It’s often the part of the web design and development process that businesses owners struggle with the most – and that’s why we offer a dedicated website copywriting service as part of our wider suite of digital marketing solutions.
However, we know it’s not always possible for companies to outsource this vital work to the professionals.
Perhaps you’re on a tight budget. Maybe you work in a very specialist niche, and you’re concerned that passing the copywriting over to somebody else just won’t work for you.
Either way, I’ve put together this guide to help you tackle the writing of your website’s text yourself.
Here are the 5 main things you need to bear in mind when writing dazzling new copy and content for your website:
1. Decide who you’re talking to
Your business can’t be everything to everyone – and the same goes for your website copy.
You need to write directly to your ideal customers, which means honing in on the wants and needs of your target audience.
Think about the people who typically buy from you. What challenges are they facing? What’s their main motivation for getting in touch with you?
And, perhaps more importantly, how can your products and services help them achieve their goals?
Once you have a better idea of who you’re talking to – and you can put yourself in their shoes – you’ll find your copy not only starts to flow better but becomes a lot more valuable to your readers.
TOP TIP:
Don’t make assumptions when it comes to finding and writing for your audience. Talk to the customer-facing staff within your business; these are the people who know your target market better than anybody, because they’re in contact with them on a daily basis!
2. Think about what you need to say – not just what you want to say
It’s important to choose your words wisely, with your audience firmly in mind.
Remember, website users interact differently online. They won’t necessarily read your copy in the same way that they would digest a novel.
Your web readers are on a mission, and they’re short on time. So, they want copy that is clear and concise. They don’t want to sift through War and Peace to gain an understanding of what you offer – they want to take in text that’s easy to scan and skim read. And most of all, they don’t want to get lost in pages upon pages of self-indulgent messaging.
Again, it comes back to writing directly for the user. Instead of spending too much time talking about your company, its history, its teams, and its achievements, focus on creating text that addresses and solves the needs of your potential customers. Leave your ego at the door and make it all about them.
3. Don’t try to sound too smart
Using complicated terminology and complex concepts in your copy won’t get you very far when it comes to keeping your web users interested and engaged.
We appreciate that every industry has its own ‘language’, so to speak. We also understand that in the legal and financial sectors, for example, a more formal tone is often more appropriate than language that is too fun or conversational, and the use of certain words and phrases is unavoidable.
But wherever you can, you should always aim to keep your style of writing straightforward, and your use of jargon to a minimum.
Given that the average reading age in the UK is 9 years, too many unfamiliar words will be sure to alienate a big chunk of your readers. In fact, overly smart copy might turn them off your business altogether. For the best results, keep things simple!
4. Plan the journey you want your prospects to take on your website
One of the biggest mistakes that website owners make is not considering how their website’s copy is going to work as a whole.
Before you even think about putting pen to paper – or fingers to keyboards – plan out your page structure. Consider what kind of copy and content your potential customers would expect to see on your site and create your sitemap with their requirements in mind.
Think carefully about the purpose and intent of each page, and how you can craft your copy to reflect your key objective: to get people to enquire or buy from you.
TOP TIP:
Some content may be better placed within a blog post instead of on a static page. If you’re answering a specific question, exploring an industry trend or development, or providing readers with a more personal take on a subject, why not turn it into an article instead?
5. Consider how your copy will impact your site’s SEO
As we mentioned earlier, writing for the web is totally different to writing for print.
As well as coming up with clear, engaging, professionally written copy, you’ll also need to make sure it’s optimised for use in the major search engines.
Google is an information resource. It’s constantly scouring the web for useful, relevant content it can serve to its users. If each page on your website has a clear theme, and you’ve mentioned a series of closely grouped keywords in your copy, it’s very likely that these URLs will be picked up by Google and returned to users who are searching with those specific phrases.
Why does this matter? Well, the more pages you can get to rank, the more exposure you’ll get for your business. More exposure means more eyes on your products and services – and those eyes belong to people who may well want to buy from you!
TOP TIP:
There are tonnes of blogs and videos out there that can help you get to grips with the basics of SEO, and particularly choosing the right keywords to target with your web pages. But it’s usually much easier and more effective to enlist the help of one of our SEO consultants at this stage of your copywriting process.
Contact Design FX for help getting a solid SEO strategy together.