The internet is made up of content. It’s what makes cyber-space go round. After all how
would the search engines be able to provide you with search engine results without content?
Content is everywhere you look. Some of it is fantastic – informative, funny, attention-grabbing, persuasive, powerful, relevant, eye-catching…and some of it is, well, trash to be blunt.
You often find it impossible to recall a great advert (especially a written one), but I bet you can remember the bad ones. They always stick in your mind.
Therefore, if you don’t want to be remembered for the wrong reasons, you must avoid producing bad copy. To help you achieve this, I have put together a list of sins that you should
avoid at all costs.
1. There is no attention-grabbing headline
2. You haven’t used sub headings
3. You haven’t stated the benefits of your product/service
4. You haven’t given any guarantees
5. There are lots of spelling and grammar mistakes in your copy
6. You haven’t used testimonials (believable ones, anyway)
7. You haven’t told your readers about the features of your product
8. You haven’t used conversational writing or questions
9. You are using overly complex, long sentences
10. You haven’t used deadlines to encourage people to buy
11. There is no strong call to action
12. You haven’t offered a free trials (if applicable)
13. YOU’VE WRITTEN YOUR WEBSITE ALL IN CAPITALS
14. There are very few ordering options
15. You haven’t used any visuals (all text is a bad idea)
16. There are no comparison against competitors
17. There is no emotional appeal
18. You’ve used way too much jargon
19. Your font is either too small or too big
20. There isn’t enough white space on your page
Not all of these items will be applicable and you may not want to use some of them because they don’t fit in with your company policy.
Check through your website now and see if you can spot any of these common mistakes? They are easily resolved.
Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter