Web Copy That Sells - The secret to creating irresistible (and profitable) websites

Web Copy That Sells -- The Secret to Creating Profitable Websites
by Maria Veloso, Author of Web Copy That Sells

"Maria Veloso is certainly a world-class copywriter. When it comes to direct-response web copy, she is -- hands-down -- the best. She wrote the web copy for my Boot Camp, and all I could say was -- Wow! Fabulous! Amazing! Sign me up!"

-- Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the world's best-selling series of business books titled Guerrilla Marketing

What is the biggest challenge of online businesses?

According to a recent independent survey of more than 10,000 "net-repreneurs," the challenge is this: Their websites are not generating enough customers -- and consequently, there aren't enough sales and profits.

It's not surprising, therefore, that according to some industry estimates, 95% of websites are not making money. (At least, not as much money as they'd like to make.)

Let me ask you a question: Is your own website as profitable as you'd like it to be?

If your answer is No, what is the reason for its lackluster profits?

If you're like most online businesses, you've spent a bundle putting up your website, submitting it to search engines, and promoting it like crazy -- but the good times have yet to start rolling in. You're puzzled because you've heard that hundreds of millions of people are surfing the Internet, and yet your website hasn't gotten its share of the billions of dollars that are changing hands on the Web.

You're stumped!

Why do some online businesses make money so easily on the Web, while you try everything possible and still barely scrape by?

Here's the answer:

More often than not, the single most important ingredient in creating a profitable website is missing.

That ingredient is ... web copy that sells.

Words are the true currency of the Web as well. Nothing happens until someone writes the words that get people to click, sign up, read, register, order, subscribe, or buy whatever you're selling.

Let me ask you a question:

If I could show you a way that you can use words to convert 15% or more of your web visitors into cash-paying customers, and turn your website into a powerful machine that automatically generates leads, customers, sales and profits for you -- are you willing to spend the next 7 minutes to learn it?

If you answered Yes, then I urge you to read every word on this page. This could be the most valuable article you'll ever read concerning the profits of your online business.

The Deadliest Mistake Most Online Businesses Make

When I visited a bookstore recently, I noticed something peculiar.

There were bookshelves literally overflowing with books on web development, programming, web authoring and web design. But there wasn't a single book on how to write for the Web -- nor one on how to write web copy that sells.

Can you figure out why?

One reason is that many business owners do not understand the importance of web content to the success of a website -- and therefore, a demand for such books has never been created. In fact, when it comes to building websites, most business owners either:

Big mistake!

Web designers and Webmasters are not copywriters. Neither can brochures be recycled as web copy. Period. (More on this later.)

Web designers and Webmasters may be skilled at writing code or creating stunning graphics. But copywriting is an art and a science that's best left in the hands of trained and experienced copywriters who truly understand the craft.

Just because someone is a decent writer for the offline markets doesn't mean his writing skills can translate into effective Web writing. Even some of the best copywriters for the offline markets are not necessarily adept at writing effective copy for the Web.

You see, the Web has a culture all its own. It has its own mindset, its own psychology -- even it's own language, so to speak.

"Did you know that compelling ad copy on your website can actually kill your sales?"

Why? Because people online do not want to get sold. This is a proven fact documented by a recent study conducted by John Morkes and Jakob Nielsen. If web visitors ever do get "sold" on something, they first want to be finessed -- not bombarded by blatant advertising.

Therefore, writing web copy that sells requires some adroit maneuvering.

If you sell a weight loss product, and have a website headline that says something like...

"At Last -- You Can Wash Away Years of Built-Up Fat"

...the web visitor's "radar" picks up on the commercial nature of the message, and immediately knows you're going to try to sell him something. His defenses go way up.

And since your headline has an obvious commercial message, whatever you say in the rest of your copy would be suspect -- and not believable -- because you positioned yourself as a merchant instead of an information provider.

The ironic thing is that the above headline may work quite well in direct mail -- but not on the Internet.

Writing web copy that sells involves a deep understanding of the Internet population, but to simplify things for you, I've boiled the craft down to 3 fundamental rules.

Rule No. 1: Don't make your website look like an ad.

