Consumed => “The Do’s and Don’ts of Online Copywriting – How to Write Effective Website Content” by Kay Ross on Tripwire Magazine.

http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2011/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-online-copywriting-how-to-write-effective-website-content.html

=> Add value (i.e., left a comment)…

I like this list. For the most part I think it’s a good list and worth reading.

That said, I can’t help but wonder if these rules are tailored (and dummied down?) to writing to “everyone”, when in fact each brands’ customer sweet spot is different. Where does brand style, differentiation, and expectations – e.g., do I want my lawyer to be as informal as recommend here? – come in? Or go?

It would also help to separate the UX type stuff (e.g., no caps, contact page with proper details, etc.) from the actual tips on writing copy. Either that or change the headline to something about increasing conversions. My point being, the headline seems to be about Kay (knida?), not about me and what I got based on the expectation it set :)

Finally, maybe it’s just me but I’m growing a bit tired of the “keep it informal” recommendation that is obviously influenced by UGC. At some point the appeal of that style is going to burn out, or at least not be taken seriously, no? I mean when everything reads like a Facebook status update how is the brain going to know the wheat when it consumes it?