Should your website sales copy be long or short?

Sep 02, 2006

Most insist, including well-established copywriters (I wish I could charge the way they do!) that website sales copy should be short and crisp. Come to the point: highlight the features/benefits in as little words as possible and then ask your visitor to by the product or select the service. I don’t think so.

Sales copies, whether offline prints or on the websites, are neither too long or too short; they are either good or bad. When you really want to talk about a product, do so, make it as long as you feel like. Just make sure whatever you are saying is relevant to the reader and the reader needs that information to make an informed decision. You don’t have to force the product upon the visitor; only people with shady products and services do that.

People on the Internet need unfettered assurance and it is up to you to supply them that assurance. People don’t mind reading long sales pitches as long as they make sense. Yes, short is always preferable and if something can be explained in 2 sentences one shouldn’t use 3, but it doesn’t mean you twist the entire message just to make it short. Always remember: it is better to use extra sentences than missing a vital one. Here’s a post by another blogger on how copywriters’ can use Google’s examples of providing to customers exactly what they want at that moment, nothing more, nothing less.