All commercial websites have one thing in common: Their goal is to sell something. Online, the only thing that can sell your product or service is your copy. It is your sales rep. So you need to make sure your copy is written in a way that causes the visitor to stay, become interested, and then become motivated to purchase.

"Copy that Sells" for print has some similarities to that for web, but they have some major differences. If you put the copy from your brochure on the website verbatim, most likely your copy won't be very successful. The following tips will ensure your copy becomes your best sales rep.

1. Keep sentences short - People don't read online, they scan. Long paragraphs are difficult to scan, so make it easy for the visitor and cut it down. Paragraphs should be no longer than 4-5 sentences.
   
2. Blank lines vs indentation - Division of paragraphs in print is usually accomplished with indentation. Online, you should use blank lines rather than indenting. Blank lines will create more white space on the page and give the reader a place for his eyes to rest.
   
3. Keep pages short - Online, short, concise pages on a specific topic are much more successful (and search engine friendly) than long, rambling pages. The major content websites (C|Net, Wired, Sitepoint...) have about a 500 words per page limit.
   
4. Don't use crazy fonts or colors - The Verdana and Georgia typefaces were developed specifically for maximum readability online. The only problem with those typefaces is they don't print well. For both online and offline use, consider using Times New Roman or Arial. And as for colors, stick with the commonly used black text on white background. You don't want to distract the reader or make it difficult to read.
   
5. Use active sentences - Passive sentences bore the reader; let them feel the action and get into the writing. "We are a successful software developing company" is nowhere near as good as "Our success in software development industry is unrivaled."
   
6. Include bold, numbers and bullets for emphasis - These get the readers attention, so use them for key parts of the writing. If you want something to jump out at the reader, use bold. And instead of long, boring sentences that list lots of details, use bullets or numbers.
   
7. Include Search Engine Optimization techniques - You might have great copy, but if no one sees it, it won't do you much good. When writing, be sure to include SEO techniques like:

• Have a set of keywords for each page, and use them in the title, heading, and body of the site (but make sure it stays interesting; don't just list keywords).
• Have an interesting title and description for each page
  
• Keep pages focused on a single topic; don't have one long page containing multiple topics.
• Use proper alt tags on images and title tags on links.

If you use the above techniques in writing your website's copy, you'll have a much better conversion rate of visitors to customers and rank higher in the search engines.