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Great Copywriting on the Web: A List
21 Apr 2004 by Jason Fried
So, there are plenty of sites showcasing well-designed web sites (of course “well-designed” is subjective, but you get the point), but where’s the list of well written web sites?
Copywriting is still the web’s biggest weakness (more on this soon). We could all use some inspiration and examples of great corporate/marketing writing online. Who’s doing a great job of explaining their product or service? Who speaks like a human and not like a computer or a marketing machine? Who gets their point across quickly, concisely, and clearly?
Let’s build a list (and, if you have time, explain why you think their writing is great). After a few months we’ll clean it up and post it in an easier-to-read format.
41 comments so far (Post a Comment)
21 Apr 2004 | Coudal said...
21 Apr 2004 | Steven Garrity said...
I've always thought the MoveableType website had a great intro paragraph.
21 Apr 2004 | Aaron said...
Jewelboxing (just discovered via Coudal's comment above mine). I like how they tell a story that their audience can relate to. Helps me feel like I can trust them because my observations are the same as theirs. May be a touch wordy, but I don't mind because the content is compelling, friendly, and engaging.
21 Apr 2004 | Emily Petrick said...
I really like the straightforward copywriting on FLICKR http://www.flickr.com
21 Apr 2004 | Coudal said...
While the Xblog and Bblog are great resources, the main part of the XPlane site does a nice job of laying out what they do in a clear, conversational manner.
21 Apr 2004 | Bob H. said...
You mean pretty web sites are supposed to have content?
My sample:
37Signals - I'm ass kissin' but truthful.
21 Apr 2004 | Mark Fusco said...
One I discovered just today, but apparently some of those design repositories have known about for a while - right Paul?
21 Apr 2004 | arturo said...
The original 37signals web site is one of my all time favorites.
21 Apr 2004 | Edw. said...
Seeing how Coudal has chimed in and someone already nominated Jewelboxing as a well written site, I'll confess that I admire the Coudal Partners copy writing so much, that I tried to borrow/mimic as much of it as I could for the "Learn More" section of the ExploreLearning site
I mention this not to spotlight my own copy, but rather to demonstrate how difficult it is to pull it off. My text, even heavily influenced by Coudal's tone in Jewelboxing, just can't compare in quality.
21 Apr 2004 | Josh Williams said...
I have to agree with Arturo above... The original 37Signals text was well ahead of its time for a web agency. It demonstrated that good web design was more about improving business or organizational communication rather than flashy pages.
Of course, this doesn't help grow "the list," but hey... my two cents.
21 Apr 2004 | JF said...
FYI, here's the original 37signals site (now called the 37signals Manifesto).
21 Apr 2004 | Mike said...
I've always enjoyed the Ambient Devices website for clear and smart copy.
21 Apr 2004 | blakems said...
I would suggest that one of the best copywriting sites on the web is on www.fool.com. It is informative, enriching and also amusing.
21 Apr 2004 | Xian said...
Method Cleaning Products have great copywriting on and off line. Their tagline is "People against dirty."
21 Apr 2004 | Neil said...
I've always loved the copy on the Cornerhost site. Friendly, clear, and very human - all things that seem to be a bit rare in most of the content found on web hosting sites.
21 Apr 2004 | Hayden said...
I second Coudal's vote for Panic Software site.
22 Apr 2004 | -b- said...
Thanks for the mention of Clip-n-Seal! I'll send that to the author of the copy. He'll totally appreciate it. We always thought no one ever really noticed the story we wrote there.
22 Apr 2004 | Justin French said...
In all honesty, 37signals is still the cream of the crop for me. In fact, every time I visit, I leave thinking "this is the template for all websites". Inline FAQ's should be a _defacto standard_, as should many other 37isms.
22 Apr 2004 | Justin French said...
Forgot to mention that Dan Benjamin's second-person style is brilliant.
"You've had the opportunity to meet many interesting people over the years, but as it turns out, very few of them could be considered famous." and "But then, you digress." are both classics from this post.
