Impatience Breeds Creation

Impatient with the conventions of print material, web copywriters have been forging ahead with new copy creation. Building on old print-based copy forms, emergent forms of copy are being created that are specifically tailored for the web. And as with the most pragmatic of designs, new forms of copy relentlessly pursue ever-changing functions. Functions that are at the vanguard of daily life.

There’s no denying that the rising authority of the web calls for copywriters to take on new tasks – copy that can fulfill the broader functions brought about by the web and the rapid shifts in the mental landscape that the web creates.

In addition to traditional copy functions – imparting information, asserting credibility, implementing persuasive techniques, among others – web copy also forces issues such as:

• optimizing content for search engines

• delivering clear content pathways

• supplying links

• providing familiarity in line with evolving website conventions, and

• working with multimedia including graphics and video, among other roles.

As such, progressive copywriters have responded to increased web-based demands by changing the way they create copy. Not only are new ways of crafting written text built on top of old ways, new copy also must respond – and control – the different mediums the web is progressively delivering, such as audio and video. As our world of digital communication explodes, web copy has suddenly found itself occupying an increasingly powerful position.

To clarify some commonly used key terms, the term copy usually refers to text that promotes an interest – whether that is a person, business, opinion, or idea. Content, on the other hand, can mean any creative work such as text, graphics, images, audio or video. Content is usually information-oriented and includes several types of media; copy usually refers primarily to text that is purpose-driven.

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