As a copywriter, I can’t help but read web pages with a critical eye. (My colleagues often worry I’m doing the same when I read their emails, but I’m not that critical.)
I cringe when I read copy that drags on and on, is full of lingo and clichés, or that seems to be trying too hard.
So when I come across a site that has copy that doesn’t beat around the bush, is honest and sincere, and reflects the company’s brand in every which way, I give a cheer for the writers.
Here are four standouts:
1. Groupon: Read the Groupon About Us page, and you’ll get a good flavour for the company. Honest, forthright, and a little cheeky. (Did you know that according to Forbes, Groupon is one of the fastest growing Web companies ever? If they’re growing that fast, they don’t have time to agonize over long-winded copy.)
2. FreshBooks: I use the online app FreshBooks for time tracking and billing. The copy on their site is straightforward, easy to read, and clearly written. The most fun you’ll have is when you log hours using the time tracker: click on the button and messages like “Cha-ching!” and “Didn’t that feel good?” pop up. Who said accounting can’t be fun?
3. 37Signals: I’m not sure what to make of the 37Signals homepage, the company that launched Basecamp. But there’s something compelling about this long-form format. It’s one of the oddest homepages I’ve seen, but it seems to work. Nice graphics? Big typeface that’s easy to read? To get a taste for the site’s copy, take a look at the December 1 blog post, which explains why Campfire was down. Just straightforward, sincere copy. The company took full ownership of the problem.
4. Bliss Spa: This New York-based spa and retailer broke the mold when it came to the formal, serious spa experience. With products like “No Zit Sherlock,” “Poetic Waxing,” and “fatgirlslim,” their cheeky and innovative catalogue and web copy inspired a phalanx of other companies to follow suit with their own tongue-in-cheek names.
To be sure, this style of copy isn’t going to work for every company. If you’re selling B2B, or if your target audience is, say, NASA scientists, you’ll need to use an appropriate level of professionalism.
But that’s not to say your copy can’t be clear and concise, or that all of your typeface needs to be in 10-pt. Verdana (so you can fit all of that copy onto a page).
Customers go online to find information. They scan. They click around your site—or on other tabs that happen to be open in their browser. Bore them or overwhelm them with long, jargon-filled copy, and watch your site’s bounce rate rise.
Here’s a tip: try reading your copy out loud. Would you talk that way? It not, then edit and simplify.
And make sure you have a little fun along the way.
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