22 Apr 2004 | Ben R said...
22 Apr 2004 | Disgruntled said...
most definately NOT this site: www.tmfloyd.com
22 Apr 2004 | Mark Fusco said...
No, seriously. A useful and usable (albiet odd) product and a friendly, personable and to the point sales approach.
22 Apr 2004 | Colin D. Devroe said...
Since we are creating a list and not voting - then my contributions would be.
http://daringfireball.net/
http://www.1976design.com/blog/
http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/
http://theubergeeks.net/ - Whoops!
http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/
Of course, these are blogs and should not be confused with corporate websites that have well written oine-liners to describe their products. Kudos to those who have gotten to that level, but I find fine writing on hard to cover topics much more appealing.
22 Apr 2004 | Martin said...
At a quick glance, the main page of SvN currently contains two spelling mistakes:
jewelry
and
accidently
22 Apr 2004 | Jason Wall said...
www.twothirty.com impressed me when i first stumbled across them. Most of Paul Ford's copy is great as well.
22 Apr 2004 | thomas said...
I'll have to agree with Aaron about jewelboxing.
22 Apr 2004 | gush said...
Feels like a circle jerk here.
22 Apr 2004 | Lance Osborne said...
Here are some of my favorites (I'm offering a diverse range here):
http://www.dept3.com/
http://www.doberman.se/
http://www.eleveninc.com/
http://www.hahnsmithdesign.com/
http://www.iconnicholson.com/
http://www.metadesign.com/
http://www.samatamason.com/
(Another site that always stood out in mind as having excellent copywriting was fireenginered.com, although they haven't been around in years.)
22 Apr 2004 | RS said...
Oh let's not forget Giornale Nuovo. Mr. H writes about the cool books, images, and artifacts he finds with great wit and charm.
23 Apr 2004 | Don Schenck said...
I visited the "Method" site and the writing is predictably "we take ourselves very lightly".
Which I like, don't get me wrong.
Joel Spolsky writes well. I do, too. My son is perhaps the most talented writer I've ever read.
This is a good thread; it's inspiring and positive. Well ... except for "gush", above, who is obviously jealous because he has nothing to contribute. Poor gush ... minivan break down again?
:-)
23 Apr 2004 | Mark said...
Don -
You are an excellent writer. In fact, WAHO is the only blog I subscribe to where I can't post comments, because your writing is so good.
I find your writing to be "visual" - especially the recent living large post. In fact, to bring this out of ass kiss mode and back on topic, any good copy (or song for that matter) which can transport me out of my world and into theirs is a winner.
The reason I like Method (and I must like them, because Im discussing the company on 2 different sites now) is because I feel the copy brings me into the experience. I feel as though I could walk into their corporate offices and not feel as though I were a stranger.
23 Apr 2004 | Don Schenck said...
Mark -- I was being a bit sarcastic about my own writing, by hey THANKS A TON for the kind words! You don't know how encouraging they are.
What I like about Method (and their ilk) is that they speak to you as if you're a friend, hanging out, talking about their cool new products, business, and oh yeah I got a new MP3 player. Tossing in something totally unexpected (they mention "poopy" on one page and it's hilarious) makes it seem more ... I dunno ... "down to earth".
You smoke cigars, Mark? I'll send you a good one just for your kind words. Email me.
23 Apr 2004 | Mark Fusco said...
Score!
26 Apr 2004 | but that's just me said...
www.miniusa.com has some good stuff.
01 May 2004 | Lars said...
05 May 2004 | Tom said...
I've always been impressed with the writing style on www.firebox.com. Peddlers of boys' toys, gadgets and kitschery, they are unabashedly cheeky and irreverent in their reviews yet manage to tell you everything you needed to know. I challenge you to peruse their site and not want something on there.
As a side note, they were responsible for one of the most on-the-ball marketing gimmicks I've ever come across. They sent customers a pack of Top Trump cards featuring their top 30 products rated on attributes such as 'cost', 'hotness' and 'office time-wasting potential'.
13 May 2004 | WordArtist said...
Another good one http://www.37signals.com/svn/archives/000654.php
13 May 2004 | WordArtist said...
Another Good One www.panerabread.com
