First, keep the copy dull and flabby. This ensures nobody will read it.
Treat it as a load of squiggly lines that can be put into the right sized box to suit the design.
Don’t think about your audience, or why they took the time to visit your website. Make sure you leave out anything of immediate benefit or interest.
Stuff with non-sequiturs and swamp with inconsistencies. Remember, no-one likes wading through long sludgy sentences, so keep everything meandering and muddy.
A headline goes here
It goes without saying that headlines must be bland or meaningless. They are mostly there to act as coat hangers for the design.
Of course, there is always a huge risk that website copy may persuade someone to get in touch or order from your website. To ensure this doesn’t happen, avoid using logic, purpose or compelling evidence regarding your product or service.
You won’t need silky, enticing copy that slides over and seduces the reader into the call to action. And you can forget the fizzy wordplay that delights and surprises people into saying ‘Yes’ to your online offer.
Likewise you can leave out the warm, fluffy words that welcome the customer into your world.
Words are precious, so make sure absolutely every character counts in the copy (so it fits into the wireframe).
Crispy duck with hoisin sauce
I know. I get it. There is no time to craft and hone copy like the olden days. No budget for the sweet (and sometimes bitter) millefeuille that included many layers of copy approval.
Websites offer eternal amendability, which is maybe why good copy has lost its value.
In the days of print, words were prized. They were gold, jewels, treasure. A client could make £millions from the power of the copy in a DM pack.
One word could change a meaning. One word could change a mind.
So help change my mind. Please link below if you have written a great website (lucky you) or have found one that made you go green with copy-envy.
the crone 