Writing Tips: Writing an Effective Website, Part 1

Written by Pat Wootton, PromptProofing.com

Your website is your virtual store window. It advertises to the world what you are selling, be it a service or a product. It is clearly essential, therefore, that your website should be dynamic, effective and - of course - error free.

Writing Tips: Writing an Effective Website

Writing an Effective Website, Part 1

Your website is your virtual store window. It advertises to the world what you are selling, be it a service or a product. It is clearly essential, therefore, that your website should be dynamic, effective and - of course - error free. The number of companies that fail to have their website proofread never ceases to amaze; typos or badly-constructed sentences do not create a professional impression.

To make your website dynamic and effective, you need to immediately make it clear exactly what service or product you are offering and how it could provide the answer to your readers' needs. Again it is surprising how many websites leave the reader uncertain as to what the company actually does. This should be apparent instantly.

Ideally, your home page should not talk about your business, its history and brilliant successes; this information can come later on or be condensed into your "about us" section. Readers want to find solutions to their problems and answers to their questions. Consequently, your website copy should focus on 'you' rather than 'us'. Links to pages elsewhere should be clearly indicated and there must be an obvious call to action on the home page.

Check back next month to see how the judicious use of keywords can help ensure that your customers actually find your website in the first place.

Check back next Friday for another Prompt Proofing blog post!

About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to both individuals and businesses.