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Why Writing for the Web is Different
A Web Copywriting Tip by Nick Usborne
The mindset of your readers is different.
If I see an ad on TV, listen to a radio spot, open a direct mail package or read an ad in a magazine...I am essentially having some other task interrupted.
You try to get my attention while I'm reading a magazine article. You try to get my attention while I'm watching a TV program. And so on.
The web is different in that respect.
Most web pages are found via a search engine.
And that's very significant. Because it means that your readers have been looking for you, or someone like you. They are in the driver's seat. They have an objective in mind. They are task-oriented. They are focused and intent on finding a particular product, service or piece of information.
When someone first arrives at your page, via a search engine, for the very first time, they have just one set of questions on their mind, "Am I in the right place? Can I find what I'm looking for on this page/site? Do I feel confident that I can complete my task here?"
As a result, the headline and subheads on your page have to address those questions.
Your headline has to secure the following response from that first time visitor, "Perfect! It looks like I can find exactly what I'm looking for right here!"
Writing to answer the needs of a reader who knows exactly what she's looking for is different from writing a headline designed to capture the attention of someone who is doing something quite different at that moment, like reading a newspaper article.
On the web, the primary purpose of a headline is to reassure the visitor that she is in the right place and should continue reading.
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