If you’re running an eCommerce website, quality user experience is the main goal above all in terms of engaging and serving customers. It’s one of the vital factors that influence massive customers to buy your brand. Better user experience may lead to higher conversion and will open up many opportunities for your business. The best way to immerse and monopolize customers is through User Experience writing or UX writing. It is a style of writing that solely focuses on selling the product and explaining a service. From the direction on how to use the product, explaining the quality and ability of the service, to everything that goes down in describing the wholistic aspect of the product or service.
Keep in mind the following for an effective UX writing:
- Research – Researching the behavior of the readers as a part of the user-centric design process.
- Writing – Involves writing an effective and remarkable copy to embark on introducing creativity and innovation.
- Collaboration – Ensuring that the copy you are writing has professional contributions and developmental efforts from credible agencies.
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Web owners may deem UX writing irrelevant, but it does the opposite. This is the practical way to connect and engage with your customers, introduce your product and service, and provide essential information on how to use the product or avail the service and the overall quality of it. In fact, according to recent studies, 97% of the customers said that user experience is the most critical element in the quality application, and 90% said that they would definitely stop if the application is difficult to navigate. To give you a deeper understanding, here’s the 9 rules to effectively write a quality UX.
1. Keep it direct and concise
In UX writing, every word matters. The interaction between the product and the customers should be kept direct and concise to effectively deliver the intent of the information. Unnecessary and highfalutin words can weaken the delivery and strong points of the copy. Keeping it concise means that every word must serve a purpose and adds values to the overall context.
Avoid using large fonts that are seamlessly irrelevant as a part of the content. Customers don’t usually read the whole UX text but rather the important points only, so make sure to highlight these significant points and deliver a positive tone to entice the customers. Also, avoid using technical terms that ordinary customers have no idea of- the simpler, the better.
2. Initiate with a clear objective
UX writing works better if you have a clear objective and what’s the purpose of conveying information if you don’t have an objective to produce results. Just like any content writing, objectives are the guide to creating a conclusion and the window to see the results in after process. Place the objective before the action to guide the customers on what will be the purpose of doing such.
For example, instead of “Click here to learn more.” it’s more appropriate to say “Learn More.” It’s direct and impactful to the perspective of the customers. In UX writing, always be careful about your words because some words might lose the substance of the copy.
3. Use strong verbs
Using specific and strong verbs can add value to the copy and create a sense of emotional boundary. In UX writing, it’s essential to use strong verbs to make the writing concise and minimize the presence of weak verbs that makes it harder to comprehend. If you’re wondering why strong verbs are highly recommended, it’s because it allows easier and more fluid reading and writing compare to weak verbs that may lead to misinterpretation.
Why not use strong verbs if you want to introduce your product and service to the customers in the most understandable and effective way. Especially when writing content that includes the procedure, strong verbs can help deliver clear intention.
4. Being consistent
Consistency has various meanings, but in UX writing, it means that your content should be consistent with the ideas and delivers a positive tone using the 3rd POV. It’s vital that your copy should be consistent in all platforms you are using and still has that feeling written by the same person so it wouldn’t lessen the substance of it.
Inconsistencies create confusion, and confusion will lose the interest of the customers. For example, it’s discouraging to say, “Click here” when the customer is using a mobile phone, and the best way to say it is “Tap here”. So that makes consistency incredibly significant in engaging your customers to avoid confusion.
5. Use present tense and active voices
Writing in present tenses make the copy relevant and timely in the perspective of the customers. It creates a feeling of positive experience with the product and to remind the customers that you are fulfilling your purpose today and continue to improve in the future. Avoid using past tense because it can make the copy less interesting and why would you deliver information that discusses the past when it doesn’t have value anymore.
Another crucial rule is using active voice. It can make your copy shorter with a direct tone of delivery. It gives a true-to-life conversation with the customers and generates a stronger connection. It can also make the copy easy to understand, especially for non-native customers to get a good insight into the message.
6. Use numbers
As mentioned earlier, part of an effective UX writing is making it concise and direct as possible, and using numbers can help you with that. Avoid spelling out the whole number, especially hundreds and thousands, it will occupy a large space in the copy where you can use it for other words. The quicker and easier the customers understand, the better experience they will have with your product.
7. Give the main details
A good UX copy delivers a direct and concise piece of information to provide a much better understanding of your product or services. In UX writing, put the main details in the copy and avoid adding unnecessary information that won’t entice the customers. Some pieces of information cannot be omitted because it plays a huge role in conveying the copy. However, you can still make a good UX copy by starting with a strong headline, putting the main details very first then, provide information depending on the customers on how they want to view it. This process is called progressive disclosure that is commonly seen on websites or the CTA button saying, “Learn more.”
Doing such ensures a quality user experience and effective strategy in delivering information to your customers. It also minimizes confusion and makes the copy easier to read.
8. Identifiable interactive elements
Interactive elements of a website include buttons, dropdowns, accessible webpages and links, and many more that are all essential in increasing customer engagement. This is the part where you can use strong verbs, active voices, and present tenses in your CTA, landing pages, or any promotional approach. It makes the elements easy to navigate and distinguishable from other parts of your website. Also, it can boost your online presence, ensuring the customers can easily navigate your website and knows how to use the elements.
9. Avoid using dates
As much as possible, avoid using dates because it will lessen the relevance of the copy. Provide a timeline so the customers won’t have to leave your site to check the date. Instead of using “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” “today,” it’s more appropriate to use “in 2 weeks” or “last month” to provide a timely manner scale to the customers.
