Writing for the Web: Watch Your "We" Count

It’s hard listening to someone boast. Not only does boasting lack credibility, it’s downright boring.

Yet so many websites are full of, “We are the undisputed worldwide leader in [whatever]. Since 1996, we have…”

Blah, blah, blah… Nobody wants to read this stuff.

How self-centered is your website?

Here’s an exercise: Literally count how many times “we” appears on your home page. If it appears more than a couple of times, you have a problem. Ideally, it won’t appear at all.

Write about your customers and your solutions, not yourself

As a potential customer, my only concerns are:

• Do you understand my particular problem?
• Can you solve it?
• Can you do so quickly and efficiently?
• Are you my best option?

Show that you understand your customers’ pain points and can offer solutions.

Step 1: The right look and feel

Subtlety helps. Show off your professionalism by implication, i.e. by doing everything right:

• Appropriate level of design “fit and finish”
• Easy navigation, logical organization of content
• Concise, error-free writing
• Professional and responsive customer service

Step 2: Prove it!

Indicate your expertise not by talking about it, but by demonstrating it:

• Testimonials (let others do your boasting)
• Case studies
• White papers and other support materials
• Blog showing thought leadership

Do this, and your website will be much more persuasive. Yes it’s a lot of work. But then again, actually doing something is always more difficult than just talking about it.