Do the Web Write. Dan Furman
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of page order in Chapter 3, and in Chapter 4, I’ll get into website writing in a broad-based sense (it’s meant to be an overall treatise on the theory behind writing for the web, and will serve you well whether you have one page or 100. It’s also the longest chapter in the book — by a lot).
I then get into chapters devoted to specific pages. Now, obviously, I cannot cover every single page your company might have, so I instead go into the general ones (Home, About Us, Products/Services, FAQ). Also included is a chapter devoted to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) stuff, a chapter devoted to alternate landing pages and microsites (a very effective tactic, by the way), and lastly, a bonus chapter full of extra tips.
The book can be read in any order, but you’ll probably get the most out of it if you read it from the beginning to the end, as each chapter builds upon previous chapters. In fact, that’s the way I wrote it — beginning to end. But that is by no means required. If you wish, you can be a rebel and read the end first if you want. It’s not like anyone was murdered or anything and I reveal it on the last page (to be honest, writing and website stuff is pretty safe and decidedly “murder-free” these days. You could almost say it’s a little dull).
Okay, so that’s what to expect out of the book. Now let me tell you what the book isn’t.
What This Book Isn’t
This book is not overly technical. In other words, I’m not going to get into the painfully dull programming and computer jargon of making a website. I am going to assume one of two things: that you or someone on your staff can code the website, or you are hiring someone to do it. When I talk about subheadings and bullet points, I am not going to tell you how to make them. I am also not going to tell you how to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), how to set up a blog, how to insert links, or any of that stuff. That’s what web designers and web developers (often the same thing, if you ask me) are for.
Speaking of design, while I will comment once or twice on design in regards to user-friendliness, I will largely remain on the sidelines in matters of how your website looks. Listen, I can code a basic website, but the truth of the matter is I’m really not that good at it (as evidenced by the practice template I’m including on the CD). I know how good design affects a site, I just don’t always know how to go about getting it.
I’m also not very artistic; for example, I can’t draw to save my life. Even my stick figures are odd looking, with one leg shorter than the other, egg-shaped heads, and squat little bodies. I drew a lot of these stick figures in school while pretending to work, and I’d usually put them in war scenes, where the giant circles (tanks) and flying triangles (planes) would further destroy my stick people. Despite all the practice I got (most teachers hated me), I never got better. But you know, I could write an awesome story on the battle that just occurred, and I could organize everything in a logical, easy-to-follow fashion. So what I’m saying is that design isn’t my thing, but content is, and that’s what this book is all about: content.
About the Pictures
On that vein, I want to mention the pictures in this book. The pictures are generally screenshots of my own websites (when I want to make a point of something that I’m personally using), and of a simple web template that I made for this book. The simple web template is indeed simple (just a header, link bar, and a big white space). But that big white space allows me to show you great examples of subheadings, etc., without the design distracting you; after all, this is a book primarily about content writing and conversion, so when I show you something, I really want your attention on what I am showing you.
I also did things this way in regards to pictures because there are no copyright issues if I use my own photos. I have neither the time nor the patience to ask other website owners if I can use their website in this book (it always has to go through a meeting, 14 approvals, and then a contract / release form. I have trouble writing a check, so I have zero tolerance for that stuff. That’s partially why I got married — so someone else could deal with all the paperwork).
I also practice what I preach. And there’s no better way to show you that than by using real-life examples for most of my concepts.
A Note to Web Designers
I love you guys (and girls). I work with web designers all the time, and I am in awe of your skill; like I previously mentioned, I cannot even draw, never mind make a three-column website.
I want to profess my fandom up front, because several times in this book, I tell the reader that most web designers probably don’t know much about the specifics of page order and such. Now, I know firsthand that there are a few of you out there who know about the stuff I’m writing about here, but for the most part, the majority of you do not really offer these kinds of services (just like I don’t offer design services). I’m just being honest.
I also don’t treat SEO (Search Engine Optimization) companies very well in this book. Again, no offense: If you are from an SEO company and are reading this, let me state that it’s my opinion that you personally are probably one of the good ones, and not one of the sleazeball ones.
I also joke around a lot when I write, so I do not want anyone to get insulted in any way when/if I make a joke or such. My jokes really aren’t all that good anyway.
A Few Disclaimers
The principles I discuss here will help any viable business website. However, this does not mean that every website or business idea is viable. I get asked almost every week to do work for some fringe idea. Most offers I turn down because they have no shot at making it; I don’t care how much you market, a cat-washing service isn’t going to fly (although the cat might). See my book Start & Run a Real Home-Based Business for more of my feelings on this.
Also, not every type of website will benefit from this book. I am writing this book for REAL business websites that want to take visitors and convert them into customers/clients/contacts (this is almost all business websites). In other words, I am not writing this book for a company that wants to offer nothing but online games as a promotion, or a company making a “fake” site for a movie tie-in (however, I will say that many of the techniques I discuss here will help even these types of sites … it’s just that I am not writing the book with them in mind).
While I’m on that fact, I find that my advice benefits service and unique product websites the most. This accounts for most business websites out there. Most sell a service (accounting, consulting, software development, writing, web design, web hosting, marketing, PR, plumbing, auto repair, jewelry repair, and the like), or they sell a specific, unique product line (custom software, custom-crafted golf clubs, handmade jewelry, etc.) So if that’s you and your company, this book is almost guaranteed to help you. And if you’re one of the few that wants to compete with Amazon, this book will probably help you as well, but again, I am not writing with those types of sites in mind.
Another thing: I am going to assume that you have a sufficient budget and/or a plan to deliver traffic. There’s no way around it. Your website will not work if nobody visits. You don’t need a million bucks, but you are going to need some advertising to drive traffic, and that probably includes a decent amount of pay-per-click (PPC) ads. I do go over targeted traffic in Chapter 1, and then SEO later on, but it is in a more overall sense — this is a website conversion/website writing book, not a “here’s exactly how you get traffic” book. So please, don’t be shocked when I talk about banner advertisements, and then leave you to figure out the nuances of them yourself.
I also specialize in succinct writing, and getting to the point quickly (heck, my website isn’t called Clear-Writing for nothing)! If something I am talking about sounds overly simple, well, that’s because it probably is. I’m very good at taking a topic and going over the whole thing in a few paragraphs; this is good, because I won’t bore you. I’ve seen 50-page e-books trying to explain what website conversion is — I can do it in maybe five pages. I’m looking to make my point, get you to understand it, and then move on.