4. Design with usability in mind and abide by basic design principles. Utilize white space, easily-read fonts, pleasing color schemes, universally understood symbols and backgrounds that don't distract from message.

3. Write in second person. (i.e. You will appreciate our new product because …). Keep sentences short and no more than 3-4 sentences per paragraph. Make use of hyperlinks and interactivity unless doing so would take visitors away from your sales area. Remember also that your visitors may be situated in other parts of world, and they may not understand jargon or North American slang. Lastly, research shows that Web surfers detest use of marketing hype. Subtlety counts.

2. Reward visitors from coming to your site. Offer free information, articles, contests, industry news or personalized services. Surfers are willing to provide online information if personalization is result.

1. And most importantly, always answer question, "What's In It For Me." In other words, talk "Benefits" not "Features." Sound familiar?

o Use short, direct sentences.

o Use active, rather than passive verbs.

o Never talk about yourself - always put it from reader's point of view.

o Wax lyrical about benefits, never concentrate on features.

o Ensure that you communicate your Unique Selling Proposition - point that sets you apart from your competitors.

o Keep to point. If you remain focused, so will your reader. If you wander all over place and try to cover too many different topics, you will lose them.

o Build up your story. A good standby is AIDA. Get their Attention, build Interest, stimulate Desire, call for Action.

How long should your body copy be? Good question. The answer is that it should be as long as it needs to be. Write it all down, following AIDA formula, keep to benefits, then revise what you have written down by 25% - cutting out as many unnecessary adjectives and adverbs as you can. Then, no matter if it is 100 or 1000 words long, it will be right length.

Is this all about web sites? No, it applies to anything you write: letters, press ads, radio/TV commercials, sales presentations - even a best man's speech can benefit from AIDA. Keep writing, keep practicing, and talk from heart.