By carrying out reports, data has suggested that readers of online materials such as blogs and web copy on services pages, etc read differently to that of reading printed materials. An example highlighted in a recent study suggests instead of reading left to right and line by line, website readers tend to scan a page looking for certain keywords. With this all-important data, we can determine how to write effectively for online readers.

Generally, most of the time readers are not interested in an entire web page full of writing but are looking for certain sections of web copy that will answer a question or give certain information. This is most relevant to certain web pages on a website such as the about us section, services pages, and contact pages. However, readers tend to read blogs, articles, and white papers in a more detailed fashion.

Now we know that website readers tend to scan web pages rather than read them outright, we can write effective content for our readers.

Website Copywriting Tips

1. Use multiple headings

Headings summarize what a paragraph is about – in essence a heading lets a reader decide if a paragraph is worth their time reading or to skip onto the next paragraph.

2. Bullet points

Bullet points of information are great for a reader that is scanning – it makes information easy to read and easy to remember.

3. Try to keep paragraphs as short as possible

If a reader is scanning for information rather than reading the whole copy, it can make it quite difficult to effectively scan. Generally, long paragraphs can sometimes be split into two, thus making the content easy to read.

4. Key terms and phrases

It is advisable to call attention to key terms and phrases by highlighting them in bold, this will let the reader of your copy find key terms and phrases a lot easier than them having to scan for the information. if using this tactic, try to use it sparingly as it can become quite distracting.

5. Know your audience

It is important to know who you are writing for and know what they will understand without having to explain it. So, use words that they will understand and be familiar with, do not use complex terminology that is likely to confuse your readers. Knowing your audience is key in helping your readers scan and understand your copy.

6. Be concise

If needs be, strip your content to the bare minimum, if this means halving the content so be it. Web copy is different from conventional writing – it must be concise and straight to the point. By reducing the number of words your readers will be able to scan the web page a lot easier.

More information

Do you require more information on content writing, or maybe you are looking for a copywriter to help you with the online copy for your website. If so, we can help. Please navigate to our contact page and either telephone us or send an email and one of our team will be happy to help you.