Web Content Writing Tip: Match Tone to Site Architecture

Not too long ago, I was involved in a web copywriting project with a large marketing firm. It was fascinating to be a part of such a large web design and copywriting project. Most of my projects involve anywhere from 5 to 20 or maybe occasionally 30 pages of web copy. This particular project involves closer to 100 pages and a large marketing team.

Working on a project with so many levels of architecture (ranging from the home page with little copy to detailed product description pages with lots of copy) really highlighted to me the importance of the matching tone to site architecture.

By tone, I’m talking about the “voice” your web copy employs. It can be formal/informal, neutral/lots of personality, but it should reflect your brand. Your tone is mostly conveyed by word choice, phrasing and use or non-use of contractions.

On smaller websites, matching tone to architecture is less of an issue. When you have an eight page website with only a couple architecture levels, there’s less variance from general to specific. You can pretty much use the same tone on each page.

When you have a 100 page website on the other hand, you need to match your tone to where you are in site architecture. For example, the tone of top-level pages can be more personality driven and distinctive. This is where you’re capturing attention and establishing a feel.

As you get into more specific, lower level pages, personality needs to take a back seat to content. For example, if you’re providing specs for a complex, technical product, you don’t want tone to get in the way.

As a web copywriter, this means not just thinking about brand personality, but the most appropriate places to convey it.