In the literary world, "good writing" may be notoriously difficult to define. But on the Web, good copy has two clear, easily understood objectives:
It elevates your search engine rankings.
It attracts qualified traffic and holds the attention of your prospects and customers.
If yours is an e-commerce site, your copy must also assume a third role as a virtual salesperson capable of closing the deal.
On the Web, your words carry a lot of weight. Fortunately, you can build verbal muscle, fast. Following are five tips, hints, and suggestions you can apply right now, with a minimum of time or technical hassle, to dramatically improve the effectiveness of your website writing.
4. Become ruthlessly specific
Print out your Web pages—or the drafts of the Web pages you intend to post—and grab a yellow highlighter. Mark every phrase that reeks of broad abstraction ("enterprise process solutions"), vague promises ("exceeding customer expectations") and empty boasting ("best in class services.")
5. Learn from your Web stats
Chances are, the provider that hosts your Web site, or the internal IT people who monitor your servers, create thorough daily reports of your site traffic. Sadly, too few writers have access to these reports, or, if they do, they don't take advantage of it.
