Writing for the Web Part III

Writing for the Web: Part III: Writing Information Pages

In part one of this article we looked at good writing, and the kinds of writing needed for Web pages. In part two, we looked at the structure of a Web site, and how layout and navigation affect the effectiveness of content.

Of the three types of Web content, i.e., Sales Pages, Information Pages and Incidental Pages, sales pages require copywriting expertise. Writing sales pages would require a separate article to do justice. In this article we focus on information pages.

Informative Content Pages

While sales pages try to sell, the information pages seek to create trust and confidence in the prospective buyer.

Unlike a store that you walk into, you cannot see the merchandise and inspect it before buying. And unlike a corner store, you do not know the person who sells the merchandise. It is these things, seeing the merchandise and knowing the person who sells it, that create trust and confidence in the case of a brick and mortar store.

A Web store is an anonymous place; you cannot get a first hand look at the merchandise before buying. The person behind the Web store can even be a fraudster interested only in taking your money. You might get junk stuff, or no stuff at all, and when you try to contact the seller to complain, find that the person is not traceable. While this might be an extreme case, unsatisfactory merchandise is all too common, and taking remedial action too troublesome to bother about.

For websites, trust building involves use of devices like the BBB logo, verifiable customer testimonials, credible guarantees and full contact details. However, it is the tone of your content pages that can really make a prospective buyer to even look at these devices.

Writing Information Pages

You can use the following approach to write effective information pages:

• WRITE LIKE A FRIEND. Instead of dishing out a sales pitch, provide helpful information, such as how to use the product for best results, and interesting facts about the product and its history. Convey this information using a personal tone, as if you are talking to a friend.
• USE WORDS THAT CUSTOMERS USE. A company might use high sounding and/or technical terms to describe their product and its advantages. These can lead to boredom, if not outright irritation. On the other hand, if you take the trouble to research the words that customers use, and use those words in your writing, you will get their attention.
• PROVIDE REAL INFORMATION. What information will really help a customer? Would that person thank you for the information you have provided? Or would the person click away with disdain from the obvious platitudes you have put together?
• WRITE LOGICALLY IN A NATURAL SEQUENCE. Don't throw information in a random and unconnected manner. Instead, set the context, explain things in step by step sequence, and conclude with a summary.
• LEAD THE VISITOR TO THE SALES PAGE. This is the key to getting a sale. If you merely provide information, the reader might absorb the information and go away. You must find a right way to make the reader click through to your sales page.

If you observe the above rules, and also avoid irritating spelling and grammar mistakes, you would begin to make your reader feel trust in you (and increasingly confident about the product you sell).

Significance of the Incidental Pages

We have been calling pages like About Us and Contact Us as "incidental" pages. Actually these too are high value information pages. Buyers want to know from whom they are buying things. An About Us page provides them this information. It will explain the background of the business, and probably tell an interesting story about how the product is made.

The Contact Us page provides full contact details, including a phone to contact a live person, and full address. An email address or contact form will enable the prospective buyer to get more information.

The Privacy Policy Statement will indicate what kinds of personal information you collect about the customer, and how these will be used. The customer wants to be sure that you will not sell his or her email address to a spam mailer.

In the next article on Writing for the Web, we will look at the special characteristics that differentiate Web writing from print writing.

Writing for web Part 1 | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V