out for yourself by using the tips mentioned in this article! But don’t introduce them all at once; try a few at a time and learn what works best for what you’re trying to achieve. With copywriting, you can’t just set it and forget it – you need to always be adapting, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and applying that knowledge to continue to optimize your copy and your site.
References:
https://moz.com/blog/7-copywriting-tips-that-will-instantly-lower-your-bounce-rates
https://hingemarketing.com/blog/story/7-best-practices-for-website-copywriting
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/
