The Web Developer's Copywriting Guide

What Do You Need To Know About?

In a word: everything. As a designer or developer, your interest is the client's interest and, to better understand that, you need to understand the client. Research what your client's doing, soak up everything you can, take notes, talk to people. Do whatever you can to better understand what you're writing about.

Your client is also another great reference point. Listen not only to what they want, but to what they are doing. Ask questions about the business and get some answers. Take this knowledge to heart, because it's what your content should reflect.

As not every designer or developer has the privilege of having the client hand over all the info they need, we need a backup plan. Designers who need content to create content must learn the ancient secret of gleaning information. As an example, I'm going to use a project I'm currently working on (sans company name and location, of course).

The Client

The client is a military surplus store located outside of a military base. It's fairly busy each day catering to the needs of soldiers from the base. The client wants a Website redesign and online storefront, though has very little to say content-wise. All I could get off the old site is a snippet of a letter that was written some time ago, though it's not entirely outdated. Let's call the client Military Surplus for the time being (it might look odd in the letter, but it's only an example).

Existing Content:

Military Surplus was established September 1992 in beautiful Northern --------. Our main Branch is located within 100 meters from Fort ----'s "North Gate". Military Surplus is proud to serve the elite 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division.

Unlike other surplus stores, Military Surplus focuses on the military's most current items. These new products are made with high technology materials such as Kevlar, GORE-TEX®-Tex®, Neoprene, Nomax, Polypropylene, and Thinsulate®. We sell common items such as military Web gear, battle dress uniforms (BDU'S), and field jackets.

On the other hand, we also work hard to find and stock experimental items such as CFP-90 Lowe Rucks, Load Bearing Vests (L.B.V.), GORE-TEX®-Tex® bivey shelters (Eco-Tat), Kevlar Helmets, Meals Ready to Eat (M.R.E.), and night vision equipment.

Gleaning The Info

Okay, we have a little content, though nothing much -- there are so many brand names that need to be reproduced to the letter. That isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't make life much easier. Let's see what we know so far:

• This is a military surplus store that sells common military items.
• The store also sells many hard to find items that might have to be special ordered in the military, and this service saving customers time and money.
• The store is easily locatable and accessible by its main clientele, the 10th Mountain Division and any other units rotating through the base.
• The store's mindset follows the military mindset: get in, get what you need, and get out in a timely fashion. The proprietors champion efficiency and expediency. Upon an actual visit to the store, I found this approach was also inherent in the way it's laid out.
• Since the letter's a bit old, I'll add some details from my visit. The store provides equipment repair and mending services, as well as regular food, and will soon be adding a small dining are to its complex. Prices for equipment are also pretty good.

The Result

Here's what I came up with:

What is Military Surplus? Fast, easy, versatile, and proud

• We're Fast, getting you what you need when you need it.
• We're Easy to find, just minutes away from Fort ----'s North gate.
• We're Versatile, offering you just about anything you need, from food, clothing, ranks and insignias, to equipment and an array of services including hair cuts, hot meals, and mending.
• We carry Current and Hard to Find Items like CFP-90 Lowe Rucks, Load Bearing Vests ( L.B.V.), GORE-TEX®-Tex® bivey shelters (Eco-Tat), Kevlar Helmets, Meals Ready to Eat (M.R.E.), and night vision equipment.
• All this at Affordable Prices.
• We at Military Surplus are Proud to Serve the 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division and that pride shows in our service.

With all this, why wouldn't you Shop at Military Surplus?

Spicing It Up

Let's face it, not every one of us is a good writer. For all the students at the top of the English class, there are some at the bottom. Here are a couple of tips to help get your content up to snuff.

• Write out the bare bones of what you want to say. Whether it be informative or fictional, lay some groundwork for what you will do next.
• Read over what you wrote and look for words that seem very plain. Replace some of the more common words like "bright" with words like "blazing" or "vivid". You can whip out the thesaurus for this one; it's a very good tool for writing.
• Proofread, proofread, and proofread. Then get some else to proofread your copy. Get constant feedback from yourself and others on the quality and message of the text. Ask people who read your content how they feel. Has the content created any images or connections in their minds? What? Use the feedback to tailor your writing more.
• Change your perspective to the first person for content writing and involve the reader. This is important: if you're not engaging, then you're not getting the reader to go anywhere.

Grammar and Spelling

Now those two words, grammar and spelling, are essential to conducting proper English, or any language, for that matter. One of the most important things to remember about writing for the Web is that the spell-check and grammar-check functions on your computer are not obsolete. At the very least, when you finish writing and proofreading, perform one last check for bad spelling (the easy check) and one for poor grammar (that's a bit more difficult).

Sometimes, though, it's okay to skimp on small grammatical points if you can get your message across without telling the reader that you don't know what you're doing. Otherwise, if you're typing your content on any system or program that has spell-check or grammar-check, use them frequently and follow the rules.

Presenting The Copy To The Client

Before you reach presentation, you need to make sure that your copy is nearly bulletproof. That is to say, it must sound good, it must look good spelling- and grammar-wise, and it must not put people to sleep. Your next sell will be one of two things:

• Extremely Easy: Your client may well not care. They may just give the copy a once over and sign off on it. There are quite a few of these people out there. It's mostly a matter of having them trust you to do your job. Count yourself lucky if you have a client like this.
• Extremely Difficult: If the opposite of easygoing is nitpicky, these people will drive you bonkers. And there may well be many more nitpickers out there than there are easygoing clients. Basically, it boils down to a couple of things. The mindset of the client might be that they don't trust anyone or they just have one notion of doing things. That's great, as long as they don't get the wrong influence. Don't underestimate the power of the wrong advice from a friend or a spouse that sticks in your clients head. The toughest part is justification: to find and explain to your client why your copy will work and why you wrote it the way you did. This will work many times, but, sometimes, you'll just have to bite the bullet and go back to the drawing board.

Also, remember that your content may undergo several re-writings before it's finally accepted. This is a natural course of evolution for writing, so don't get your hair in a tussle over "that client making me do everything over."

Handy Resources

Here are some links that you might find useful for writing Web content:

• Wizard Academy - These people make ads for a living, but they also teach, which is rare)
• Elements of Style - Good guidelines to have, especially just starting out)
• SitePoint's own Content Strategy section
• Your local library - Read something about this and learn more
• Your local bookstore - Take advantage of reading in the isles -- you'll buy the books eventually

Conclusion

Next time you need to write copy for a client project, use this checklist as a guide.

• Depending on what you're selling to the reader, your angle for writing may change. Decide early whether to educate the consumer or let them use their imagination to experience things. Do both if you can.
• Let loose and write copy, even if you don't plan to use it. Practice makes perfect.
• Make an effort not to sound like everyone else on the Web. Highlight a distinctive quality or qualities that your client's business possesses.
• Find out as much about your client as you can, so that you can better understand what they're trying to accomplish. Convey this in your writing.
• Spice up your words by replacing boring, common words with more vibrant, colorful ones.
• Proofread constantly to ensure that your writing makes sense and sounds the way you want it to.
• Keep to the first person if possible.
• Become a grammar and spelling peon. You know you want to!
• At the very least, use the spell-check and grammar-check functions dutifully.
• Be aware that your content will change -- just go with it. Your flexibility will help in the long run, especially when you please your client while helping their Website.
• Check out other resources and keep up with good writing. You never know -- you could even be the next Faulkner or Hemingway.

Since this is a relatively quick and dirty guide, I suggest you pursue further research outside of this article. I would love to profess that I know everything, but thankfully, I know otherwise. Learn more and practice writing, and I guarantee that your Web content will improve in leaps and bounds!