{"id":1029,"date":"2019-06-26T15:57:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T19:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:00:06","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:00:06","slug":"common-website-copy-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/common-website-copy-mistakes-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Website Copy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While the design of a website is of very high importance, often the content \u2013 and specifically the verbiage &#8211; is neglected, which is a big mistake. You can create one of the most dazzling, well-designed websites in the world, but if you fail to keep people interested and explain your business, then you will be unable to market effectively. To get yourself noticed and ensure your clients and customers keep coming back for more, avoid the following common mistakes when creating your website\u2019s copy.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <strong>Using Too Much Slang<\/strong> <br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In many ways, using slang or common jargon can be a great way to get people interested in your business. Readers might feel like they are able to identify with the company and could be tempted to work with you. However, using too much slang or informal language puts you at risk at seeming unprofessional. Would you want to hire a lawyer who talks about \u201cyeeting\u201d your opponent\u2019s case out the window? How about a doctor who says her treatments are \u201con fleek?\u201d I think not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Wall of Text\ufeff<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a big issue for people who don\u2019t write often. Most modern readers, especially those browsing the Internet, will be put off by websites that have massive paragraphs of five sentences or more. While this format is acceptable in books, it doesn\u2019t fit the online style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid having a wall of text, limit your paragraphs to three sentences and avoid having sentences that include tons of commas or semicolons. This keeps the format simple and ensures your potential clients will continue to read your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Too Much Homepage Content\ufeff<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You want your homepage to be the appetizer that gets people interested in checking out the rest of your website. You should give your visitors just enough information to chew on and include plenty of hooks and leads to ensure they click on more pages and spend time getting to know about you and what it is you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make an effective homepage, you should limit how much\ntext is included, and link to other pages that have more information. Try to\nkeep your paragraphs short and sweet and give a hook to have people investigate\nfurther. For example: \u201cTo find out more about why our cupcakes are so sweet,\nclick on our menu!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <strong>Assuming Knowledge<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a big issue with a lot of company websites, especially those related to highly specialized matters like law. You don\u2019t want to make the assumption that your potential clients are well-versed in your field\u2019s jargon and rhetoric. You can use professional terms like \u201ccivil litigation,\u201d but try to include context clues and definitions to keep your readers informed about what they are reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, don\u2019t assume your readers are dumb. If\nyou have a website about pet grooming, you don\u2019t need to explain what a haircut\nis. The best way to determine whether a fact or term will need some explanation\nis to imagine talking to a friend who is not in the same business as you. Would\nyou need to give some extra details?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you follow these four simple guidelines,\nyou can create copy that is simple, informative, and easy to read. Having a\nwebsite that is engaging is the key to drawing in more clients and will help\nboost your ratings in the search engines. Just remember to avoid keyword\nstuffing and making too many assumptions about your target audience!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the design of a website is of very high importance, often the content \u2013 and specifically the verbiage &#8211; is neglected, which is a big mistake. You can create one of the most dazzling, well-designed websites in the world, but if you fail to keep people interested and explain your business, then you will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-design"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Website Copy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your website&#039;s copy, or verbiage, is extremely important, and it should be written in an effort to engage your visitors and explain what you have to offer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/common-website-copy-mistakes-to-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Website Copy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your website&#039;s copy, or verbiage, is extremely important, and it should be written in an effort to engage your visitors and explain what you have to offer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/common-website-copy-mistakes-to-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Watt Media Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-26T19:57:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-26T20:00:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" 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