Want A Sticky Website That Sells? Forget Content!Get Web Design Tips and Tricks on mps-web-design.com. Want A Sticky Website That Sells? Forget Content! topic will increase your understanding on Web Design Tips and Tricks. We at mps-web-design.com only provide news, articles, information in Web Design Tips and Tricks. Web Design Tips and Tricks at mps-web-design.com provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
and content providers about the key differences, if any, between writing copy for the web versus writing content. According to prolific copywriter Nick Usborne, a survey conducted among the readers of his email newsletter 'Excess Voice,' which is available at nickusborne.com, offers some interesting results. They seem to be split almost three ways: one-third consists of copywriters, another content writers and the final third both. This is an important debate, I believe, since all online copy is content but not all content is copy. And that's a real problem. Most designers, webmasters and writers develop content for their websites in a way to educate their visitors. They also write it with the notion that 'content is king,' 'content raises search engine rankings,' 'content makes a website sticky' and so on. That's all fine and good. But in my estimation, web content fails when it strives only at informing the reader, and lacks important elements that take the reader 'by the hand' and compels them to do something -- anything, including the simple act of reading. In other words, while some may compel our attention, many sites fail to propel our actions, too. And their owners often scream, 'Why is my site not producing any sales,' 'why is it so heavily trafficked but getting such a poor response' or 'why are people leaving so quickly (or after they got what they came for)?' Well, if content was king, copy should be the castle. The Internet is not a traditional medium in the broadcast sense. It is intimate, dynamic and interactive. People are more involved when reading the content of a website than reading a conventional print publication or watching a TV commercial. With the Internet, people also have a powerful weapon, and they usually never think twice about using it when the need confronts them: their mouse. So, the idea is this: forget about writing content, at least in the traditional sense. Think copy. Think content that compels the reader to do something, even if it's just to continue reading. According to Atomica.com, 'copy' is defined as 'the words to be printed or spoken in an advertisement.' (And 'advertisement' is defined as 'a notice or announcement designed to attract public patronage.' It's selling something, in other words.) But the word 'content,' on the other hand, is defined as 'the subject matter of a written work, such as a book or magazine.' And keep in mind that there's no mention of the Internet, here. Nevertheless, this is why I submit that, with its multitude of links and hypertexts, the web transforms the passive reader into an active, responsive participant. (Make that 'response-able.') A book or magazine is limited by its front and back covers. The web, however, is not. If your content does not strive at getting the reader to do something, whether it's to buy, join, subscribe, call, email, fill out a form, download, click or whatever, then you need to seriously rethink your content and the words you use. Here's my explanation of the difference between content and copy. Content informs. Copy invites. Even if content invites readers to keep reading, it's still selling an idea. It's still calling for some kind of action. And it's still copy, in my opinion. If your web page is only meant to inform people, like some kind of book, it's content. (And like the closing of a book once it's read, the only action left is to close the browser window.) But if it contains links to other parts of your website, then it's copy. And you need to write your content with that mindset. Ultimately, write your content by incorporating a direct response formula that compels and propels your readers to act. Don't leave them hanging. Take them by the hand. In your content, integrate a call for some kind of action, in other words. Ask your reader to 'buy now,' 'join today,' 'get this' or 'download that ...' ... Or better yet, at least ask them to simply 'click here.'
Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 |
More Articles:1. The Straight Truth about Web Site Building Tools Most business owners today know that having a web site is an essential component of marketing. In the past, the choices were to hire a professional web designer, hire a local teenager to create a site for mall money, or learn to do it yourself. Often the last two options, which were the least expensive, were how small businesses had to go. The results are often not what businesses need to grow, reach, and impress new potential customers.In the last few years, the options for small businesses to … 2. 10 Ways to Achieve Superior Web Site Design In order to achieve online success, one must have effective and reliable products and services and great web design as well. Many people are judging the book by its cover this is the reason why your website should also be superior.Here are 10 ways to carry out in order to ensure that your website design will turn out to be a superior one:1. Keep those banner programs away. Avoid plastering your pages with every banner program you can think of because it is like broadcasting to the whole world th… 3. 10 Things Stopping People From Visiting Your Site! 1. You don't offer free original content. It's importantto give your visitors information they can't find any-where else. If you're the only source for a certain typeof information, people will flock to your web site.2. You don't offer free software. Most people liketo find good deals on software for their computers. Ifthe software is free, that is even better.3. You don't offer a free contest or sweepstakes. It'sa fact, people like to win things. If you can fulfill thatneed, people will stop by… 4. Creating a Favicon By Meryl K. Evans Once, I attempted to create a favicon (the little graphic in the URL address box) for this Web site, but never did finish the work until now. I used a free program that allowed me to copy and paste an image to create an icon, but I believe it has spyware so I won't share its name. There are many icon creators out there.In Photoshop (or whatever drawing program you have), I created a 16x16 pixel workspace. Added what I wanted in the icon (never could come up with a logo for the site, so I stuck… |
||||
