Copy on websites varies greatly depending on the intention of the site. Many sites are set up strictly as a source of information, in which case you will see several pages of lengthy text for those who have time to read and research.
Other sites are for the purpose of driving traffic to a bricks and mortar business location in which case there will be lots of attractive pictures, clear contact info, calls to action and invitations and incentives to get people in the door.
E-commerce sites want you to make a purchase online so they will also contain a variety of attractive images and logos to entice you to buy. They will also include detailed descriptions as well as prices and discounts or offers. These sites will be connected with some form of payment software such as PayPal so that the visitor can feel secure in making transactions.
In all cases, the copy will need to contain specific keywords to help people find them. Information sites will contain longer articles, perhaps with references to other information sources. Business sites will contain compelling marketing language to entice the reader to drop by for a visit. E-commerce sites will contain ‘just the facts’ copy that is very keyword-rich since purchasing online is highly competitive so there is a lot of effort put into achieving higher search engine ranks.
If you are writing your first website, it would be a good idea to search online to find sites similar to the one you’d like to create and see the style they use. Get some ideas and then employ your own personal flair.
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