You STILL need a dotcom. Old habits die hard. People are still going to look for the Starbucks Web site by typing in “www.starbucks.com.” If you can’t own your brand as a .com, you are always going to fight an uphill battle, whether you are stuck with “www.acme.net” or “www.homepage.acme.”

If you own .starbucks, what URL are you going to use for your home page?  www.starbucks.starbucks or  www.homepage.starbucks?

As ZDNet columnist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols writes, the addition of more top level domains mostly benefits domain name registrars. You have to pay to register your dotcom, and possibly your dotnet. Now you’ll have to pay even more to register your dotbrandname.  He says “For them, this will prove a license to print money. For businesses, who must protect their trademarks it will be a pain-in-the rump and some additional expense. I can already see people getting ready to grab the TLD “.cola” and waiting to charge Coke and Pepsi or the “privilege” of registering “coke.cola” and “pepsi.cola.”

This all assumes that you are able to show a “legitimate claim” to ICANN. Presumably, brand holders can protect their brands. But consider the brand “Delta.” Who gets .delta? The airline, the power tool company, the faucet company or the dental company or one of the thousands of “delta” trademark owners? And then you’ve got the problem of .beer or .insurance or any other “generic” top level domain claims. How do you decide between McDonalds and Burger King for ownership of .hamburger?

Take the point of view of your customer

If your customer is going to buy your product, they have a particular need to address or problem to solve.  This is your starting perspective point. Start with describing a problem first, and then talk about how your product addresses it.  End with your credentials. Don’t make the mistake of reversing the order. Don’t start saying you are the most effective exterminator in town and that your service features organic compounds—and only at the end talking about eliminating termites.

Use words your customers use

Many companies communicate internally with jargon that can confuse and alienate customers. Take the time to listen to how customers talk about their problems and how they describe their ideal solutions.  You might think your business is “managed services” while your customer says “someone to help me keep my software current”.

Rich copy replaces long copy in selling effectiveness

It was once the axiom of the direct response business that “long copy sells”.  What works in print doesn’t work online.  Readers engage with your content in successive dives.  First they’ll do a quick scan to see if what you have to say is worth their time.  Make sure your copy scans well and engages readers.  Then they’ll come back and read in more detail.  If they are really interested, they will want to do a deep dive.  Accommodate interest by making access to rich copy easy.  Provide white papers, definitions, detailed specs, demos, videos, maps and charts—whatever is relevant to slacking the thirst of a truly interested prospect.

Be findable:  Write to optimize search

You can’t sell if no one can find you. We are constantly shocked that many companies don’t do the basics for optimizing their Web sites for search. Do you know what your company looks like on a search engine results page? Does each and every page, image, download and link on your site have its own relevant title, description and keywords? Are you using formatting to boost the effectiveness of your copy? Search engine optimization is a complex and constantly changing art and science—but don’t let complexity keep you from getting the basics right.  (see this post on writing the most basic elements for search engine optimization)

Have a call to action

Writing to sell is writing to convince the reader to want to do something.  No piece of sales writing is complete without giving the reader at least one specific action to take and a reason for taking it. Your call to action can be as simple and direct as asking for an order, as in “Buy It Now”.  It could be more complex, like “Call for a free consultation and get a copy of our ‘Guide to Air Condition Options’, a $30 dollar value”. Just make sure your call to action is clear, specific, prominent and compelling.

