Your Website Is Your Digital Storefront
This common phrase means that your website is always working for you, even when you’re not. It’s a powerful tool that can help you generate leads and sales around the clock.
There’s a good reason for this: it’s because it’s true. Your website is your digital storefront that customers and prospects depend on when researching your brand online. It doesn’t matter if it’s good, bad, or just mediocre; it’s still important.
Take a look at these amazing website copywriting best practices that every beginner-level copywriter should keep handy when getting started writing web copy:
1. Do Your Research
Before you write a page on a certain topic, it is beneficial to research the topic as much as possible. This involves looking at more than just the first few Google search results. Being a good copywriter also involves taking an in-depth look into the subject.
You should research a topic to gain a full understanding of it before writing about it. This will make it easier to write a unique page on the subject. You can get an idea of the type of content that already exists on a topic by researching it online.
If your industry is complex, you may want to create content that is easy to understand. In this case, your goal should be to understand the topic you are covering, and then to write it in a way that makes sense to your target audience.
2. Back Up Your Claims
You will establish more credibility with your readers if you include sources, facts, and statistics on your website, rather than just publishing anything. This is because reliable sources help validate your articles and show your visitors that they can trust the information on your site.
Your website visitors want specific examples that show that your company is good at what it does and that other people have been satisfied with your products. You can provide this type of evidence by including reviews, testimonials, or a portfolio on your website.
3. Make Your Most Important Point First
Copywriters often mistakenly assume that website visitors want to read long introductions that “build up” to the main arguments. However, in reality, visitors to websites are often looking for concise information and are not interested in reading lengthy introductions.
If your website is difficult to navigate or doesn’t provide the information that people are looking for, they will likely leave. Make sure your website is easy to use and provides the information your visitors are looking for.
Starting your pages with the most important information is in your best interest. If a visitor finds what they are looking for, they may be more inclined to read more information on the subject or stay on the page. Adding supporting and background information can help them learn more; however in most cases, it shouldn’t be the first thing they see.
4. Know Your Audience
You need to understand who you are writing the copy for. It is important to be aware of the style and tone you use throughout your writing. Different audiences respond to different writing styles. If you have a good understanding of who is reading your site, you will be able to communicate with them more effectively.
If you know who your company’s target audience is, you can use that to help you write your articles. You can also get information from tools like Google Analytics about who is reading your articles and visiting your website. You want to make your articles relatable to your readers, and this information can help you do that.
5. Focus On Your Audience’s Needs
Keep your focus on your target audience and their needs. Write copy that helps them solve a particular issue.
Your site’s copy should not only focus on your company, but also show how your products or services can help your audience solve specific issues. Your goal should be to illustrate that you understand their needs and want to help address them through helpful articles and information.
If you want to write a page that will help your audience solve a problem they are facing, you can start by explaining different potential solutions. This will show that you are concerned with helping them find the solution that fits their needs, and not just making money.
It is appropriate to talk about your services on your website, but the main focus should be on your visitors and how you can help them.
6. Go Easy On The Jargon
You might find yourself writing jargon-filled copy without realizing it. When you’re writing for your website, it’s easy to forget that not everyone who reads it will be as familiar with your industry as you are. That’s why it’s important to know your audience and how much they know about the topics you’re writing about. If you’re not careful, you might end up using a lot of industry jargon without realizing it.
Many adults read at a basic or below basic level of literacy, and many of them could be your potential customers. Many potential customers cannot read at a high level, so businesses should consider this when advertising.
It is important to be able to write well, but it is also important to remember that every job has its own set of vocabulary that most people may not know.
When writing to sound professional, use terms that your potential customers will understand. This means spelling out acronyms and defining terms that may be unfamiliar to the average reader. This will help you prevent losing potential customers because your writing is confusing.
7. Create Clear Headlines
If you think that all of your website’s visitors will read every page, you may be disappointed. That means that your first impression, especially on your home page, has to be good.