On an average day, each one of us is bombarded with 3,500 commercial messages -- from TV, billboards, radio, the Internet and practically everywhere we turn. The last thing we want to see when we land on a website is yet another ad.

Yet it amazes me to see how many online businesses go out of their way to make their websites look like ads, billboards or other commercial messages.

And then there are those who insist on copying, cloning or borrowing the elements of successful ads from the past, and adapting them to their product. Now, on the Internet, that's like shooting yourself in the foot. As Joe Sugarman, legendary direct marketer, once said, "When you copy, you fail."

This is not to say that you shouldn't model successful people -- or websites, for that matter. It simply means that when you indiscriminately copy the writing styles from another medium, another genre, or another era, you really aren't harmonizing with the unique medium that is the Internet.

Your website should provide bona fide information that your prospect is looking for. The information should have an editorial feel to it -- and above all, should be free of hype.

According to the research study by John Morkes and Jakob Nielsen, Internet users detest "marketese" or self-promoting language steeped with pompous, exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims (e.g., "the world's best") that is so prevalent on the Web. They want solid content and factual information.

But where does the selling come in, you ask?

Read on, and I'll reveal the adroit maneuvering strategy that works so well on the Internet.

"Maria Veloso really understands how to write copy that sells on the Web. I give her high marks for understanding the buyer's mindset, understanding the product, and presenting benefits in a way that compels prospects to take action."

-- David Garfinkel, Author, "Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich" http://www.adheadlines.com

Rule No. 2: Stop them dead in their tracks.

Online business owners spend a lot of time and money trying to get traffic to their websites. Building web traffic is very important, but it won't mean a thing unless you do one thing first. That is, create compelling web copy that will stop them dead in their tracks, and get them to do what you want them to do when they do get to your site.

In order for words to wield their magical power on the Web, they have to be tailored specifically for the information-flooded Internet public where attention span is a rare commodity -- what with about 36 million websites clamoring for attention, not to mention more than 2 billion pages of content!

FACT: If your website is little more than an online brochure for your business, then your website is a very weak selling tool.

You simply can't expect to win your web visitors' hearts -- and their business -- if your site says something passive like:

"Welcome to the [company name] website, makers of [product]. Here are our products [photo images and blurbs]. Click here to order."

In order to be fully functional, your website needs to incorporate salesmanship in print. This is how you leverage your website into unstoppable sales activity. If your website's purpose is to sell, you have to transform it into the best possible cyber-salesperson you can make it.

You must pierce your web visitor with the needle-spray of compelling content -- expertly crafted for hidden selling. In plain English, this simply means: Develop irresistible content that slides smoothly into a covert "sales pitch" for your product. This is the "finessing" that net surfers are more often receptive to.

It bears repeating that your "sales pitch" shouldn't sound like an ad, but rather read like an editorial, testimonial, advice, case study, or endorsement. If you want an example of this kind of writing in the brick-and-mortar (i.e., offline) world, think advertorial or press release.

This style gives your website an aura of credibility -- often referred to as the "halo effect." The operative word here is...

... verisimilitude.

What is verisimilitude? It's not necessarily truth -- but rather, it's the appearance of truth.

When you wrap your advertising message within the soft cushions of a good editorial piece, you position yourself as an expert. What's more, you get to be the good guy who gives valuable information, not the slick "hype-ster" who's out to pry dollars out of people's wallets.

This kind of cyber-journalism -- sometimes referred to as editorial marketing -- is the new profit-building model for the most successful websites on the Internet.

Real estate agents, dentists, jewelers, authors, and all kinds of businesses that have an online presence have embraced this profit-building model with great success. Even lawyers, accountants and cosmetic surgeons are discovering that this is the surefire way to go.

"When it comes to increasing the pulling power of any Website, there's only one copywriting secret I turn to most -- "RESEARCH". And when it comes to doing the research necessary to writing winning Website copy, Maria Veloso's diligence and resourcefulness are unsurpassed.

"Her copy is hypnotic and irresistible simply because she does her homework and knows her target markets better than anyone else. No wonder she outpulls other copywriters time after time. Maria is definitely one of the best-kept copywriting secrets on the Net. If you can afford her, hire her!"

