Fix My Website: Copy is Copy is Copy?

Written By:
Stefene Russell

Gertrude Stein insisted that a rose was a rose was a rose. And I
will proclaim, right here, that boring is boring is boring.
You've probably heard (ad nauseum) that writing for the web is
completely different than writing for print. Keep your copy as
short as possible. Don't use italics. Use shorter, simpler
sentences. However, this relatively sound advice won't help you
if your content is a snooze, or just plain confusing.

Good writing is good writing. If a user is given the choice
between long and interesting, or short and dull, they will
probably read half of the interesting piece, and skip the dull
content altogether. Neither is ideal, my point is that too much
emphasis is placed on length these days, rather than the very
nature of the content itself.

What keeps people reading?

1. Stories. "Story" can mean lots of different things. It
can be a testimonial. It can be your first-person account as
entrepreneur. You can make up a goofy little character and have
him guide users through the site. The fact of the matter is, we
respond to stories. The best TV writers know this-and so do the
best ad copywriters. Watch the CLEO awards some year. Every
award-winning commercial I've seen has a narrative. It may be
overt, it may be subtle, but it's still there. Even the most
buttoned-down business site can use story to good effect-TV ads
for swanky, expensive cars are a great example.

2. Content-in its original sense. I actually find the word
"content" profoundly irritating, because it gives the impression
that you can fill your site with anything, as long as it takes up
visual space. I think the original use of that word-that is,
table of "content-s"-is much more helpful. No one's going to read
a book full of junk text; and they won't read it on a site,
either. Avoid filling your pages with "fluff" - that is, cheesy
sales rhetoric that doesn't really say anything at all. Use
details. Get specific. Be as accurate as you can. Think of
yourself as a reporter, writing an article. A detailed, objective
description is far more compelling that pie-in-the-sky Carnival
barking.

3. Pay attention to language. Word choices make all the
difference in the world. What if Buzz Aldren had said, "I'm
taking a small step here, it's just a man-sized step, but I can't
help but think that this is a symbol that we, humanity as a
whole, we're all taking a large step, like this little step, but
bigger and more - continued below ...

continued ...
symbolic." The moon landing would not have been
as poignant, not by a long shot. But because he was wise with his
word choices, we have "One small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind." Much nicer, don't you think?

4. Technicalities. I've said it before, but you're shooting
yourself in the foot if you allow spelling and punctuation errors
to float around on your site. If you're not sure if you have any,
find someone-anyone-with an English degree, and have them do a
light edit. It's a good idea to get another pair of eyeballs on
the site anyway, because if you've been looking at the copy for
days and days, chances are you won't always spot your errors, no
matter how sharp your editorial eye.

Well, that's the short version of perking up your copy, no matter
what the length. Of course, once you've infused it with some
sparkle, try to make it as economical as possible.

If you're interested in further resources to help you improve
your copy, I suggest contentious.com. Editor Amy Gahran has a
great eye for spotting "fluff," and does a great job keeping tabs
on current content trends.
http://www.contentious.com/

Contentious' sister site, Content Exchange, is also excellent. If
you're getting a little woozy thinking about this writing stuff,
Content Exchange features a classified ad system to match up
content producers with folks in need of copy. If you're doing the
copy yourself, I highly recommend their online writing content
discussion list:
http://www.content-exchange.com/cx/html/owl.htm

Anyone who undertakes writing for any professional purpose should
pick up a copy of Strunk and White's Elements of Style, as well
as one of the other excellent writing guides on the market. One
of the best is Stephen Wilbers' "Keys to Great Writing." Wilbers
guide includes the five keys to effective writing (economy,
precision, action, music, and personality), the five elements of
composition (purpose, point of view, organization, support, and
coherence), grammatical terms, a checklist for writing with
style, a checklist for proofreading, and a list of writing
resources.

About the Author

Stefene Russell is a freelance writer living in Salt Lake City,
Utah. She has worked as a print journalist and as Senior Content
Producer for citysearch.com.
For a free website analysis, email her at stefene@drnunley.com or
for a detailed analysis, visit
http://www.fixmywebsite.com/analysis.htm

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