Demian FarnworthLike the law of gravity, when you break the law of the web things may not end well with you.
The law of the web says people blaze through the web like it were an autobahn. And they blaze on the autobahn to do one thing…
Look at billboards.
When they’re driving at 170 miles per hour. People don’t have time to think. Landmarks zip by. Trees melt away. Billboards are a blur. And the moment they can’t understand your billboard is the moment you lost them.
Don’t do that.
In this roughly 4-minute episode you’ll discover what you should do:
- The prevailing mindset all web writers must have
- Seth Godin’s advice on web design (think monkey and banana)
- Essential ingredients behind great web writing
- What happens when you break the law of the web
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The Transcript
The Unbreakable Law of the Web
Demian Farnworth: Hey and welcome to the Rough Draft, the daily podcast that delivers the essential writing advice you need to succeed online as a writer. I’m your host Demian Farnworth, Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media and thank you for sharing the next four minutes of your life with me.
This is episode two and it’s called The Unbreakable Law of the Web.
Like the law of gravity, the law of the web describes behavior.
The law of gravity basically says, “what goes up, must come down.” Jump from a building and you will fall. It wasn’t the fall that killed me. It was the ground.
That’s the law of gravity.
The Prevailing Mindset All Web Writers Must Have
The law of the web says people blaze through the web like it were an autobahn. And they blaze on the autobahn to do one thing…
Look at billboards.
When they’re driving at 170 miles per hour. People don’t have time to think. Landmarks zip by. Trees melt away. Billboards are a blur. And the moment they can’t understand your billboard is the moment you lost them.
In other words, the law of the web says: DON’T MAKE PEOPLE THINK.* That was actually the title of a book by a man named Steve Krug. As a web writer, that should be your prevailing philosophy when it comes to writing web content.
Seth Godin’s Advice on Web Design (Think Monkey and Banana)
Seth Godin — in what I think is his second-most brilliant book — said the monkey should not have any problem finding the banana. One page, one banana.
Their choices must be clear and unarguably focused. They should know what you want them to do within four seconds. So what you have to do is make your billboard clear AND irresistible.
Essential Ingredients Behind Great Web Writing
How do you do this? Write cunning, drool-worthy headlines. Add strange, seductive pictures. Craft attractive sub-headlines. And make your links meaningful.
That’s really the best recipe.
Which blog posts do you read when you are scanning through your blog reader? It’s usually those posts with a gripping image and sexy headline.
Which emails do you read? It’s usually those with enticing subject lines.
Yes, there is a time where your reader will slow down and think. But that doesn’t happen until after he’s decided you are worth it.
Listen: Your reader has a million other things she needs to do. And you’re not one of them. Unless you grab her by the chin and say, “You’re going to regret it if you don’t read this.”
That’s the law of the web and you need to obey it if you want to succeed at this thing called web writing.
But before we jump into tactics like headlines, sub-headlines and links, we are going to take a little theory tour of search engines and sort of explain to you what you need to know about how search engines work and how that applies to being a good web writer. So that’s in the next episode of Rough Draft and look forward to seeing you then. Take care.
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