Writing good copy

Content is king. It’s the golden rule of the Internet, and for good reason. People visit Web sites in search of information, and the only way to keep people from hitting the “back” buttons on their browsers is to generate solid, useful content. The better your content, the more likely visitors are to stay on your pages and click on your links. Good copy is the backbone of good content.

I’m lucky because I have an extensive background in journalism. I spent a good 10 years of my life writing on deadline about a variety of subjects at all hours of the day and night. I’m not the world’s best writer, but I’m good enough to pound out quality copy for Web sites.

But what if writing isn’t your strong suit? Relax. You don’t need to write pages upon pages of solid copy to generate strong, informative content. Consider these tips:

Keep your copy blocks small. It’s often easier to write several small copy blocks with their own headings instead of a large, continuous wall of text.

Use bulleted (unordered) lists. You’ll cover a lot of ground without having to elaborate too much.

Write about subjects you can relate to. It’s always easier to write when you can go from the gut. You can even try writing from a first-person perspective.

When in doubt, keep your sentences short. It’s easy to be too wordy if you write really long sentences, especially if writing isn’t what you’re used to, when writing copy for your Web pages. See how wordy that is? I could have just said: “Shorter sentences are more clear and easier to write.”

Seek original information. If you’re doing a DM2 site about scuba diving, call a few scuba diving shops to get some fresh info on your topics. You can even ask for permission to use direct quotes, which makes your job as a writer that much easier.

Remember your keywords. If you’re building a site about basketball shoes, then you should use the term “basketball shoes” several times throughout your copy. Don’t spam the term so that it looks unnatural; just don’t be shy about using it.

DM2 Blog Links

Writing good copy