How is Web Copy Writing Different from Print Copy Writing?

Writing web copy is slightly different from print copy writing because apart from writing compelling copy to capture the reader’s interest, you also write copy that is aimed at ranking well in search engine results for particular keywords. Therefore a website copy writer normally will have additional search engine optimization skills. Below we cover what it means to be a website copywriter who writes highly sharable and search engine optimized copy.

1. Research that covers the customer, product and competition, and keywords

The website copywriter will be expected to size the online market within which their client operates. This will provide insight into the type of market demographic that needs to be won over through the copy. It should also provide insight into the kind of keywords that are highly converting for the given segment.

2. Identify the competition and their traffic source

This will direct what kind of keywords are working, but should also point to the idea that your copywriter needs to do more for retention. At the end of the day, the Keyword efficiency index, which shows you which keywords are converting, also directs you on what is the size of your competition. Knowing their strategy and choosing a more different and better one is key. In copy writing, Being “like” others or choosing to be “one of the leading providers of” is a losing strategy.

3. Have an outline with guides

For the copywriter, this will prove invaluable in many ways. First, this is a structured way to naturally weave in keywords and phrases that convert into your copy. Secondly, it becomes easy to pick out mistakes and inconsistencies and you have a clear way of expressing your focused message and wrapping it up successfully. Remember, your copy must be search engine friendly and structure is a good way to ensure that happens.

By Dr. Ataollah Etemadi