Copywriting for the Internet Age.

The graphics on your Web site may grab the attention of potential customers, but the text us ultimately what captures your readers' interest in your product or service.

You've no doubt seen them in the physical world: words written to persuade you to fork over your money. They're everywhere--on TV, in newspapers and magazines, in catalogs, on the radio, on billboards along the highway, posted on bulletin boards, even at ATM machines and on the supermarket floor. And if you've been on the Internet at all, you've no doubt seen them there, too. It is only natural that the Internet, our newest medium, has become a place to sell products and services--and there's no sign of stopping anytime soon.

As you may realize, much of what's on the Net is garbage. Unfortunately, many people selling online have little knowledge of how to write copy that sells what they're peddling. Poor sales copy exists online for the same reasons it exists off-line: Either the sellers don't have adequate knowledge of how to write sales copy or they lack adequate budgets to hire those who do. They may not even realize how improved copy could increase their sales.

You may be wondering how Web copy differs from traditional print or broadcast copy. It's true, in fact, that many of the rules for writing traditional copy apply to writing for the Web as well. One of the key areas this applies to is personalization. While there are millions of Web surfers, just as there are millions of radio and TV listeners/viewers, you shouldn't think of them this way. You're really talking one on one--to one person at a time. Treating your prospects as "needles in the haystack" is a sure way to poor sales.

Use lots of "you's" and few "I's" in your copy. Focus on what you can do for the potential client. Nowhere is personalization more important than in the cold and crowded world of cyberspace. And nowhere is it easier to be personal than in the immediate and direct nature of the Internet.

Another key similarity between traditional copy and Web copy is in the use of headlines. Just as in off-line ads and sales material, you should make generous use of heads and subheads on your Web site. They should contain key benefits (what you can do for the customer), whether it's saving time, saving money, making life easier, more fun, etc. Your first home page should start with a large, bold headline containing the key benefit you can provide. Of course, each page of your site should also start with a headline describing the key benefit you're covering on that page. Throughout the rest of your site, you should make extensive use of smaller subheads containing important but less significant benefits related to what you're going to cover in those sections. They are effective sales tools and also break up longer sections of text for easier (and faster) reading.

On a related note, Scott Gere, founder of Impact in Anchorage, the top Alaska Web design and creation firm in terms of billing, explains that copy should be general on the first page, getting more specific through the use of links to more pages. "You don't want to put everything up front," he says.

"The desired approach is to work into a content structure with simpler information first, then more detailed."

Other key similarities between traditional and Web copy include emphasis on the AIDA formula for copy writing and the use of offers to drive response. The AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) formula applies to writing for the Web just as it does off-line. Seth Godin, vice president of Direct Marketing at Yahoo Inc., the leading Internet search engine firm, and author of the book Permission Marketing (Simon & Schuster), supports the AIDA formula, and stresses that copy at the beginning of the site should focus on building attention and interest, with the later copy building desire and action.

According to Godin, "experience shows that copy at the beginning of a site should be about benefits and promises. Copy along the way should be about testimonials and trust and proof that you're going to keep your promises. And copy that can be read on request should be specific and technical." In essence, build the case for your offerings, followed up by reassurance to move prospects toward action.

Tony Wright, cofounder of Alaska Web Art in Anchorage, the largest Web design firm in Alaska in terms of number of sites created, adds that "attention and interest are best done with graphics and visuals on the Web," reminding us that the Web is, after all, a visual medium.

Great offers are as critical online as they are off-line. Be sure to offer a generous guarantee (at least 60 to 90 days is best), plenty of free bonuses and lots of value for the price you've set. Special, limited-time offers can also be very effective. How you word these offers can affect your sales, and only testing will determine relative success or failure. For example, you might try "two-for-one sale through December only" vs. "Save 50 percent though December only," or "Order today and try your new whizzoschnoozer risk-free for 90 days" vs. "All orders come with an unlimited, lifetime money-back satisfaction guarantee."

Now that you're familiar with some of the key similarities between traditional and Web copy, it's time for some key differences. As Gere puts it, "the key is understanding that people don't read copy on the Net the way they read it in print. They don't read it online unless they're very interested, so text must be broken into short sections and pages."

