Tips for Online Copywriting

Writing articles online is different from writing for any other medium.  While it is still important to create an interesting piece that captures the attention of the reader, writing online also requires a basic knowledge of how readers find and interact with information online.

Keyword Research and Copywriting for the Web

On the internet, readers find most of their information by entering keywords and keyword phrases into a search engine, such as Google.  Search engines use keywords as one way to identify the information sought by the reader.  Articles that contain the keywords that are most relevant to the search are the most likely to show up the highest in the results pages of the search engines.  
An online copywriter should always perform keyword research for their article prior to writing.  Then, the optimal keywords can be sprinkled throughout the article, helping both the reader and the search engine identify the value of the information presented.

Making Information Easy to Read

People read online content in a way that is different from the way they would read a newspaper or magazine.  Instead of reading an article from start-to-finish, online readers often scan the page, looking for the specific information they need.  There are several ways that copywriters can make their articles visually appealing to their readers, such as using bulleted lists and creating subsections with concise headings.

Interlinking Articles

While it is tempting to write articles that completely answer every question a reader may have on a topic, it is not always the best practice.  Rather, it is often better to divide one broad topic into several in-depth articles.  Then, create links to the related articles in each piece, allowing the reader to navigate to other articles that may be of interest.

When writing for the web, one of the best things a writer can do is think like a reader.  Keeping in mind how someone is likely to locate an article, digest the information presented, and interact with each piece will help anyone write better copy for the web.