10 Writing Tips for Web Designers

Thanks for this, it’s a very nice write up of how to: write. lol.

nice read.. this will help me a lot.

Whatever the so-called copy you are suggesting might be called, it isn’t ‘writing’ in any sense that matters. Based upon what you say, it seems beyond argument that “web writing” is a truly thumping oxymoron. And by the way, “the more people that will link to it” under your Point 7 demonstrates my point rather well. First, “that’ is redundant. Second, it should be “who” not “that”.

Very useful like tips, I forward to my network (if there is again people who don’t knows your blog!)

Nice article! Will definitely come in handy, Thank You!!

I think this is your most important point… “hire a pro”

I don´t agree with you about always keeping it short.

I find myself reading very long texts on the web once in a while and I don´t stop reading because it´s long. I keep scrolling because it is intresting.

I think you should use short paragraphs and a lot och headings and make it easy for your readers to choose what to read and what to skip.

So, your most important point is to keep it intresting I think.

“Any use of sales language on a website beyond the usual “order our products here” stuff will make your users click off faster than a Guitar Hero champion can shred the final level.”

Brilliant

I disagree with points 3 and 6. Obviously, you shouldn’t design your landing page as your home page. But landing pages are all over the internet because THEY WORK. If you have a PPC ad that’s pointing to your home page, you’re losing a ridiculous amount of money.

Secondly, the importance of the length of the content pales in comparison to the quality. If you have enough good content to fill 6 paragraphs instead of 4, of course you should do that.

You really should have just skipped to point #10. Web designers should never, ever, ever write copy, except for their own portfolio site of course. If you go to any copywriting, SEO, etc conference, this is one of the major points that’s always made (and usually gets a good laugh as well).

This article succeeds in being somewhat offensive. Telling designers that they “have a leg up” on writers is ridiculous. Not all professional writers are tuned into web writing, but actually, MOST OF THEM ARE. Plus professional writers are trained to tailor copy to the target audience and medium, whether it be web or print.

Also, writing for “a lower literacy audience” is an obnoxious phrase. Please, people, do NOT take that seriously. If your website is for kids, write in a way that kids can relate. But that does not mean dumbing it down. Likewise if you are writing for a big corporate website, write in a way that targets that audience. Again, don’t ever dumb down your writing to attract visitors that are not even approriate for your content.

Telling us that you should write everything to target keywords and other infantile SEO strategies is also dumbing it down for us and offensive.

Overall this post is full of cliches and sounds like the writer thinks that we are all reading at 6th grade level with hearts full of discrimination. Yeah, try talking down to people and see where that gets you. And PS, a lot of designers are not good writers, no surprise, and should either practice writing or get help from a professional writer.

A lot of designers think they are good writers, i.e. they have an over-inflated view of their skills. Some are good but many have no substantial writing training. A college degree with substantial writing components (in any major) helps to train someone to be a good writer and communicator in general.
Don’t dumb down the web as Prozacy said!

This article targets the lowest common denominator of twits. Please let me know who agrees or disagrees. Agree means to concur. Disagree means to dissent. Yet I digress. Can I have my 3 minutes back?

You hit on some good points. Well done.

First off, I applaud any article that promotes better web copy. However I genuinely take exception to the idea that pages should be dumbed down, as suggested in point 2. I, myself, am no expert in the finer particulars of written English (my first language) but surely reducing the lowest denominator will only reduce the overall experience for everybody in the end.

By way of example, I have enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books. The are written for kids, yet I have yet to read any of those books without having to reach for a dictionary a few times. I find this only adds to the already engaging and enjoyable experience by adding an educational element at the same time. Of course, the copy that appears on the homepage of a website and what appears in a book are serving a different purpose but surely stripping language back to the blandest, most common (and typically cliched) vocabulary also reduces a web sites potential user engagement. Contradicting your point 7, “Write for Humans First”.

Though the point “Write for a Low Literacy Audience” has merit, especially if you consider that many web users speak, and read, a language different to the authors. However, my question is this, would focusing on proper grammar, structured written communication and proper punctuation not serve everyone better in both the short and long-term?

Good information. Good to consider.

I especially like the tip that points to the literacy level of your readers. While I think it somewhat depends on the niche you are in, it definitely applies to everyone.

I also didn’t realize google docs had a tool to check the level of reading required for the document, I’m going to give that a shot.

Thanks.

Thanks for the list… I know this will help alot of web designers in their approach to writing copy for the web.

~ Aaron I

not sure I agree so much with any points in this post
a lot of designers should get help with writing and bringing everything down to 6 grade level can’t be right, depends on the web site I guess
i also think actual flowcharts and sitemaps, except for very basic ones, are not good ideas and that they just waste time
suggest author read “getting real” by 37signals and then revisit this
most important is quality writing to meet needs of visitors, not 6 grade level stuff
yes, we all know that brochures do not equal web sites and require different writing because web sites are more interactive
landing pages are important and should be sales oriented if that is what the web site is selling, don’t waste people’s time with fluff pages

Great info for designers! Keep it up

You’ve obviously never marketed a product or service via PPC. Landing pages work like magic and have ALWAYS returned a greater ROI.

