In my previous post (Writing for the Web: Structure) I wrote about how the text should be laid out and constructed. In this post, I will briefly examine how to decide what should be included in the text. These guidelines aren't inclusive, but they are a starting point.

I've divided the process for web content strategy into three sections. The first is "Satisfying the Marketer" which looks at hard numbers and the competition. The second step, "Talking to the Customer," is about deciding what needs to be included to keep customers happy. The final part is "Sealing the Deal" which covers a couple suggestions on how to motivate viewers to become customers.

Satisfying the Marketer

1) Setting Your Objectives
When putting together a commercial web page, the first questions should always be: What am I trying to accomplish? How will I know the website has been a success?

Work out what goals you want to accomplish with the web page. For instance, you might want to sell $1000 of product every week for the first 6 months with a net value of $500 per week. Or perhaps you want to sell 300 bottles of soap every two weeks. Or maybe you just want to drive traffic to the site and raise awareness.

Whatever the objective is, make sure that you have accurate ways to measure the parameters and see if you're hitting your goals.

2) Checking Out the Competition
Before writing anything, it's always worth checking out the competition and seeing how they are positioning themselves in the market. What features do they emphasize? What audience are they trying to appeal to? Does your product have features that set it apart? Take all of this into consideration when deciding how you want to position your product in the text.

Talking to the Customer

3) Who is the customer?
Work out a profile of your ideal and typical customer. What is their income, their location, their spending power, age, etc.? The stronger the grasp you have on this, the easier it will be to write targeted, effective copy.

4) What do you want to communicate?
What are the main benefits you can offer the customer? What are the most important things for the customer to know? Make a list and prioritize for the site, and then prioritize for each page. This will be an immense help for the copywriter; they'll know what to focus on and it will help them sell the product effectively in the text.

5) Are there any potential problems?
What are the problems your customers are likely to run into when using the site? What will puzzle/frustrate/annoy them? The fewer problems users have with the website, the more likely they are to become a customer.

Don't overestimate your customer's interest in digging up or deriving information. Keep it short, simple and in plain view.

Making the Sale

6) Create urgency
Creating urgency helps to motivate viewers to become customers by getting them to act immediately. Some ways urgency can be created are through a deadline for a special offer, an emphatic statement (buy now!) or a sale.

7) Make purchasing easy
While copy only plays a part in this, your site needs to have great usability. It should be easy to navigate between sections, easy to find products, easy to make a purchase. The text can help to direct the user to the next step.

The more obstacles you put in the way, the less likely it is that your viewer will follow through to make a purchase.

Final Thoughts

Above is a brief overview of some of the strategy behind writing for the web. More detailed information on this topic can be found at your local bookstore. I've also included a few links below for people who are just browsing.

More Information

Ten Essential Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy That Sells

Eight Steps to Consider Before Writing Website Copy

Whip Up Your Words

Writing for the Web: Structure: The previous post on Gazator about writing for the web.