If one picture is worth a thousand words, how many is one web page worth? 2,000? 500? Or as many as you can squeeze out of your copywriter? The correct answer is the minimal number you need to tell each page’s story clearly and concisely. This is one situation where less is definitely more.
In the newspaper biz, important stories are placed “above the fold,” meaning that readers can see them right away without having to unfold the paper. You should adopt the same philosophy for your web site. If you think of the bottom of the screen as the fold line, your headline and the copy that’s most critical to your business should appear on one screen, without the reader having to scroll down. It’s my firm, however unscientific, opinion that readers shouldn’t have to scroll more than once on any web page. If your copy requires continuous scrolling, try one of these options: 1. Judicious editing, or 2. Create a new page.
In order to maintain the “above the fold” format, it is important to stick to one main idea on each page of your site. Your home page should offer an introduction to your site stressing the main points of your business. The copy should state your location (I am amazed at the number of real estate sites that don’t name a city on the home page!) and your target market: e.g. first time homebuyers, downsizers, urban lofts. This insures that visitors to your site know they’re in the right place within the first 15 seconds of reading your copy. If so, they’ll be likely to click onto your other pages for more information. If not, they’ll know right away to keep on surfing for an agent who’s working in the right market.
Each subsequent page should stick to the one theme per screen idea. Again, get to the most important points right in the headline and lead paragraph. Try to keep all the copy on one screen or, at least, within one downward scroll.
Making it easy for your potential customers to read and navigate through your site makes it more likely to capture their interest—and their business.
Lois H. Feinstein produces powerful and compelling Web copy, marketing materials, newsletters and brochures for Realtors® and other business professionals. She is Chair of the Real Estate Virtual Assistants (REVA) Copywriting Guild and a member of the International Virtual Assistants Association, and has written for a number of magazines including 5280 and Denver Woman. Her business, I Can Do That!, www.i-cando-that.com, is based in Denver, Colorado.