Although it’s a good idea to keep your writing simple, I think aiming for a lower literacy could lead to a tabloid-newspaper effect. People who read blogs will become dummed down reading such simple language.

It might make for a simpler reading experience but it won’t be improving on peoples language and reading skills or pushing new boundaries.

Good article. If your leg’s broke you don’t try to fix it yourself or call a friend, you go to the doctor. If you need something written—hire a writer, that’s what they do and they do it very well. A writer wouldn’t try to build this website, they would call a web designer.

While a year ago I would have agreed 150% on the landing page Diss, I have to say you are completely off on that one. It was hard for me to admit as well. I currently work for a multi million dollar a year company in Colorado, and much of the bread and butter around here comes in from these nasty landing pages. Don’t ask me how, but if written (and designed) correctly, they definitely bring it in.

@David Hallam
yes, agreed, more please..

“A good writer will cost you $50.00 to $100.00 per hour, depending on experience and how technical the writing is that you need them to do. Most writers are reticent about publishing their rates and will usually quote per project, but this puts you in the ballpark of what you should be paying.”

ha, not even close to the rates that good writers charge that I have worked with. More like $150-$250 per hour

i think a lot of designers get caught up with the “design” and not only are they not good writers, they actually do not always do well at designing something that visitors like, only what a designer would like, thats where designers need to be careful. yeah, great graphics and clever design, but will your visitors like or even care about that?

“Some clients will insist that you use their marketing materials since they are so heavily invested in them. It is your job as the web professional to explain to them that what works offline does not work online.”

ha, why don’t you tell us what works online and what doesn’t? please let us read some websites where you have written the copy so we can see for ourselves

thanks for the advice. These are some really good tips that all web designers should follow. It seems like most people make the same mistakes, so it’s great to see them all mapped out so that no one makes them again, although it probably will happen. Thanks

I love the 7th tip : I always try to explain that point to alle the SEO fans who are waiting any information from google to grow in the pages like the new bible !

I hope it will be released a lot !

Simple, solid advice. Good work.

A webdesigner doesn’t write text… that´s the copywriters jobb…

Point number 2 is rather sad, but since the aim of a good website is that it should be written for the users (and not as a platform for the writer), the point is well taken.

Good artical.

Franky speaking we where tying to get a book writer to complile content for our website. Now we know who we should be approch.

Can you guys suggest some sites where I can get content writer to compile 10-15 pages.

I agree with most of the post except one.

Regarding the “Landing Page” I do not agree with you. Given a well written landing page, a website can attract a lot of traffic and keep them.

Nice collection of tips. I found the following two the best:

1. Keeping the client in the loop is the best thing for both yourself and the client. It will be a waste of time and effort to write and rewrite as you have mentioned. It also goes a long way in building relationships which is vital for a professional.

2. Also, about putting keywords in your post. Its more of an art and I have seen people making there sites useless just to get on Google, but its no use because finally its all about turning readers into subscribers.

I have a post on how to get more traffic using SEO on my blog, and I have emphasized the same point.

MnVn

I agree with the vast majority of the people here. This article was a waste of my time. Dont get me wrong, I love WDD and I enjoy reading most of the articles, but this one had me pissed off. Reading it made me feel like a 6th grader and I can honestly say I will never use any of the “advice.”

If you could please do me a favor and let me know how you go about targeting a certain page/product without a landing page? And how much money you waste per month with PPC trying to send people to your homepage to wander around aimlessly, while you keep your fingers crossed that they see your product page, I would appreciate it.

Also, the #9 tip is the stupidest tip ever. If anyone is dumb enough to make a site live without checking with the client to see if they approved the copy, that person deserves to be butchered. That would be like saying you should always put the car in park before turning it off. Would you ever make a site live without seeing if the client liked the mock-up? NO! So why would you think it was okay to do with the copy?

really really nice tips, thank you so much! nice post, like always! Keep going!

Anyone suggesting that landing pages “scare customers away” has not done their homework. There’s plenty of data to support that landing pages, when done correctly, can tremendously increase your ROI and lower your PPC rate.

I’m a web design who works with a company that never gave landing pages much thought until recently, but once we started using landing pages in our web marketing we’ve seen a ton of benefits. I hate to criticize anyone who’s taking the time to write an article on improving web copy, but telling designers to steer clear of landing pages is a huge mistake.

This was so good and SHORT, that I gave it to my copy writer. Good show!

Is there anything that us web designers are not supposed to do these days?

What with having to know some amount of PHP, Javascript, MySQL, AJAX, ASP, Print design and vacuum the office carpet, are we now suggesting that we can write?

I think I need to reconsider my career path.

great info, nice tips… i dont agree with telling designers not to have a landing page, they have proven to be useful for many many sites.

I agree with @Jon and @Rahul regarding #3 – more so that they shouldn’t even be included in this list.

Landing pages are a marketing tool (and very effective one at that if done right). They are supposed to be written in a very sales oriented manner because that’s their purpose – to sell a product or capture a lead.

