You need to
have a way with words in order to increase the traffic
to your web site. However, sometimes, the most intelligent
people in the world can have difficulty effectively
communicating their ideas in writing to others.
When (otherwise) intelligent business people develop
a web site complete with great benefits it can fail
simply because of their use of words. Learning to communicate
to get your point across clearly and succinctly without
rambling is an important skill to learn when marketing
on the Internet.
This can take some time to learn. However, it's not
impossible. It just takes practice.
Of course, if you don't have the time to learn these
crucial communication skills then you can always hire
a professional to help you. Sometimes the best solutions
are sitting right in front of you.
When writing to produce more web site traffic you need
to make your web site easy for others to read. It is
ALWAYS better to write in laymen terms than to use long
scientific terms or technical mumbo jumbo. You want
people to be able to read the pages on your web site
without getting a headache or needing to refer to a
dictionary. Visitors should not have to learn how to
"translate" your web site in order to understand what
you're trying to say. Visitors will always exit quickly
from any hard to read/ understand web site.
They will do this for two primary reasons (which have
NOTHING to do with your ability to write)...
A. Whenever we Human Beings encounter new information
our brain asks itself, "What is it"? If the brain cannot
place this new information within a meaningful context
the person becomes confused and LEAVES.
B. Nobody likes to appear stupid (even to themselves).
When information is inaccessible (and people get to
feel stupid because they don't understand) they LEAVE.
In short, DON'T talk down to people and DON'T treat
people other than as intelligent Human Beings. The fact
that you know a lot about something should never exclude
other people. The definition of good communication is
the ability to share your knowledge and ideas with others,
so they "get" it.
Of course if your market is technical then using technical
terms is appropriate. In this context this would be
"good" communication. Good communication is always about
an appropriate context.
Consider the following when writing for the Internet...
1. Relevance: Be sure all your content is relevant
to your web site. Only provide information that readers
are looking for and which is relevant to your web site
theme and its products.
2. Point Of View: When you begin writing your first
paragraph try starting the paragraph with your conclusion
about the topic. State your point of view right up front,
This will grab your readers' attention and keep them
reading the article, because you told them "what you're
going to tell them"... and then you "told" them.
3. Short Sentences: Keep your paragraphs and sentences
short and to the point. Readers find it difficult to
read long, wordy web pages. Again, this is a brain "thing"
(especially on a computer screen).
4. Active Voice: Do not write in a passive voice. Readers
respond better to action words and a strong voice which
tells them what you want them to do.
5. Word "Flow": Pay attention to how your words flow.
Always read your article out aloud to yourself before
you publish it. Listen to its flow. Reading your articles
out aloud will help you with your own "flow". Doing
this will also help you to identify and refine your
own writer's "voice" (Yes, we all have one). It will
also help you to identify "typos" which just scream
"amateur" to your reader.
6. Proofread: Always proofread all writing/ articles
before posting these to your web site, forum, articles
directory or blog etc. Apart from article readability
this is about being a professional. If you can click
a mouse button you can run a spell check. It takes 3
minutes.
7. White Space: Make liberal use of white space within
your articles. What this means is to "open up" your
article, so it's easier on your readers' eyes. This
again is a brain "thing". When the Human brain can't
access information easily, the person leaves.
8. Computer Friendly Fonts: Use computer screen friendly
fonts like Arial, Verdana and Tahoma. Times New Roman
is not an eye friendly font on a computer screen/ monitor.
9. Foreign Languages: Understand that your web site
is accessible to viewers from all over the world. However,
visitors from other countries (who speak languages other
than English) may not easily understand your language
or your web site content. If your market is global then
think globally. Translate some of your content into
the languages of the people you wish to reach.
Yes, the language of the Internet is English, however
this is also about respect for others, their language
and their culture. You will be surprised how doing this
on a few of your core web site pages generates sales.
10. Regional Focus: If your web site is not for worldwide
viewing then list the regions which your web site best
serves. Add these region/s to the page description and
keywords. This way, if someone in Australia is looking
for a veterinarian he or she won't end up frustrated
after looking through all the veterinarian web sites
that only cater to pet owners in Paris, France.
Regionally focused topics have value to worldwide viewers.
Perhaps a person in Italy intends to visit your city
and needs to speak with a veterinarian about traveling
with their pet. You may wish to provide general information
on your web site that will appeal to visitors outside
your specified region.
11. Slang: Most of the web sites on the Internet are
in English, However, NEVER use English slang on your
web site. Slang is not an internationally understood
language, and it is difficult to translate from one
language to another. Of course if your web site is about
English slang then that's a different matter.
12. Conversions: Take into consideration currency and
number conversions. If you are listing a price for services
on your web site be sure to list the currency you accept
(USD, pounds, yen, etc.) The same applies if you are
listing measurements or sizes. Always list the conversions
or provide a link to a web site which specializes in
these conversions. When in doubt hire a professional
translator.
Your goal here is to increase the traffic to your web
site. By using the World Wide Web you can potentially
reach an audience of millions of people. It's one thing
to have the technical capability to reach these people.
It's a completely different thing to be able to communicate
effectively with them.
Be concise and to the point. Learn to "walk in another
person's shoes" for awhile, follow good practice (as
stated above) and you'll be completely surprised at
the results you get from the web, promise.
Kenneth Doyle Is A Writer And Internet Marketing Consultant,
Find Out How His Article Writing And Submission Service
Gets Prospects To Read YOUR Web Site Offers, Here...
*Article Writing Submission Service*
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