Comments on: Web Copywriting: Ted Nicholas vs. Jacob Nielsen

By: Short copywriting or long copywriting? Which works best? | Hotel

Short copywriting or long copywriting? Which works best? | Hotel — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:12:18 +0000

[...] can ditch 80% of the word use and have same success? Of course not. When long form copywriting guru Bob Bly challenges Nielsen and says, ‘Nielsen is a gasbag full of hot air,’ is he suggesting that we only [...]

By: Short copywriting or long copywriting? Which works best?

Short copywriting or long copywriting? Which works best? — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:54:53 +0000

By: The case for long copy

The case for long copy — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:34:50 +0000

[...] Most usability studies suggest that short copy is best for web writing, due to information overload and the scanning behaviour of users online. However, it’s clear that there are still valid reasons for considering long copy for your marketing messages, and some marketers feel that this approach is best for online marketing success. [...]

By: Week 2 : post 2 « Swethi85's Blog

Week 2 : post 2 « Swethi85's Blog — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:47:55 +0000

[...] the inevitable questions that came into my mind as a reader. This in a way supports what copywriter Ted Nicholas says about the role of copy in successful Internet [...]

By: Week 2-Post 1 « Swethi85's Blog

Week 2-Post 1 « Swethi85's Blog — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:32:00 +0000

[...] article that I came across while browsing for more on Nielsen was this one called ” Web Copywriting: Ted Nicholas vs. Jacob Nielsen by Bob Bly.” Nielsen had said, ” We know that users on the web typically don’t read very [...]

By: Colette Mason

Colette Mason — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:54:35 +0000

I think there is value in both points of view.

Nielsen is right, users do skim text (online and offline) to see if it’s relevant enough to warrant spending time reading it in more detail.

He advocates highlighting headings, using bullets etc to make the page friendly for skimming, to help the site owner quickly indicate the relevance (or not).

When a visitor decides the content is relevant and wants to read on further that’s when Ted’s idea comes to the fore. After all, Ted specialises in sales and marketing, not interaction design or HCI focused cognitive psychology etc.

Not wanting to put words in their mouths, they both agree reliable, customer-focused up to date, hype-free, honest, clear and concise copy is the copy that sells.

I’ve seen so many sites fail because they focus too much on sales (not user-centered enough), or too much on usability (avoiding popups that do make money, for example)

Add both concepts and you get great web copy

By: Web Content Copywriting | Boost Your Small Business Website with Sole Control Solutions

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:25:58 +0000

[...] other day I read this post on Bob Bly’s copywriting blog: Web Copywriting: Ted Nicholas vs Jacob Nielsen. For anyone who doesn’t know, Jacob Nielsen is probably considered the World’s [...]

By: Ash Waechter

Ash Waechter — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:54:30 +0000

I think long copy is very effective. I’ve often heard myself saying, “OK,OK,OK. I gotta it. I’m convinced. I’m whipping out my credit card right now. I’m sold. Enough already.”

Whether long or short copy is your thing, you ultimately have to look at the statistics, which Bob has clearly done. You test, test, and test. If long copy wins out, then you do that. Eye charts and scans don’t mean anything. It’s the conversions and stats that mean everything.

By: Long copy Vs. Usability? What About Relevance and Design? | The Copywriter's Crucible

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:14:32 +0000

[...] this was the debate on Bob Bly’s blog recently, when he challenged web usability guru Jakob Nielsen’s view that people don’t read much on the [...]

By: Matthias Genthin

Matthias Genthin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:56:58 +0000

I’m not quite into the whole scenery but in my opinion it’s all about involvement. If you’re planning to buy a car you feel a high subjective purchasing risk. So you’ll read all informations you can get about it (pro Bly). But if it’s is just a convenience good a long copy would be annoying (pro Nielsen).

Best regards.