Meta-data Triple Crown for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Meta-data is the content that search engines use to present your site in search engine results pages (SERP).  You can find the meta-data of any site or any Web page by using the “view” command and “page source” or “source” selection in your browser.  You’ll then see the source code for the Web page. Within that code you’ll find the three most important meta-data elements of every page of your site:

1. Title: <title>whatever your title is</title>
2. Description: <meta name=”description” content=”whatever copy you use to describe your site—only 160 characters will show up on most search engines”>
3. Keywords: <meta name=”keywords” content=”list words and phrases, separated by commas, that people type into search engines to find your site”>

How Meta-data Works in Search Engine Optimization

Experts debate how metadata is used in search engine algorithms. Whatever the value this data is to the algorithm, it is invaluable to getting a human being to click on your content.  Here is what the source code for the Central Park Conservancy looks like:

And here is how the site appears in Google search engine results:

You will be amazed, once you start looking, how few Web sites get these three basic steps right. Do it right, and a person scanning search engine results pages will click to your site.  Do it wrong and you may actually drive potential visitors away.  Consider the AVR Enterprises Web site, which has almost no meta-data at all.  Here’s their source code:

And here is what AVR Enterprises looks like as a result of a search query on Google.  You have no idea who they are, what they do or why you would click on their site.

Write Meta-data Copy Customized for Every Page

Every page of your Web site needs meta-data.  Lazy Web designers simply copy the same title, description and keywords from the home page and use them for every page of the site.  You waste a huge opportunity to build visitor traffic if you don’t take the time to use create a title, description and keywords for every page.

Search engine optimization is a complex and constantly changing art and science.  Top-notch search optimization takes time, expertise and money, but don’t let complexity and cost keep you from getting the basics right. With just a little effort, good copy writing, and hardly any technical expertise, you can up the qualified traffic to your site with these three easy fixes.

Write using keywords
Keywords are words and phrases people enter into search engines.  Proper use of keywords will put your site will be at the top of search engine results pages (SERP).  You need to know your key search terms and use them in your writing, particularly in headlines and meta tags.  Resist keyword stuffing, that is using your keywords so much that the natural flow of your copy suffers.  Search engine algorithms will figure you out fast and will penalize you for it.  And most importantly, the human readers you’ve tried so hard to attract to your copy will be turned off and will click away.

Tag everything
Be sure to write descriptions and put tags on everything.  Use page titles and descriptions. Tag charts, links. images and video–and put in a quick sentence for a description.  Be sure to work your key words into all of your tags and descriptions.

Formatting is key to web writing
Use formatting to appeal to search engines. Search engines give more weight to copy that appears in headlines than it does in the body of a piece.  Also, use keywords early in the paragraph and early in the sentence.  In addition to helping your search engine optimization (SEO), formatting helps engage human readers.  Web readers don’t slog through thick copy; they scan content to see if it is relevant and they focus on those parts that are most relevant.  Headlines facilitate scanning.

Write with simplicity and clarity
Short, simple sentences with a very clear purpose are the soul of good web copywriting. Don’t bury the lead.  Make your main point first, then support it with details. Some readers will remember Monty Hall and the “Let’s Make a Deal” game show.  Contestants got to choose curtain #1, #2, and #3.  There never, ever was a curtain #4.  Your copy should be similarly simple.  Make a few key points.  Make they clearly.  And know exactly what one two or three things you want the reader to think or do.  Too many concepts, too many words and clauses, and too many choices are bad copywriting.

Link. Link. Link.
Link your copy to other copy within the site, from outside in and from inside out. Links help your readers take a deep dive in subjects that interest them by following links. Links from other sites to yours bring you direct qualified traffic. Links are also highly valued by search engines, particularly inbound links—site that point people to your content.  The search engines believe content that has more links is valued and valuable and will give your content a higher rank. Linking within your site helps the reader and search engines.  Link to relevant content on your site and to older posts that add context and depth.

Write to engage people
Web readers are goal oriented.  They want something and seek something.  Cut out the fluff and focus.  Use the active voice.  Be accessible, real, conversational; use language your customers use, not internal terms. Avoid jargon, an alphabet soup of arcane initials, and impersonal brochure-speak. Speak to the reader and have some personality. Don’t say, “Our quality is believed to be highly reliable by our clients.” Say, “You can rely on our quality.”  Be a little provacative and avoid generalizations and generic corporate speak.