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| FEATURE GUEST ARTICLE Five Essential Web Writing Guidelines by Scott T. Smith, of PromoMinder & Copywriting.net, Publisher of 'Starting Point' Newsletter
"Give me a big enough lever and I can move the world." Archimedes. In the online world, words are your biggest lever. Both behind the scenes in your HTML code and meta tags, and in the all-important text on your Web pages, 'words rule!' Here's a look at how to use your all-important words to maximum advantage. Use Multiple, Specific Headlines Headlines and subheadlines create immediate context when a visitor is exploring your site. Make sure they can always see at least one headline on the screen. Like magazine index headlines, they are summaries of what is to come. You can make these headlines specific by using your keywords. When you tag headlines in your source code - such as <H1>, <H2> or <H3> - they will be used by many search engines to index your site. Clearly Explain People scan headlines to grasp meaning, and often to summarize an entire block of text. That's why being enigmatic, cryptic, or ironic is counterproductive and a waste of time. Be as clear as you can (and you won't risk irritating your readers)! Write Your Links as Headlines Often people scan pages by jumping from one link to another. Have you ever looked at your own site in this way? Linkwords look very much like headlines, or highlighted words, and should deliver your primary message. Be sure to use your keywords here as well. Use Bullets Bullets are essential. They break up text copy and serve you as mini-headlines with an entirely different look and feel. The ideal length for a bulleted list is 3-5 items, which is probably all most readers scanning can grasp. If your bulleted list is too long, try combining several bullets into one. Body Copy Start every Web page with a summary or value proposition describing the content on the rest of the page. This will help you get better search engine rankings, and it makes your pages easier to scan. Be sure to use your keywords in this 'opening salvo'. People can only read one screen of information at a time. If you are looking at a screen shot of text on your Web page that is one continuous paragraph, it's way too long. Short paragraphs of 2-3 sentences apiece will serve you better, and each can have its own subheadline. Keep it short and simple. Your site visitors want to understand, NOW, exactly what your product or service can do for them. Don't use long sentences when short ones will work, and don't use long words when short ones will do. Write for results, rather than to impress. Site readers are less patient today and their attention shifts fast. This is why short copy blocks will serve you well, highlighted by bullet points, keyword-rich links, and subheadlines. ----------------------------------------------------------- ... 'PromoMinder'
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