The Importance of Good Copy

So you have a snazzy looking website, but you’re not getting as many leads that you want.  If that’s the case, you may want to review your copy.  Just like dating and meeting your mate, looks can get your foot in the door, but after that, it’s what you say and how you say it that counts.  Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to talk about writing effective web copy.

First off, break off your text into small paragraphs.  Long paragraphs are harder to digest than small paragraphs.  Take a look at the following example from my site:

I started working with websites in 2002 as just a hobby, and I always wondered what life would be like if I could be a freelance website designer. After my last job as an internet researcher for Hewitt, I decided to take the plunge. I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere.  Throughout the years, I’ve continued to learn more about websites and how to market them through reading books.  I can straight code HTML, and I can work with Content Management Systems. Some CMS’s I’ve worked with are Joomla, WordPress, and Zen Cart.  I am a member of the The National Association of Asian-American Professionals (Atlanta Chapter).  Giving back to the community is a major concern for me. I’ve donated to non-profit organizations such as the Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Alzheimer’s Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and Joel Osteen Ministries just to name a few. So when you get a website from us, some of the proceeds will go to a non-profit organization.  I graduated from Georgia State University in December 1998 with a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics.  My favorite hobby is mixed martial arts. I like it so much that I moonlight as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. It’s a good way to keep me in good shape, and if you want to know more about that, you can check out www.fightaholic.com.

Now look at the same copy broken in to smaller paragraphs:

I started working with websites in 2002 as just a hobby, and I always wondered what life would be like if I could be a freelance website designer. After my last job as an internet researcher for Hewitt, I decided to take the plunge. I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere.

Throughout the years, I’ve continued to learn more about websites and how to market them through reading books.

I can straight code HTML, and I can work with Content Management Systems. Some CMS’s I’ve worked with are Joomla, WordPress, and Zen Cart.

I am a member of the The National Association of Asian-American Professionals (Atlanta Chapter).

Giving back to the community is a major concern for me. I’ve donated to non-profit organizations such as the Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Alzheimer’s Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and Joel Osteen Ministries just to name a few. So when you get a website from us, some of the proceeds will go to a non-profit organization.

I graduated from Georgia State University in December 1998 with a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics.

My favorite hobby is mixed martial arts. I like it so much that I moonlight as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. It’s a good way to keep me in good shape, and if you want to know more about that, you can check out www.fightaholic.com.

I bet this example is easier to digest, isn’t it?  Next week, I’ll cover headings.