This course is for business owners, web content writers, marketers, administration staff and anyone else writing web content for business. It gives you the skills and proven techniques to attract your target audience, engage them with your words and prompt them to take the action you desire. You will also learn how to write Search Engine Optimised (SEO) copy. The day includes lots of practical workshop exercises, real world examples and a healthy dose of discussion about your needs and objectives.

Course Content

Understanding web writing

• How the unique challenges and opportunities of the Internet have changed the nature of publication, how audiences read and the way we write.
• Turning jargon into reader friendly copy.
• Understanding your audience – who are they, characteristics and personas.
• Building relationships with different audience segments.
• What makes effective or ineffective web pages and copy?
• Developing ideas and web content of interest to your online readers.

Researching, planning and structuring your web copy

• Effective web site navigation.
• Finding and using the right keywords.
• How to write effective headlines, subheads, paragraphs, bullet points and hyperlinks -and where to use them.
• How to improve the search engine ranking of your website through copy (SEO)
• Other important web copy elements such as titles, metatags, and ALT tags.
• Writing techniques to help build credentials and drive action you require e.g. enquiries, subscriptions, downloads, etc.
• Creating web-friendly PDF’s.
• Handy tools for web writers.

Effective email copywriting and marketing

• Appropriate tone and style, establishing credibility with your audience.
• Text vs. HTML newsletters – the pros and cons.
• The email newsletter checklist.
• How to get visitors to subscribe to your newsletter.

Articles/PR/increasing visitors

• Creating news sections and structuring online press releases.
• External website links. Why some are more important than others and how to use writing to get high-ranking sites linking to your pages.
• Creating articles for your own site and other sites to bring targeted traffic to your pages and increase enquiries.

Writing tips for blogs and social media

• How blogs and social media can be used for business.
• Tagging and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) - the new PR tool.
• Video and podcasts.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course , participants should know how to:

1. Write copy that engages busy web readers
2. Construct content that’s easy to absorb online
3. Speak to YOUR web audience/s in the most effective ways
4. Persuade your audience to take action e.g. contact you, download, buy, etc
5. Structure logical content navigation paths
6. Make best use of headlines, subheads, bullets and hyperlinks
7. Write search engine friendly (SEO) copy – so you get found on Google
8. Turn print documents and articles into web friendly content
9. Produce content for email newsletters that work
10. Create articles and press releases for the web
11. Write for web 2.0 e.g. blogs, RSS and tagging