It's important to remember that the Web is a fast-paced world of impatience, and as such you don't have much time to capture someone's attention, let alone a sale. You must therefore keep your copy short, avoiding text-heavy pages. Avoid excess flowery language that takes up space, and make your copy direct and to the point. Use plenty of bullets to highlight key points rather than using long paragraphs. As Wright puts it, "people don't spend more than 15-25 seconds on a page."

Seth Godin--"the ultimate entrepreneur of the information age," according to Business Week-sums up the differences best in describing how results can be measured online. Godin states that "every page on the Web is an offer page. You can only do one of three things on any given page: buy something, give permission for future contact, or click on something to go somewhere else."

If that's true, he adds, then every page can be measured. It can be improved. And that means that this is a direct marketing medium! Therefore, the key copy differences are: (1) call to action, (2) short, (3) short, and (4) test and measure and test some more! Note the emphasis on "short" here. This reiterates the "touch and go" nature of cyberspace.

Godin adds that there's only one key element for successful Web copy. "If it gets people to do one of the three things you set out to do, it worked," he explains, "so test and measure. There is no other way to know if you're succeeding."

Wright makes a good point about writing pages to be compatible with search engines. "Many people assume the home page is the first page people view, but search engines often return individual pages," he explains. Thus, he says, "you should treat each page as an entry page with things to click on immediately that capture people's interest. Each page needs a teaser/lead-in to get someone interested in the content. The goal is to reduce frustration, especially for baby boomers, and use text and graphics to get someone to the most relevant material as easily as possible."

One area in which there's some controversy is putting sales letters online. In print, sales letters are often many pages long and build their case for why you should buy something. However, given the desire for short text on the Web described above, how should you place a sales letter online? One school of thought is to use many shorter pages, each containing a link at the end to the next page. Another is to use one long scroll page containing the entire letter. While long scroll pages are often frowned upon in cyberspace, the only way to know for sure is to test. Keep the other formatting attributes used in print letters (such as bold, italic, heads/subheads, etc.) and change the scrolling aspect.

Every business, every offer, every letter, even every consumer is different, so a long scroll page might work great for one business and fail miserably for another. When asked about this, even Godin says, "I have no idea. Test!"

A similar situation exists when it comes to using a "hard sell" vs. "soft sell" approach (encouraging immediate sales vs. information requests). An approach that has worked for many, mainly for higher-priced items, is to put some information on your Web site and a form that prospects can fill out to request print literature. This way, the Web helps in lead generation and closing is done with traditional (and many argue more reliable) methods. But again, as Godin says, you must test to find the best way.

When asked about the latest trends and developments in Web copy and what is shaping them, Godin says that some people sneer at his answers to the sales letter and hard/soft sell questions, but that "these people are going to fail. What's shaping Web copy is that smart people are testing and finding out what works." In essence, the key to successful Web copy is the old direct marketing maxim "test, test, test."

A final point about Web copy deals with varying copy based on the type of business you're in. For example, if you run an online video store, your copy might be upbeat and fun, whereas if you run a computer supplies company, your copy might be simple and direct with a bit of sales talk woven in. As Godin states, "in my experience, every brand has its own voice, every category its own expectations."

Gere explains: "Everything on your site must be consistently tailored to your target market." He says the best way to get a feel for the proper language is to look at the biggest sites targeting your market since they most likely have professionally written copy.

In case you're having trouble coming up with catchy words and phrases for your copy, a site you may find extremely useful is http://www.epigraphics.com. This is home to "clipwords," which aims to be similar to clip art but for words and phrases. The site contains over 500 free headlines, phrases and statements you can use in your copy, and offers a CD-ROM with lots more. If you don't want to try writing your own copy and can afford it, many independent, home-based copywriters will write compelling Web copy for $50 per hour or less. It pays to shop around for someone experienced with your industry and in your price range. Godin has also released a new 6-tape set from Nightingale Conant on bootstrapping your business on the Web (http://shop.nightingale.com; search for "Seth Godin").

Use the techniques shared here and you can be well on your way to writing successful Web copy that sells for you around the clock. The Web may be new and unproven, but that doesn't mean you can't use words online that will sell, sell, sell.