Although many people seem to think that writing effective copy for the web is easy, it
isnt. So if you want to ensure that your readers and your customers understand how your website works and what it can do for them, you need to produce good copywriting for it. In this book, we will look at the basics of producing good copywriting for the web. But before we start there are a number of things that you should remember. First, people do not read a website in the same way that they would read printed material. In fact, there are three characteristics which affect how a web user will react to the online content of a site. It is important to remember that web users are active, not passive. So if they can not find a reason for staying on a site, then they will leave it. Sometimes a person will leave 15 seconds after they have actually gotten there. So if your text is too long, then they are less likely to read it. So if you want a web user to believe what you have to say, you must be able to back up the hype. In order for any web copy to be effective, it must take into account the characteristics mentioned above. What is most important of all when looking at copywriting for the web, is not to underestimate the importance of the basics. If you just jump straight into it you may find yourself in trouble, and your site not being as effective as it should be.