Step #2 - Longer copy is better

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This step is a doozy for some people to process.  For folks that are convinced the Web is an all-graphics, few-words medium, reading "longer copy is better" is enough to cause their keyboard to froth and their CPU to stutter.  "People don't want to read on the Web," they shout.  "Just how many words should readers wade through before you let them click away?"

Well, around 250 words for maximum effectiveness.

Think about it:  You're targeting two to three keyphrases a page, which means that at least 18 words within your copy are keywords.  If you only want 50 to 75 words on your home page, how can you maintain your marketing message when keywords comprise almost ½ to 1/3 of your copy?

Your answer?  You can't.

It may seem like "a lot of words," but a 250-word count for each optimized page exactly balances search engine and reader needs.  This is because:

  • The search engine spiders crave content.  You may see "a lot of words," but the search engines see "a document with lots of important data to extract." As long as you follow usability principles, you can write tons of text without overwhelming your reader.  Besides, if the search engines see a lot of keyphrases combined with a low word count, they may flag your site for spamming.
  • A longer word count makes it easier to include your keyphrases without sacrificing your marketing message.  Remember, as we learned in the first chapter, prospects want more product information.  Detailed feature and benefit statements are the golden nuggets that tempt prospects and cause conversions.

Do you lose customers with scrolling copy?  No.  According to a study by User Interface Engineering (UEI),

"One of the most significant findings of our research on Web site usability is that users are perfectly willing to scroll. However, they'll only do it if the page gives them strong clues that scrolling will help them find what they're looking for..." reports the article "As the Page Scrolls" from User Interface Engineering (UIE).

"In the trade-off between hiding content below the fold or spreading it across several pages, users have greater success when the content is on a single page."

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Tip:  Once you complete your keyphrase strategy, you should rewrite crucial marketing and information pages.  In most cases, these are your:

  • Home page,
  • Product or service subsection home pages,
  • Any Web page where high rankings are vital.

Less important, yet content-rich pages can benefit from keyphrase editing.  Editing for keyphrases will be discussed later in this chapter.
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Next:  writing for keyphrases