The Five Rules Of Influential Web Writing

Building a professional reputation requires a campaign founded on your words: the positions you endorse, the motions you advocate, the accuracy of your vision. Writing for the Web can either establish your expert credibility or destroy it.

When your business requires powerful words online, follow these five rules for promoting the message that will serve you well in the digital world:

Stay on message. To write is to influence: always remember that the goal of good writing is to encourage thought and action. Look beyond the facts and statements, and focus on themes and positions. Decide on what you believe and then promote it with the facts; find your message and stick to it.

Make your points quickly but securely. The average visitor to your website will stay no longer than a few minutes, clicking through no more than three links before moving on. You must either make your point quickly or not at all. Be direct, confident and brief: use simple language and don't use any more words than necessary.

Write to the future reader, not the present one. The malleable nature of the Web creates the illusion that web writing has a short shelf life. The opposite is actually true: with mass data archiving and storage, putting information into the Internet is far easier than taking it out. Relevant points today have a way of becoming embarrassing cliches tomorrow.

The most influential web content is timeless. Write for the long term: avoid posting information online that won't still be valid and useful in twenty years. When you write about a controversy, assume that the reader knows how it was resolved. When you write about a product or service, assume that the reader knows whether it was a success or failure. Assume that your deepest secrets are now public knowledge. Write for a reader who knows more about your future than you do.

Bring it home. If you want to use your articles to promote your reputation, your readers must know how to find you. Plan your contact information for the long term: if you don't have your own domain, get one. Plan to keep it for at least the next five to ten years. Don't use an email address that may no longer exist when your article is being read.

Keep your personal life out of it. Nothing outdates - and bores - faster than personal information. Don't engage in public self-reflection; don't mention your personal relationships, neuroses, or the day-to-day trials of your home life. Your writing will be available somewhere online for many years after your situation has changed, which can prove embarrassing (or even dangerous) at a later date.

What works in the print world often doesn't work in the digital one. If you want your words to serve you long after they are published online, write the web content that ages well and reflects the power of your expert vision.

Your future clients will thank you for it.

About The Author

Robert Warren (http://www.rswarren.com) is a business marketing writer and editorial consultant. His Florida practice specializes in promoting independent professionals with the power of the written word.

For more writing articles by Robert Warren, see his website at http://www.rswarren.com.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Copywriting Information:

Related Articles

The Lost Art Of Fundamental Copywriting
What ever happened to good old fashion, fundamental copywriting? Has anyone seen AIDA? I mean, before you can run, you first have to learn how to walk, right? Yet, I see it over and over again. Marketers who can't even write a simple headline are trying to "hypnotize" readers with "psychological copywriting," because that's what a few of today's copywriting experts are telling them they should do!I'll let you in on a little secret.
5 Rules for Effective Written Sales Communications
Most salespeople have great ideas, but when it comes to putting those ideas on paper for their prospects, they ramble on for pages and quickly lose their readers' interest. Why do brilliant salespeople often have such a difficult time writing effective sales materials? Quite simply, these professionals haven't mastered the 5 rules of effective written business communications.
Finding Your Clients Business Problem Leads to Better Copy
WHAT'S THEIR PROBLEM?How do you begin a dialogue with a prospect, be it in person, on your website or in print?You talk about your client's business problem.What IS your client's business problem?Answering this question is the hardest part of marketing.
How to Write Carrot-Wielding Copy!
A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack of an effective direct response sales message. Such a message is comprised of three elements (it must be):Captivating (it captures the reader's attention)Riveting (it pulls her into reading further)Engaging (it calls her to act)How can you incorporate those three vital elements? If I were to answer that question adequately it would likely take me an entire book the size of an encyclopedia! But for now, let me give you a succinct explanation.
Prevent Procrastination With Positive Pressure
My wife and I recently bought a house.It's currently being built and moving day is slated for December.
10 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Copywriter
Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or services knows that it's a specialist field. Your customers in the IT industry have very unique and specific requirements, and that means you do too.
Designing for a Non-English Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large corporation at my previous job, I did not think being in charge of foreign language typesetting would be too difficult. After all, the layout and the images are already prepared and I only need to flow in the text - how hard could that be? I was sure that a simple Copy and Paste, or text importation, would do everything.
Website Promotion: 10 Secret Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
Unless you know the secret motivational secretsthat make people buy, your efforts in websitepromotion may not be fruitful.Here are some website promotion triggers to help you:1.
More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market
This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits of my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp are drilled on. In case you didn't read my last article we covered what you MUST do before you write a single word of copy.
Dissolving Buyer Scepticisim ... A Lesson In Copywriting
When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off radars" on high beam. They're wary and so they should be -- after all, they're about to spend money so they want to be sure they're not going to get ripped off, AND they want to be sure they're going to get the absolute best return on their advertising dollar.
Five Sections of Your Copy Guaranteed To Get Read
Only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned.
5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy
1. Isolation techniqueIt doesn't matter how good your copy is if they don't read it.
Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less
About once a month I fly off somewhere to give a one-day workshop on writing for the web. For part of the day, I invite the group to take part in a series of short tasks.
Dont Be Satisfied With Your First Draft
Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best thing to say. You're writing a heading, the first sentence of an email, the introduction to a newsletter, a short description on a homepage.
Some Important Tips On Proposals And Price
Here's a critically important copywriting technique I use when writing sales letters and proposals for our own direct marketing services and for our clients.It's all about "price".
Its the Headline, Stupid! - Writing Powerful Headlines
"It's the headline, stupid," is the sign that hangs over my computer screen. It reminds me that to write effective articles, press releases, sales letters--whatever I want people to read--I need a powerful, grabber headline or title.
Working With a Freelance Editor
If you are interested in creating information products, you will very likely deal with editors throughout your career. You may need someone to edit a book, review a special report, or tighten up a magazine article.
Getting Paid for Your Articles
If you've been writing web articles to help promote your business, you may also wonder if you can write articles and get paid for it. What type of articles will land you some extra cash, and what control do you have over the resubmission of your content once you hand it over to the editors?Type 1.
The Formulas Freelance Copywriters Employ When Creating Web Content
What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce new text for a site makeover? You often see the advertisements; a designer is looking for a freelance web writer who is going to create content around a number of keywords. There's not a lot more information about the process.
Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy
You have to choose a character or an angle that you, the copywriter plays. Copy is interactive.