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By Charlene Rashkow
As a writer for a multitude of projects from web site
content to detailed business plans all the way to press releases
and promotional material, I've noticed one major difference
in writing for the Internet versus writing for other channels
of communication. Primarily writing good copy is essentially
the same no matter where it's presented but writing for the
Internet requires one important distinction. That distinction
is less verbiage with more impact!
While you have free reign to put as much information on your
web site or within your article when presenting it on the
Internet, material on the web must grab the reader's attention
very quickly. Becoming verbose and redundant may be satisfying
to your ego but it won't attract the attention of your reader.
Your Readers
Those who are searching for meaningful information on the
net are either visiting web sites or reading online publications
because they want bottom line  information
rapidly. One of the perks of using the Internet is the ability
to sift through as many web sites as required from the privacy
of your home until you find what draws your attention. Material
for most readers if too wordy or intellectual is a deterrent.
Personally, if I'm seeking information from the web, I want
it to be informative and interesting without being long-winded.
Having a creative eye, of course I require the site to be
somewhat appealing in layout and design but I want the information
to meet my needs. More than likely most readers don't want
to pore over a lot of jargon before reaching the main point.
If an individual wants to read a novel they'll buy a book
or borrow it from the library but when reading it on the net,
the data should be a source of information.
What Are You Trying To Sell?
One of the key points to remember when writing for the Internet
is that overall you are selling knowledge and therefore should
consider that your article or web site are merely tools to
provide appropriate information. If you write regularly or
have an on-going group of individuals visiting your site,
you may find after a while that you've developed a following.
By that I mean that a number of individuals have become familiar
with your writing style and relate to your views and opinions.
They may now become interested in what you have to say not
just in what you are selling. It's at that point that your
audience is interested in you personally but that may take
some time to achieve. First prove your consistency, professionalism
and appeal and before long people will begin wondering what
you have to say.
Too Much Information
Bear in mind that you may have the most beautiful site ever
created but without excellent content your site will have
no meaning. People pay a fortune to have sites created boasting
loud music, flashy flash presentations and all the other hype
so common on web sites these days. In truth all that extra
stuff can be of very little significance without meaningful
content. Most people are seeking information, not flamboyant
pictures. I do believe the layout, style and design of a web
site is critical to its success but all the overdone, heavy
duty sites have become boring.
We grow impatient if the site loads slowly and even more
impatient if each subsequent page takes forever to appear.
No matter how beautiful your site, if it takes forever to
load, you'll lose your viewers before they've had a chance
to read the first word on your site. Additionally, if there
are too many visuals and auditory sounds on your site it can
be disturbing to the majority who come to visit. Keep it simple.
If your goal is to have people come back to your site or
to continuously read your articles, take the time to provide
practical, interesting content minus the hype. The best suggestion
is to write honestly, plainly and concisely.
Charlene Rashkow is a Writing Stylist who has successfully
written
outstanding business material for companies and individuals
for more
than 15 years. Creating clever promotional materials, Charlene
is
well known for her press releases, business plans, resumes,
brochure
copy, web site content and ghostwriting dynamic manuscripts.
You may
visit Charlene Rashkow at www.allyourwritingneeds.com
or write her at
Crwriting@aol.com.
You can also call her directly at (310) 514-4844
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