It's not easy to read paragraphs of text on a screen. You need to break up your copy as much as you can. One of the best ways to catch the attention of people who simply scan over your web site is with bullet points.

Consider this paragraph:

Our Software makes it easy to manage an entire web site from one location. You can update your web site at any time using only a PC. You'll also save time and money and be up and running in less than an hour!

Now let's reformat it with bullet points:

Our Software makes it easy to...

• Manage an entire web site from just one location
• Make updates at any time, from any internet-enabled PC
• Save time and money and be up and running in under an hour

Deeeeelish! As you can see, it's much easier to read a list of bullet points than a paragraph of text. Did you also notice the ellipses (the three dots) that I added after the opening sentence?:

Our Software makes it easy to...

This is another copywriting trick you can and should use. It says to the reader "HEY! Keep reading, there's more information below". As a rule of thumb you should use it to lead from headlines into your introductory paragraph, as well as every 3-5 paragraphs, just to keep the reader focused.

Things to Avoid

Before we wrap up, here's a list of things to avoid when copywriting for your web site:

• Massively large fonts. Don't make your headline massive just because you saw it on another web site. It's true that a killer headline will make or break you, but when you can read the headline from the other side of the room it's too much.
• Avoid text background colors. I'm sure you've seen text like this all over the web. While you may think it's attention grabbing, it's really just annoying and there's no proof it actually works.
• Don't underline for emphasis. Underlines are reserved for links and links only. Do not emphasize a point like this. It's ugly and confusing for visitors to your web site.
• Be a man of your word. If you promise a 30-day refund, do it. Why not post testimonials from customers who have had refunds on your site to prove to your visitors that you will courteously honor all refund requests?