A guide to creating copy that connects with customers—and makes the sale

Advertising and promotion professionals have long known that, while bells and whistles may grab a customer's attention, words make the sale. Yet, nearly a decade into the Web revolution, E-commerce professionals are just now waking up to the fact that the usual high-tech, graphics-heavy approach to site design is bad for business.

“Net Words” explores the reasons why and makes a strong case for a revolutionary new approach to copywriting tailored to the unique demands of a powerful new medium. With the help of dozens of examples of successful and unsuccessful on-line writing, author Nick Usborne shows readers how to harness the power of the written word for the Web. Readers learn how to imbue a business with a distinctive on-line “voice” and use it to forge lasting bonds with customers, increase market share, and close sales.

This text shows ecommerce professionals how to harness the power of the written word to differentiate their businesses, build closer relationships with their customers and close more sales. It combines conceptual discussion in which the author makes the case for this approach to ecommerce with a part that works as a practical guide to implementing the author's advice and suggestions so businesses can see an immediate impact. Businesses must move beyond just attracting customers to their site, but actually drive sales on their site. Brochure-wear is over. Compared to offline content, online content must be personal, targeted, concise (you don't want your customer's to scroll for hours!), and placed correctly so that the customer can purchase the product/service easily. Persuasion and a drive to action are necessary to move visitors from homepage to the next level, and to keep driving them until the sale is closed. This book shows readers how to build a site that is founded on the persuasive power of words. It changes how words are organized as well as how they are written. It affects design, site architecture, and usability - which are essential elements to success in ecommerce.
This book speaks to the unique relationship between text and the online environment. The Internet began as a text-only medium and is ideally suited to leveraging the power and momentum of the written word. There is no book that looks head-on at the role of words in driving users through a commercial site and closing them with the sale of a service, product or subscription. Ultimately, this is a manifesto that argues strongly for investment in words and for an investment in getting the focus back on business, and not on technology.

Nick Usborne has written hundreds of articles on the subject of marketing and online writing. Many of these can be found by searching the archives of Clickz.com and Business 2.0. Nick is also a highly respected consultant and much-requested speaker for conferences and corporate meetings and seminars. More details are available through his site at