10 Tips for Writing Better Web Content

[KristineS]

There's a theory I read somewhere that said if you want a lie to be believable you want to give details and statistics that sound real but aren't easily verifiable, or which people won't want to or think about checking. I'm guessing that's where the specific numbers come in. Citing a specific number makes it sound like you spent the time figuring it out. Citing a round number like 200,000 sounds more like you just made it up on the spot.

Our brains are really odd sometimes.

[vangogh]

I've heard the same. Details makes things more believable.

So how about a quick tip that doesn't involve lying. If you're writing a blog post or a sales page or really anything, offer details. If you tell us details about your product or your story it makes it more believable. It also makes it more enjoyable to read.

[Paul Elliott]

If you're writing a blog post or a sales page or really anything, offer details. If you tell us details about your product or your story it makes it more believable. It also makes it more enjoyable to read.

Jay Abraham, the master of the 20-page direct mail sales letter, emphasizes that the more you describe your product and offer the more you will sell. This applies to Internet sales pages, but ... the information MUST be in a format that makes it easily consumable. This is more difficult on an IN sales page than on a printed page.

Paul

[KristineS]

I definitely believe in having more detail. I know most of the spam sites I see are sites where they promise you the earth but don't tell you how or why they're able to make those sorts of promises.

Concrete details are what help seal the deal. They also can tell your potential customers how you can help them and why they want to do business with you.

I do think you can go into too much detail. You have to know when to say when. A 20 page direct mail sales letter seems a bit excessive, at least to me.

[Paul Elliott]

I do think you can go into too much detail. You have to know when to say when. A 20 page direct mail sales letter seems a bit excessive, at least to me.

It depends on how it's formatted. If it is well-done, you can find the material that interests you and read only that. A lot of information is the value of the 20-page DM piece.

Paul

[Jagella]

Interesting you mention psychology. I think it's one subject business owners should read up on, though my guess is most don't. So much of our decision to buy comes down to basic human psychology. The more you understand people the better you can create products and marketing materials they want.

That's right, Steve. (Are you ever wrong?) I've thought of the need for an understanding of psychology too especially as it applies to design and marketing. Are there any design/marketing psychology specialists in the forum?

Jagella

[Jagella]

Is there any research on how people feel about prices that end in unusual numbers like $48.37, or $202.63? Do people believe subconsciously that such prices are more "honest"?

Round numbers, since they're not likely to result from natural and random processes, may appear contrived or ad hoc. Some people may then feel that a round price, say $100, is arbitrary and possibly not related to the product's value. If the price is $99.97, then it may seem that such an amount is based on a careful, scientific measurement of quantity and value.

But that's just my 97¢.

Jagella—Former Algebra/Trigonometry Tutor

[Jagella]

Kristine, would you recommend a professional copy writer for Web copy? I'm having trouble with my own site's copy.

Jagella

[Just H]

It's so interesting about what numbers you choose and how that influences credibility - totally makes sense. The psychology of it is definitely fascinating. I think for me the best balance would be to have a basic understanding of what works better and why, and to try to keep that in mind while writing (but not go overboard in trying to think about the Psychology and then writing from that place).

I wonder if any of you guys re-read #4 of the article - using attractive images? I puzzled over it twice before reading the rest.

Attractive images are extremely effective in selling your message (even subliminally), if used correctly. Make sure they are very clean and attractive. Spend a few dollars on professional stock photography to get your message across, my favorite shop is IStockPhoto.com by the way.

"Attractive" seems really subjective and doesn't give clear meaning to me. Is it saying use attractive women b/c we know sex sells? Is it to use an uncluttered image with optimized colors and saturation, etc that is directly related to the point the text is making? This could mean lots of things.

Also - I thought it did a great job of stating and then showing how to make text stand out better just by presenting it in different styles (as in the bulleted list vs. commas and the inline quote vs. set off in colored box). Definitely pays to look for these kinds of opportunities and capitalize on them to best present the material - whether it's personal or for a client trying to market their biz better.

So, anyone hungry for donuts today? I've hoarded a few and will sell them for $2.57 ea w/ $.27 extra for sprinkles!

[vangogh]

I love this psychology stuff. It really is fascinating how people will respond to something we'd all say is pretty much insignificant.

With the 'atrractive' idea and not describing it further, it's probably that it's hard to define. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder kind of thing. I usually like to think of it as professional as opposed to attractive, though I suppose that's not any clearer as a definition.

Perhaps the best way to think of it is to try to understand your target market and your site visitors and see if you can figure out what they would think is attractive.

One thing I've seen often enough in studies is that we all respond well to images of people. It's one reason you see so many images of random people on sites. Show a person using your product and you'll likely have visitors at least checking out the info about that product. Even better if the people are attractive