-- Alex Mandossian, Managing Director, Heritage Publishing House and publisher of Market with Postcards (tm) and The Marketing Minute E-Gram (tm)

Rule No. 3: Capture their contact information.

Because of the recent dot-com shakeout, online businesses are learning the hard way that for a website to succeed, it must have effective direct-response web copy that induces action from a single exposure.

Just think. What's the point in getting someone to come to your website if the site visit doesn't generate a response of some kind -- like picking up the phone and calling your business, subscribing to your newsletter, signing up for your mailing list, or buying your product or service?

"Generating a response" on the Web means more than impressing web visitors with cool graphics or technology, or getting them to bookmark your site. Studies show that less than 1% of Internet users actually return to sites they've bookmarked. What good could that possibly do you?

And what's the point in having cutting-edge web design, eye-popping graphics and a sophisticated e-commerce infrastructure if you are unable to entice your web visitors long enough for them to do what you want them to do?

"Maria Veloso was one of my best copywriting students ever. When she submitted a 6-page sales letter that pulled in $18,000 in 2 days, I was convinced she was a killer copywriter."

-- Mark Joyner, CEO of Aesop.com, and widely recognized as the 'Tiger Woods of Internet Marketing'

If you have something to sell on your website, chances are, less than 1% of your web visitors will ever buy your product. Even the best marketers with the most successful websites seldom convert more than 5% of their web visitors into customers.

What happens to the 95% of your web visitors who came and went?

For most websites, nothing. Those prospects are gone for good -- never to return.

That's why it's absolutely essential for your website to have an opt-in mechanism. Develop an irresistible -- and easy -- way for your web visitors to give you at least their e-mail address.

The odds are against you that people will buy from you the first time they visit your website -- because they don't even know you. So rather than lose them altogether, ask for something that is easier for them to do than pulling out their credit card -- such as give you their e-mail address. This is the past of least resistance.

Naturally, in order to compel them to give you their e-mail address, you need to provide a benefit that gives them instant gratification.

You can do this by having them sign up to receive a free report (with an irresistible title), a free newsletter, a free course, free product, free chapters of your book, or other offer which requires no financial commitment on their part.

Why?

Because when you offer to give them something of value without making them jump through hoops, they would more readily give you their e-mail address.

Naturally, you need to craft your copy to present the opt-in "offer" in the most compelling way possible -- so as to capture the contact information on 50%, 75% -- even 100% of your visitors. Make it the primary goal of your website to at least capture your web visitors' e-mail addresses -- instead of letting them "get away" and wasting all the time, money and effort it took to get them to your website.

Capturing contact information is so fundamental to the success of any business enterprise. I can't over-emphasize the fact that crafting your opt-in offer is infinitely more important than crafting the offer for your primary product.

Here's why: After you capture your web visitors' e-mail address (and preferably their name, address, preferences and other pertinent information) into your database, you can start a relationship with those prospects that will line your pockets with cash -- for life.

The major lesson you need to take with you is that if your website's primary goal is to make that front-end sale, you are missing out on 90% or more of the potential profits of your business. The real trick is in building your database.

Relationship marketing is at the very heart of all e-commerce. You've probably heard of the popular Web truism, "The money is in the list." When you leverage your relationship with the prospects in your database (i.e., your "list"), that's when real selling actually starts. That's also when you can start tapping into the joint venture goldmine that Internet marketers never stop talking about. So even if your website gets only modest traffic, you can convert that traffic into more money than you can imagine.

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Maria Veloso is widely acknowledged as the leading expert in web copywriting and web traffic conversion. She is also the Director of Web Copywriting University, and the author of Web Copy That Sells: The Secret to Creating a Profitable Website

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Is your website ready for the flood of customers, sales and profits that expertly crafted web copy can bring? When do you want your website to be one of the top 5% of websites that make serious money on the Internet? On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your website's "P.Q." (Profitability Quotient)? Send for your FREE expert website evaluation today.

"Good Lord, you are a great copywriter! Your copy made me want to sign up for my own class!"

-- Joe Vitale, author of "Hypnotic Writing" and other best-selling books and courses marketed by Nightingale-Conant

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