Does Your Web(site) Trap Your Readers?

Browsing the Web has become as popular a pastime in Malaysia as watching TV.  Every month, more than 13 million Malaysians spend more than 15 hours online visiting more than 1,200 web pages each.  That’s a pretty impressive market to be tapping into.

But, to capture and retain the interest of these visitors, you’ve got to have an attractive website.  And right up there with eye-catching graphics and a stylish layout, engaging web copy is what gives your website quality.

Webpage visitors read differently from a screen then they do from print media, like newspapers and magazines.  They’re much more likely to scan for information than they are to read in detail.  Consequently, writing web copy requires a different style from writing print copy and this begins at the top with your headline.

David Ogilvy of the multinational advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather said that on the average, five times more people read the headline than the body copy.  So, when you’ve written your headline, you’ve spent 80 cents out of your advertising dollar. 

Take a look at the headlines on your web pages.  Do they engage you and encourage you to read further?  Here are three writing techniques you can use to ensure that they do.

First, ask questions.  Questions get your visitors’ minds working.  Unlike statements, which provide information on their own, questions prepare visitors for information that is to come.  Suppose you’re browsing the web looking for advice on investing and you run across these two headlines in your Google search: How to Invest Your Money and Are You Ready to Make Millions?  Compare.  Which of these two is more likely to arouse your interest?

Second, present problems.  People browse the web to meet their needs for entertainment and information.  What you write in your headlines, therefore, should immediately address these needs.  Of course, not everyone will have the problem you present, but that’s okay.  You’re not targeting everyone in the market, only those who need the products or services that you provide.

Third, arouse curiosity.  The headline you write will be more inviting if it gives your visitors a ‘sneak peek’ of what’s to come.  Suppose you’re surfing the web for tips to improve your golf game and you come across a headline that asks, Is Your Golf Swing Missing These Stroke-saving Qualities?  What could these qualities be?  Curious?  Better read and find out. 

Writing good headlines can be challenging, and even some of the best copy writers will tell you that they can’t write good headlines.  But as long as the headlines on your website ask questions, present problems and arouse curiosity, you’re three steps closer to keeping your visitors engaged.