My thinking is your intention was make a point that they shouldn’t be used as the only page/means to attract customers. I can understand that, but they should not be avoided.

aha finally someone is saying not to use landing pages – they creep me out. Those tacky ebooks look like I’m paying to download a virus. If I wanted to buy an ebook of a website I would buy it through Lulu.

Okay, okay, cut the guy some slack. Obviously when someone clicks on a ad or a search result, they have to land somewhere. Yes, it’s called a landing page. That doesn’t mean it has to be a tacky page. I suspect that a lot of “landing page” testing means finding what copy gets the most sales from the relatively few people who aren’t turned off by tacky pages. If someone ever finds out what copy appeals to the majority who don’t like tacky pages, they will become seriously wealthy.

You have presented some good advice. I especially like tip number two. It is important to keep the information succinct and straightforward. Website Grader (http://website.grader.com/) gives Web designers a quick way to score the readability level. I have found it very useful. You can alter the content to reach your target audience.

One thing you forgot to mention is to have your content edited. Proofreading of written material is the final and essential step that must be taken before a document can be considered complete. You may want to send your content to a professional editing service such as Papercheck (http://www.papercheck.com).

Great points. So many people do not realize that there is definitely a difference between web copy and print copy. As a web design firm we would certainly love it if more of our clients went with #10 on this list. But #9 can be very effective as well. Again, thanks for charing this!

Tip #10: Hire a Pro – do you have any recommendations?

wow,
very nice info for designers.

I’d really love to see a more concrete example of #4. How exactly to you make a flowchart with writing the content in mind? How would that be different from a “normal” method of creating a flowchart? How would one expect a site navigation to change as a result of that thinking process? With the generic flowchart example provided, I’m just not grokking what you mean.

If you have the time to clarify, thanks in advance.

This article is based on such ancient internet biased that’s not even funny. Write smart not dumb-down. As Simple as that.

Brochures are riddled with this stuff as countless marketing studies have shown that such language does work in print marketing materials.

It is your job as the web professional to explain to them that what works offline does not work online.

So there’s been countless studies into what works in print, but what do you have to back up that what works offline doensn’t necessarily work online? Yes, it is a web designer’s job to explain to the client what works and what doesn’t, but a client is going to want to have some explanation as to why or why not, and your first point seems a bit light on in that area.

I think the greatest challenge is how much content to put in, and is it speaking to my audience. It seems every day I work hard on the copy to speak to the people. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the good article! I especially like the point about a flow chart for the copy. We all do this for the site, but when you think in terms of the flow of the copy, it is very different.

I don’t completely agree on the landing page statement. You probably want people to hit different parts of your site based on the search terms they use. You need to consider each page that may be an entry point to your site and think of it in terms of a landing page – what is your introduction and where you take people from there.

I have added your article to my collection of resources on writing great web copy:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=162

Reading the replies to the post I think the biggest question here is what you call a “landing page”. I myself wouldn’t call a 1000 mile long design-less text going downward with a “buy my e-book” or “sign up free to receive my e-book” at the bottom (after 30 seconds of scrolling. That’s a squeeze page!!!
I think a landing page has every information, call to action imagery and fields in one screen without the need of scrolling. Maybe this is the basis of the misunderstanding? And since you can have a navigation at the top the landing page, why shouldn’t it be the “home page” since every product is trying to sell a product?

Thanks for this useful information. This is very helpful in web designing and web development. I recommended everyone this website.

Thanks for the article. Very helpful. I’m a publisher myself and I always like to read articles like yours.

If you want an ideal home for you which has a perfect interior design and great structure then it would be the time to contact some reliable individuals to build your house for you.

I get the request to put what is on their brochure on their website a lot. The points you made against that were very thought provoking. You are right print does not translate well to web. Brochures are wordy. I will consider this the next time the request is made.

nice share, I like your post

Thanks for this useful information. This is very helpful in web designing and web development. I recommended everyone this website.

thanks for nice tips. Keep going!

Thanks for the tips but landing Pages should not be long sales letters. It can be optimized to communicate a value offer to the visitor with a clear call to action. It does not have to be too commercial or too cheesy such as the “gurus” “get rich quick” stuff.

Splendid post and useful tips. Thanks.

Good stuff

these are awesome!!
thanks for putting in the effort to get this list together all tips are too important for anyone who the start their carrier in Web design.

By far, you should keep it short, however, it needs to give enough information to convey a message to your audience as well as give info to the search engines for crawling and indexing.

Really useful tips for web designers. And also you had mentioned for keyword optimization. Its worth. Keepup the good work.

The “Good Example” in Tip #8 is good?? “Renewable Energy is energy that is created without the use of fossil fuels.”

For the sake of clarity, brevity, and just plain following your own advice, leave out “that is.” The sentence becomes, “Renewable energy is energy created without the use of fossil fuels.”

A still better example might be, “Renewable energy is created without the use of fossil fuels.”

What was Tip #10 again?

Great Article.

thanks for sharing these tips.

Very nice info for designers, thanks

great post you forgot do not copy other websites, this is also very annoying.

This article has some really good points and useful tips for web designers. Good stuff!!!!

Great stuff for the designers. Well done.

Thanks for your advise. Helps much.

Tips 6 and 7 are the more important for me, the rest comes later

thanks!