If you’re writing on Twitter in Spanish, don’t forget to use accents in the hashtags. So says one of Fundéu BBVA’s latest recommendations to help speakers navigate the pitfalls of using the language online.
Is your web copy accessible?
Is your website as accessible as it could (or should) be? Perhaps you don’t think it’s that important? Accessibility is one of the considerations that’s always at the front of my mind (as it should be for any decent web copywriter).
How to write effective web copy
Your website must be well written, engaging and easy to find. Hiring a professional web copywriter to produce compelling text is, without doubt, a good investment — and one which will probably pay for itself with a single new piece of business.
But if you’re planning to write the web copy yourself, read on to find out what you need to consider (in a nutshell) and for five top tips. I wrote this with an SME audience in mind, but it applies to anybody who has to write text for a website.
New community for copywriters
Copywriters serving the UK market now have their very own community: The Professional Copywriters’ Network. This is the brainchild (and product of much hard work) from copywriting agencies ABC Copywriting and Ben Locker & Associates.
How to avoid duplicate content
UK-based SEO agency dotSearch has written a very useful guide to duplicate content. If you’re pushed for time, I’ve read the guide so that you don’t have to. Here’s a summary of the main points.
Help your supporters to help you
If there’s a piece of information that you need from people contacting you, tell them on your ‘Contact us’ page.
As a supporter of international development charity ActionAid, I’ve been receiving communications by post. I’d like to change my details and also get all materials by email instead, so I went to the charity’s UK website to get in touch.
Why content before design is good
The argument for developing content before design for a new website is nothing new. I just want to explain why, showing what can happen when the content is defined later.
Why you NEED an ‘About’ page
The first page I look for on most companies’ websites is their ‘About’ page. It’s also the first page I look for on any individual’s website. Why? The reasons are the same: I want to find out who’s behind the website, get to know them and feel like we’ve met.
‘Left justify’ your web copy
It’s generally recommended that justified text (set flush to both the left and right margins) should be avoided on web pages. There are two main reasons for this.