When you discuss a site makeover with a copywriter, be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Any writer needs to know answers to at least these questions before he can meaningfully go to town on your content;

What is site’s line of business?

Who is targeted?

How does client want their web content to reflect their goals?

What is number of pages of site?

What is site’s current conversion ratio?

What have site owners done in past to change this?

What are conversion ratio targets?

Is corporate identity still in tact?

What is identity now and what are reasons for change?

Most copywriters have their own style in creating creative text. But note that not every copywriter is necessarily a website copy writer. Everybody goes about content some way or another, but generally people tend to focus on a number of aspects that are wider than merely writing some text and mentioning a number of keywords.

I have developed this strategy for writing successful content for my clients; I will sit down and spell out what I call ’vital communication factors’ of a website. The main points of sale of a business website. Or general idea behind a general interest website. Or philosophy, reason for being of an entity other than a business, general interest.

Doing copywriting for your own website without proper knowledge and tools is pretty much like flying blind in a snowstorm without piloting experience or instruments.

It doesn't work too well.

A very basic knowledge of copywriting and direct marketing principles will take you a long ways on Web.

Here are three simple keys to writing better online copy. Armed just with these, you'll have a jump on 90% of folks out there doing copywriting for their own sites. And you'll increase pulling quality of your site's copy today -- even if you've never written a word of copy in your life.

1) Wake up your prospect

In today's overkill ad world most people have become numb to standard sales messages. Television, newspapers, magazines, Internet, radio, etc. all blast us non-stop with advertising. After a while we just naturally tune most of it out.

Copywriting great John Carlton says to imagine that your prospect is a giant blob sitting there on couch or in a chair. Now what would you need to do to get that blob to take action to buy?

Getting someone to stop... actually read your website copy... AND click through (or fill out a form) is serious heavy-duty action on click-and-run Web. Your prospect has a million things on his or her mind.

Reading your copy isn't exactly Priority One...

So how do you wake your prospects up and get 'em to read your copy?

The secret is right here in this headline:

"ARE YOU TOO BUSY EARNING A LIVING TO MAKE ANY REAL MONEY?"

This is from Joe Karbo's sales letter for his "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" book. The letter was probably responsible for over a million dollars worth of sales for Joe.

Joe's secret here, and one which you can use too, is based on a simple principle for getting a prospect's attention.

You need to...

2) Enter conversation going on in your prospect's mind

You should know enough about your target market to know what keeps them awake at night. If you don't yet, then you'll need to find out right away.

In example above from Joe Karbo, it's about working like a dog and barely making enough to pay bills. Marketers like Joe who target opportunity seekers understand that frustrations about money cause a lot of people pain.

But what concerns does your target market have? What problem(s) do they need solved? What itch(es) do they need scratched?