It’s been a while since I’ve had some solid inspiration for writing over here, but I ran across a website today that I just had to point out. How do you ride the coattails of Web 2.0 without any new technology? Hire a copywriter of course! Let’s delve into this awesomely Web two point oh company, Infragistics.

First, let’s start off at their home page. They’ve got a nice promotional header that cycles through a few benefits of their technology. Here’s some benefits of AJAX:

• Save Time
• Increase performance
• Empower your users
• Leverage a rich toolset

Hot damn! I’m feeling empowered already! Wait, they do charting too? Let’s take a look at the benefits of charting:

• Create compelling experiences
• Increase performance
• Empower your users
• Leverage a rich toolset

That’s odd. It’s almost like I read that somewhere else. Oh well, moving on, let’s take a look at one of their products, NetAdvantage for ASP.NET Navigation. Look Ma! More AJAX:

AJAX Load on Demand – Let WebTree load nodes on demand using AJAX without doing server round-trips

Oh sweet! My current navigation (which loads with the page, on one request) was complaining just today about the round-trips it had to make to the server. This way, we’re reducing requests from one to two. Wait a second, how does that make sense? Who cares, it’s AJAX anyways! Let’s check out the features :

AJAX in WebTree
Data for web navigation child nodes can be sent on demand to reduce traffic over the wire and increase. This includes automatic AJAX in CLR 2.x and load on demand with a postback in the CLR 1.x version of the WebTree.

Alright, I’m sold. I don’t even understand half that copy! It must be too Web 2.0 for me.

The Reality

The sad reality of this company is that their code-base is terribly Web 1.0. Hell, they’ve even got support for Internet Explorer 4.0 yet don’t support any Gecko (Mozilla) browsers for half their effects (or, Internet Explorer effects, as they’re known in the Copyjax industry). Worst of all, they don’t support WebKit/KHTML (Safari) browsers at all.

But who cares when your copy can overcome people’s perceptions despite glaring misinformation? In most cases, clients don’t know the difference between AJAX and their morning cereal. Writing has the power to manipulate how people perceive the truth, and this is a magnificent example of manipulation.

Understanding your material

So, what can you take from this embarrassment to copywriting around the world? Understand your material. Don’t write about products that you haven’t used or don’t understand — take the time to really know what you’re talking about. Part of copywriting is having the technical understanding to generate informed copy about the product you’re promoting.

When you lack the technical understanding, your copy fails the very people it should be targeting — those who will be using the product. Take this as a final piece of advice: If your audience is more knowledgeable about your product than you are, you shouldn’t be writing about it.

Companies spend great sums of money designing their websites each year in hopes of increased revenue and brand influence. Exclusive designers are contracted to create gorgeous interfaces. Vast numbers of engineers are hoarded to code scalable enterprise solutions. Marketers are called upon to create promotion roadmaps. But who’s writing the copy? If content is King, why is it treated like a second-class citizen?

Content is King, treat it that way

Copywriting should be a generous portion of any project. My opinion is that every project should have at least one full-time resource dedicated towards copywriting. It’s fine to have several people from different department form drafts of copy for the website - everything should be run through one person that knows your brand.

The goal is to create a body of copy that is consistent, entertaining, and professional. When you have dozens of pages of content, it’s important to keep the writing top-notch. If you want your visitors to read even a tenth of your content, you’ve got to give them a reason to read it. Make the copy addictive. One of the greatest examples of addictive writing was the original 37 Signals manifesto.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single corporate website that meets these standards. I know exactly why, too. I’ve been on the production side of dozens of projects, and every one comes together exactly the same. The internet marketing manager puts out a request to various departments in the company to put together a set number of pages defined in the IA phase of a redesign. Once each department receives this request they throw it at the person with the most available time - usually a junior employee with little to no writing experience. The final result is a mishmash of overly technical writing that’s just flat out boring. The copy is ridden with grammatical mistakes and spelling errors. It’s not consistent, it’s boring, and it makes the reader lose interest before they’ve finished the first page. The copy sucks.

Copywriting is interface design

Going beyond paragraphs of text on the page, copywriting is interface design. The boys over at 37 Signals have put it eloquently in one of their getting real articles published almost a year ago:

Do you label a button “Submit” or “Save” or “Update” or “New” or “Create” ? That’s copywriting. Do you write 3 sentences or 5? Do you explain with general examples or with details? Do you label content “New” or “Updated” or “Recently Updated” or “Modified” ? Is it “There are new messages: 5” or “There are 5 new messages” or is it “5” or “five” or “messages” or “posts “? All of this matters.

They’re right. Details matter, and choices that a CEO may deem inconsequential can make a big difference in the user experience.

Copywriting is your brand

Beyond design, copywriting is your brand. Every sentence, every word, every punctuation mark. Does your brand speak in long sentences, short sentences, or bullet points? Let’s take a look at some of the most consistent writing on the web - Apple. Here’s an excerpt from their Macbook Pro page:

Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to five times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Now available in 15- and 17-inch models starting at just $1999.

Notice the sentence structure and flow of the words. There is no mention of “the machine” or “the notebook.” Features are simply written. The words are as simple as possible, and each proprietary term (such as iSight and Front Row) is immediately followed with a commonplace example usage to give readers a frame of reference. In fact, the writing just feels clean. Apple is clean. Apple’s writing is clean.

If I had to put my thumb on just one lacking aspect of copy on the web, I would pick clarity. Every word written must be interpreted by the reader, and clarity is lost through interpretation. I believe that every writer should strive towards clarity in their work, because without clarity your words are just pixels on a screen.

Beware non-descriptive titles

The title of your copy is the foundation to the entire piece of writing. Try to steer away from titles that sacrifice semantics for humor. Many people will not even read copy with headlines that they don’t understand. This is a shame, because while your post may be titled “Dancing with Monkeys” your copy may be about something they would otherwise be passionate about — like inter-office relationships.

Keep the word-count down

Copy on the web is rarely read its entirety, so you must be cautious to limit your words. The less words you write, the less words readers will skip — resulting in increased comprehension of your intended thoughts. Be careful to limit your superfluous banter to a minimum, and delete sentences that are non essential. Every non-essential word you add is one more word that contributes towards confusion.

Tighten up those paragraphs

Nothing hurts comprehension more than a page full of solid text. Break up your copy into smaller paragraphs with descriptive headlines. If possible, use bulleted lists to convey your point rather than lengthy descriptions.

If you absolutely require long blocks of text, try and keep them towards the beginning and the end of your copy. Readers naturally gravitate towards these areas and are more patient with longer blocks of information here.

Have someone proof-read your writing

If you’re still questioning the clarity of your copy, there’s one simple solution: have someone else read it. Take note where they stop and ask “what does this mean?” and push them to tell you what doesn’t make sense. In the end, it’s always easier to have a friend’s opinion than to guess what your readers might think.