Ensure you are up to date Keeping your information up to date is hugely important. This is becoming more and more case. More companies are moving over to content management systems and updating their content regularly. Being out of date even by days will hugely damage your credibility.

Keep it brief Leading sentences are 10-20 words. Keep it short. There is a limited amount of time that people stay on websites for. They don't lie on sofa to read web or carry it around with them (apart from possibly on a tiny phone screen). People read 10-20% slower online and screens are still tiring to read. You need to get main point across quickly and clearly; briefly explain it and move on.

Stay Consistent Don't continually re-brand yourself on each page. You should also bear in mind that language you use in your other (offline) marketing materials must be consistent with language you use online.

Be understandable Explain everything you say. Don't make assumptions about your readers' intelligence and don't be impenetrable in your turn of phrase. A great marketing strength lies in being able to explain what it is that you do and why it is that you do it so well; to someone who has no idea about your field of work.

Be correct Credibility is a big problem on web. Many people believe that information they read online is not as credible as information in hard copy. To avoid fuelling this misconception, your content must be extremely good, and above all it must be 100% correct.

Good luck!

Four. If it doesn't quack, it’s not a duck. And if your copy doesn't make some kind of selling proposition, it’s not advertising, - it's an announcement. So many writers these days fail to understand that copy is nothing more than salesmanship in print. They play with words for sake of playing with words. They lose sight of fact that they should be trying to sell something. Thus, copy must use psychology of salesman; and it must say, right up front: Here's what's in it for you.

Five. Always be a little circumspect about experts who try to tell you how to write better copy. And that includes me. Meantime, however, you'll do no better than visit www.wordpower3.com. There, you'll find an e-book that could make your working life a whole lot easier. It contains close to 200 ready-made headlines, taglines, copy openers and clinchers, plus a comprehensive theme -finder that will give you just about every promotional word and phrase you'll ever need. No more writers block - ever. It's called Word Power III. Get hold of a copy and make a name for yourself.

Patrick Quinn is a copywriter, with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Dublin, Edinburgh and Miami.

Over the years, he has helped win for his clients just about every advertising award worth winning

His published books, include: