I went to a presentation on a really wonderful website; Our Constitutional Rights. This sight was put together by professional ad man turned amateur web guy, who thought it was important that young people understand what the Constitution is all about.
This site is an amazing example of how content can and should speak to it’s audience. He chose a voice that is hip, humorous and “gets it”. When you first get there and see a tattoo about the pursuit of happiness and a call out that talks about the revolution being started by a bunch of guys in wigs – well how can you not be engaged?
All sites need to know these things before they ever get built.
- Who is my audience?
- What voice am I speaking in?
- How will I engage my audience and make them care?
This site, for example, is in my voice. If you’ve ever met me, you might recognize the style. My audience are potential clients; small business owners and/or people who just want to know more about “this web stuff”. One of the reasons that Groupon became so popular is the style of irreverent writing they use for all of their deals. Now, not all sites and subject matters can be irreverent or funny, but they don’t need to be staid or boring either.
Writing for a site is often an after thought – it’s easy to get caught up in the pretty design parts. But let’s remember that the words are what the search engines see first and what will keep your customers coming back. If writing is not your strong suit, hiring a good one can make all the difference.