In today’s digital marketplace, your website is often your first interaction with a potential client. It could be your only opportunity to make a good impression and get your business on their short list. It’s important to make sure that every aspect of your website clearly and concisely represents your business and what it has to offer. Business owners often put the bulk of their resources into the design of the site, leaving website copywriting to take a back seat.
Sometimes copy is simply transferred from a previous site without being updated. This can seriously damage your credibility. In a recent article, Search Engine Journal stated that 81% of those surveyed think less of a brand if its website is not updated. In some instances, the copy is written by the business owner themselves. The issue with DIY copy is that while it may be technically correct to the business’s industry, it may not be written in a way that engages and converts their audience. Website copywriting is equally as important to the performance of your site. Unless you have an experienced copywriter in-house, you might want to consider enlisting the services of a professional.
Engaging Website Copy
No matter what people are looking for online, the choices are endless and the competition is tough. Your website needs to stand out and deliver what they want. The number varies from study to study, but on average you have between three to fifteen seconds to grab a visitor’s attention and entice them to explore your site. While the design of your website may initially catch their eye, that alone isn’t enough to keep them there.
Most visitors will quickly scan your site and if nothing sparks their interest, they’ll click away to one of your competitor’s sites. Visitors come to your site to find a solution. Create page headings that let them know that you can provide that solution. Your subheadings should clearly highlight how they are going to benefit from it. Engagement is key when it comes to website copywriting. The goal is to encourage visitors to stop scanning and start reading.
Establishing Your Brand
Now that you’ve got their attention, it’s time for visitors to get to know your company, what you have to offer and your core values. How visitors perceive your brand directly impacts their decision about doing business with your company. Every business is unique and quality website copywriting is essential for establishing the personality of your brand. Think about the key characteristics of your business. Does your copy project those characteristics?
For example, the copy for a law firm’s website should evoke a more serious and professional image while an event planner’s website copy might be a bit more relaxed and light-hearted. In addition to establishing your brand, your copy needs to make it relatable to your target audiences. The law firm’s copy should empathize with the needs of potential clients while expressing concern and support. The event planner’s copy should connect with the emotions of the event whatever it might be – wedding, anniversary, bar mitzvah or a quinceañera.
The copy for both websites should describe the benefits of using their service in a concise, easily digestible manner that can be absorbed quickly and entice the reader to find out more. Rather than simply reading text, quality website copywriting should feel more conversational, allowing the visitor to get to know your brand and create trust.
Keep in mind that marketplace trends and your audience’s needs can change. To circle back for a moment, this is why it is so important that your website copy is up-to-date. The SEJ article previously mentioned also stated that 39% of those surveyed would think twice about using a product or service if the website wasn’t current.
Professional Proofreading
Have you ever visited a website and even though the copy sounded good, you were distracted by typos, spelling errors or grammatical mistakes? Your company could be the very best in its industry, but these types of website copywriting issues can make it appear amateurish or unprofessional. If you are writing your own copy, proofread it thoroughly then proofread it again – or better yet, have someone else proofread for you. You may also want to read it out loud so you can hear how it sounds.
When you utilize professional website copywriting services, your finished copy will be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors and typos. Professional copywriters sometimes write thousands of words a day. This not only helps improve their expertise but it also increases the opportunity for a mistake or two. After all, they’re only human. It is standard practice for copywriters to proof their work multiple times and they often use specialized software to help eliminate any errors. If part of a team, copywriters will also proof each other’s work.
Optimizing for SEO
According to Search Engine Land, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines. The goal of SEO is to have your business show up on page one of a Google search or on any other search engine without the benefit of any paid ads or promotion.
SEO is a key component of website copywriting. You need to identify what information, products or services your target audience finds valuable, then you need to figure out how they search for them. What issues is your target audience looking to your industry to solve? What words or phrases are commonly used to search for what your business has to offer? These are called keywords. Once you’ve identified the best keywords for your business, they need to be integrated into your website copy.
Sounds simple, right? Optimizing your website copy for SEO is a bit more complicated than just stuffing it with keywords. The keywords and phrases need to be worked in without disrupting the conversational tone of the copy. While each page should contain the appropriate keyword, it’s important to remember you are writing for humans. Copy that sounds robotic because the keywords have been included in an unnatural way will end up turning visitors away rather than encouraging them to delve deeper into your website.
Copy that Converts
The end goal of website copywriting is conversion – getting visitors to your website to take the desired action, whether it be subscribing to your newsletter, scheduling a consultation, getting an estimate or making a purchase. Despite all your copywriting efforts, conversion isn’t going to just happen. You have to ask for it by creating a clear call to action (CTA) to be incorporated at key areas of your website. The CTA is what all your copy has been building up to. You’ve established your brand, built trust and provided value. Now it’s time to write a CTA that converts.
It’s best to keep your CTA short and to the point. Five words or less is a good rule of thumb and make sure every word is essential. Whenever possible, begin your CTA with the action you want visitors to take, such as “sign up for our newsletter ” or “buy now”. The design also plays an important role in creating an effective CTA. Make it stand out with contrasting colors or bold fonts. Visitors shouldn’t have to search for your CTA. It should easily attract their attention, making conversion simple and convenient.
Professional Website Copywriting
Writing website copy that creates engagement and leads to conversion involves more than simply writing about what your business offers. It takes time, research and a bit of finesse. Most business owners already have enough to do without adding copywriting to the list. That’s where we come in. Creative Click Media has a team of professional copywriters ready to create effective website copy, blogs, premium content and more. Chat with us to learn more about professional website copywriting can help you connect with your audience, establish credibility, and attract potential customers who convert.
