Writing Compelling Website Copy [Simple Steps]
How’s your bounce rate looking? If it’s really high, you could be turning potential customers off with your website copy. Make sure you’re capturing every possible lead by evaluating the following items:
Have you referenced your style guide? By the time you get through logo design, wire-framing, design revisions, link checks, etc., it’s easy to have design fatigue and rush through the website copy portion of your project. We’ve seen a lot of websites that are not search engine optimized and don’t match the visual aesthetic initially designed.
Once you arrive at the copy-writing zone of your site, it’s time to take a deep breath and revisit your style guide. Make sure whatever copy you develop matches your tone, mission and company values. If you market as a light, playful dog spa and your website copy is serious, professional and corporate — you won’t engage with readers. You don’t want to confuse potential clients. Confirm that your writing style matches your original marketing goals.
Have you incorporated your keywords? We’ve written at length about keyword analysis and effective blog posts. By this point, you know how important correct keyword usage is. Don’t forget to utilize this strategy within your website copy! Make sure your web page headers, metadata, image captions, and actual website copy includes your ideal keywords. However, remember to be natural and not over-use. You don’t want to read like a bot or be punished by overused, keyword dumps.
Keep it short and sweet. It’s easy to try to sell, sell, sell with website copy. It’s tempting to push your accolades, keywords and awards. Don’t fall into this trap. Marketing trends are completely headed to video and imagery, so overuse of text is a waste. You have a few seconds to capture attention. Giant blocks of text aren’t going to do that.
Don’t write drafts within the website. Yes, it saves time. But it’s worth taking your copy drafts to a computer program or old fashioned pen and paper. Taking yourself out of the design phase and focusing solely on the copy is important. Insider writer’s tip: read your wording out loud. It may seem silly, but it makes a difference. Readers hear your words in their heads; make sure it “sounds” good.
Consider hiring a professional. I understand companies have limited resources, but copy writing is a specific art and science. Even if you’re a great salesperson, you may not be the most effective website copywriter. Make sure to know your skill set and analyze if it’s worth investing in a pro.
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