Statistics show you have only 6 seconds to hook a visitor into staying at your website or clicking away.  You may think all the flash and bells and whistles are captivating your visitors; and that may be true, but by the time they’ve looked at all your cool stuff, 4 or 5 seconds have been wasted.  If you haven’t lost them already, and most likely you have, they may take one more second to actually start reading your content.  You’re now at the critical 6-second mark. 

Your web site is your company’s online brochure.  Your content has to be engaging. You have to show your reader how they can benefit from your products or services right now or they’re gone! 

Here are 8 tips guaranteed to make your web content sizzle and have your visitors wanting more:

• Start with a question - Take a look at any successful ad campaign. (Got Milk?) Most of them start with a question.  That’s because a question compels your reader to read on.  You’ve set an action to continue because you’ve asked a question and now your reader feels compelled to answer.
   
• Who’s your target audience - Treat each reader as your only reader and talk directly to them.  Break down your target audience by age, income, business and location.  Then write out a detailed description of just one person in that audience.  When writing your content, speak only to that person.
   
• In web content, “white space” is good - Cut down your content for clarity and brevity.  People are busy.  Don’t make them click all over the place to find what they want.  Use shorter words when possible.  Instead of “corresponded with” use “wrote.”  And keep your paragraphs short.  Three to four sentences per paragraph are enough.  You want to create a clean, uncluttered look.
   
• Choose action words over passive words - The passive verb is blah.  It’s true; a passive verb makes for a weak, roundabout way of saying something.  Great writing consists of using more action verbs than adjectives. Instead of, “I have been working for 15 years…” say, “I worked 15 years for….”
   
• Explain simply and clearly what you will do for them - A long explanation of facts is boring.  On a separate sheet of paper, write down what you can offer in five words.  Now take those five words and put them into benefit-oriented sentences.  Use words like, I can, I will and Let me!  “Let me take the weight off your shoulders.”  Be truthful though.  Don’t try to sound grandiose or guarantee what you can’t deliver.
   
• Choose words and phrases that sell - Your #1 goal in writing web content is to persuade and motivate your customer to act.  End each sentence with a strong word persuading your reader to act or read on.  “Best of all…” “And that’s not all…” “Win” and “Free” are all persuasive words or phrases.
   
• Tell your reader what to do - Very important.  Don’t just assume your reader will buy — tell them what to do and where to do it.  “Click Here” and “Buy it Now!” “Don’t Wait - Buy Today!” will influence your reader to take action.
   
• Sprinkle your copy with keywords for maximum SEO (search engine optimization) - Not only is it important to put keywords in your HTML title, you’ll want to sprinkle them throughout your copy as well.  Search Engine robots not only search key words in your title, they’ll look for matching words throughout your copy, which will in turn rank your web site higher in the search engines.

^©2006, Karen Reddick, owner of V and E Services, teaches web content writing for entrepreneurs and small businesses at the University of Virtual Assistants (UofVAs) www.UofVAs.com.   Contact Karen at 720-870-6435 or Karen Reddick. Visit her web site at www.VandEservices.com

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