An article in the Washington Post by Chris Cillizza highlights some statistics on how much content is actually consumed (and not consumed) by readers – and it is pretty surprising.
Cillizza says that according to a study done by the Media Insight Project, not even half of Americans take in any form of in-depth news, whether through reading, watching, or listening, in a span of one week.
For us writers, this means we should plan for readers to scan our work. Most readers will likely scan our work for key takeaways rather than read it thoroughly.
8. Avoid Using Negatives
It is important to create a positive tone for your brand so you will be remembered for being solution-oriented. This will encourage customers to learn more about your business instead of being discouraged by negative information.
A positive tone allows users to trust your brand more, as you provide a solution to their problem or desire. While there may be times when using fear or urgency to get someone to take action may be appropriate, it’s usually best to start with the positive.
9. Talk About Them More Than Yourself
You should use the word “you” more in your website copy to sound more direct.
The word “you” is persuasive to customers according to Entrepreneur’s article “10 Powerfully Persuasive Words Your Customers Want to Hear”. It ranks behind other emotionally stimulating words like “free”, “easy”, “guaranteed”, etc.
The word “you” makes people more interested because humans are wired to think about what benefits them.
We feel special, included, and connected when we see writing that is more personal, conversational, and relatable.
10. Relate To Their Experiences And Appeal To Their Emotions
Your website’s copy should be written in a way that appeals to your visitors’ emotions.
Unbounce published a quality article a couple years ago that helps writers know how to use content to appeal to users who may be experiencing one of the seven deadly sins. What they outlined was a short and sweet guideline to dealing with different emotions through content.
11. Speak Their Language
It’s helpful to create engaging, personalized copy that speaks your audience’s language and entices them to relate.
If you want to be seen as credible in the eyes of your customers, use common technical language and jargon that is specific to your industry.
If you are a personal injury lawyer, you should use language that is sensitive to people who have just been in a car accident or to the families of people who have just been in a car accident. These people may have just experienced a traumatic situation.
It is more important to focus on how your audience wants to receive information about your brand than on optimizing your website for search engines.
12. Trim The Content (Fat) Where Possible
Asking yourself these three questions can help you determine whether the content you’re creating is worthwhile. By considering if the content is relevant, necessary, and provides value to the user, you can decide if it is worth creating.
If you’re not using something or if it’s not serving a purpose, it’s time to get rid of it.
Some people think that a website needs a lot of content to rank well in searches, but this is not the case. Too much content can actually prevent users from taking action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
The goal of the text is for users to take some kind of action, so making it harder for them to do so would not be beneficial. Instead, the text suggests making it easier for them by not making them think but instead making them do.
13. Use Hyperlinks Within The Copy To Make It Easier For Users To Navigate
According to Steve Krug’s book, “Don’t Make Me Think”, it is important to make things on a website as simple as possible for visitors.
The material covered in the text is helpful for both web designers and content developers/marketers.
Linking to other pages on your website, as well as to external websites, can help improve the user experience by making it easier for them to find the information they need.
Links allow your readers to get more information about your business or a related topic without having to do any extra work.
Most of the links on your website should point to other pages on your site, but including links to external sources can be helpful in providing information to your users and getting some “link juice” back.
This demonstrates that you are concerned with your users’ well-being.
14. Use Verbs And Multiple Words In Your CTAs
You’re thinking, “What does that mean?” This website really interests me and I’m ready to engage more with their brand. I see a call to action that reads “Work”. What does that mean?
At first you may think the organization wants you to view more of their work, but then you may think they want you to apply for a job.
Use verbs as the first word in your CTA to create the least ambiguity for your users.
In order to be effective, your calls-to-action should be clear about what you want the reader to do.
For example, “Submit Your Payment” is more likely to result in someone sending you money than “Submit.” The word “submit” alone is not likely to persuade someone to take action. If they are just scanning the page, they may not understand what you are asking for. Therefore, it is important to use two or more words to be clear about what you want them to do.
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