Writing for the Web is very different than writing advertising copy or corporate white papers. Web visitors surf and search with specific goals. They scan for simple descriptive labels. They make decisions quickly. They avoid complex, busy pages, with confusing labels and link names. They're impatient with over-written copy that's boastful or filled with marketing hype.
Some direct mail writers do poorly at first in this new medium due to their hard sell conditioning. Yes, product benefits should emerge. But the writer must remember the visitor is already in search mode, looking for solid, creditable information. He's landing on the site, fully prepared to investigate; she's predisposed and ready to learn. They want technical information, product comparisons, frequently asked questions, etc.
This is not the time to hit them over the head with your marketing. When people enter a query, they end up with a "million hits" on their desktop. Their first task is a ruthless leap through the pages they don't want to see. And, these days it doesn't take long. Usually, a smart marketer has figured out how to design, write and optimize a site with great usability factors, one that ranks high in the search engine response pages.
The short of it: if your site won't satisfy; they won't stick around (assuming they even find your site).
Style Tips
Serve up the major point of each page in the first two sentences.
Give 'em text bullets, short sentences and short paragraphs. Get to the point!
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