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.

---

Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works

Much of today's accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books... Read More

Accelerate Your Freelance Copywriting Master Business Plan!

Ever wish for your own copywriting business?Ever wish you could... Read More

Copywriting and Your Five Senses

In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things,... Read More

A Little-Known Secret To Writing Sales Copy, For Serious Copywriters Only!

Have you ever wondered how your copy sounds to your... Read More

The Secret to Web Copywriting Gurudom

Have you seen those copywriting gurus, working it on the... Read More

Freelancers Can Jump-Start Your Publicity Initiative

If you find that your progress is blocked by a... Read More

Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy

Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as... Read More

Quotations as Expressions in Life

Quotations are expressions, usually in the spoken form or in... Read More

Be Contagious... Spread The Word!

"Melissa" invaded our computers in late 1999, then "I Love... Read More

Three Steps To Pump Up The Drama In Your Copy

All the world's a story. Video games have storylines; newspapers... Read More

How You Can Proofread Your Own Work

Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More

Hooks, Lines & Sinkers

Hands up if the title to this article made you... Read More

Beyond Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales arent the Only Thing Needing Catchy Openings

Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not... Read More

3 Keys to Better Online Copywriting

Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper... Read More

7 Steps You MUST Take Before Writing a Word of Copy!

Copywriting ChecklistOkay, you know you have your product (or service)... Read More

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More

Five Steps To Online Copywriting Success

One of the most important priorities of evey online business... Read More

10 Tips for Aspiring Freelance Copywriters

Every week I receive a couple of emails from people... Read More

Writing For Sex Markets

Many professional freelancers will go their entire career without ever... Read More

How To Test The Body Of Your Sales Copy For Weaknesses

Your sales copy is the life source of your business.... Read More

Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business

Most people with an online presence will have to regularly... Read More

Ten Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

In order to make more sales and get more profits... Read More

The Secret to Drilling Down Deep in Your Target Market

Here's another drill ripped out of the Field Guide for... Read More

Fundraising Letters: Where To Find Creative Ideas For Your Appeals

How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh... Read More

Direct Mail Sales Letters Flow Better With Subheads

A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers... Read More

Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?

My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There,... Read More

Bullshit Avoid the use of the word Bullshit

It is important in this new paradigm of political correctness... Read More

How Cliffhanger Paragraphs Capture Readers

About 50 years ago, movie serials kept theater crowds coming... Read More

Organizing Your Data to Write Better Copy

Last quarter I talked about interviewing / gathering data. So... Read More

Website Advertising: 10 Tactics To Make Your Ad Copy More Impactful

If your ad is not generating a lot of sales,... Read More

How to Build Benefits from Features Fast and Easy with the Solution Approach

Every salesperson and fledgling copywriter hears the harangue: DON'T SELL... Read More

How to Write a Sizzling Sales Letter, Part 1

When you sit down to write a sales letter to... Read More

Freelance Writing As A Career

Most people would love to make a living from freelance... Read More