Writing Copy For A Website: 11 Tips For Getting It Right
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes.
Writing copy for a website is not as easy as it first seems.
You’ve got to research your audience, research your industry, craft and edit compelling copy, and continuously test until you get it right.
But with the tips in this guide, you’ll have all you need to start writing persuasive website copy that converts visitors into customers.
In this guide to writing copy for a website:
What’s involved when writing copy for a website
How much it costs to outsource your copywriting
How to write website copy that converts
11 tips for writing great web copy
Here we go!
What is writing copy for a website?
Website copywriting is creating persuasive words for the key pages on a website. It helps a brand build trust, increase conversions, and connect with its customers.
Website copy refers to all the text you see when you view a website’s main pages.
This includes the words used in your:
Homepage
About page
Product pages
Contact page
Help Centre and FAQs
Sales pages
Pretty much any of the text on your website (that isn’t a part of your blogs or content marketing) can be considered website copy.
Writing copy for your website isn’t just a matter of throwing some words into the blank space.
Let’s look at why.
Websites function as digital shopfronts for brands.
The copy is your sharply dressed, smooth-talking salesman that convinces people to come inside and take a look. If your website copy is poorly written, unpersuasive, or boring, then your customers won’t be interested.
Writing good copy for your website is the surest way to convert the people who visit it into customers.
Website copywriting rates: How much can you expect to pay?
“Experienced copywriters spend significant amounts of time learning about their customers. They also invest time in understanding how the product they’re writing about can help their prospects.”
If you’re thinking about hiring a professional copywriter to write your website copy for you, there are some things you should know.
Firstly, avoid hiring someone who will charge you per word (i.e. $0.50 per 100 words).
Why?
Because there is a lot more to crafting effective website copy than just writing words.
When you hire a freelance copywriter or marketing agency to write copy for your website, there are a lot of important things they must do before they even start the first draft.
A few of the tasks a copywriter must complete before writing copy for a website:
Research and understand the brand and product.
Research and understand the target audience.
Research the brand’s main competitors and the industry itself.
Create a brand voice and style guide tailor-made for that specific brand and audience.
Identify the most desirable benefits of the product or service being sold.
Consider any designs or templates that will accommodate the copy and their limitations.
Additionally, there are also tasks to be done after the copy has been written.
These include:
Proofreading and editing.
Optimising for SEO.
A/B testing.
In some cases, publishing the copy to the website.
This is why copywriters and agencies that charge based on a word count are hard to trust: It implies that they prioritise speed and quantity over efficacy and quality.
Most copywriters have set rates that are either project-based (for example, $300 per web page) or hourly.
You can find good freelance copywriters from as low as $50/hour to as high as $500/hour. However, it’s mostly just the junior copywriters that charge hourly.
Experienced copywriters will base their price on the project size, since the more experienced they are at writing copy, the faster they’ll be at it.
An hourly rate undermines this value of skill.
How to write website copy that’s engaging and converts
Writing copy for a website’s landing page, product page, or any other top-level page requires strategic planning and careful execution.
Great website copy achieves several things:
Increases onsite conversions by convincing readers to take action.
Conveys a brand personality that resonates with your target audience.
Keeps the reader intrigued, entertained, and keen to keep reading.
Clearly outlines the benefits of the solution you’re selling.
Guides the reader further along the path-to-purchase.
Whew, that’s a lot!
I know. And it’s not easy. Great copy shouldn’t be easy.
That’s why I’ve compiled a list of my best tips for writing website copy that will engage the reader and persuade them to take whatever action you’d like them to take.
Check it out.
11 actionable tips for writing high-performing website copy
“The number one tip for website copywriting is to know who will be reading it. If you don’t have a reader in mind, how will you know which words and tone will resonate with them best?”
Know what you’re talking about and who you’re talking to
The first step in writing copy for a website is research.
You need to find out as much information as you can about the brand, the products or services you’re selling, and (most importantly) your typical future customers.
Inaccurate marketing leads to expensive mistakes and a lot of wasted time.
By familiarising yourself with who you’re writing for and what you’re writing about you minimise the risk of targeting the wrong people or using the wrong messaging.
Peek at your competitors’ homework
Some industries have certain expectations when it comes to a website.
For example, if your business involves handling other peoples’ money, you’ll want to make sure you include key information about the security you use to keep it safe.
Your competitors' websites are the best place to find inspiration and see what already works with your target audience.
Check out a handful of the most successful business websites in your industry and take notes of anything that’s consistent across all of them.
Use benefit-driven headlines and body copy
The first thing most copywriters are taught is the importance of selling the benefits of a product instead of the features.
The difference between benefits and features is that benefits are what you get from using the product and features are what the product does and is.
When Apple released the original iPod, they didn’t market it as “an electronic device that stores and plays music”, they simply said, “1000 songs in your pocket.”
This is a clear example of promoting the benefit of the product instead of its features.
Be sure that all of your copy, particularly the headlines, is all about the benefits.
Put the most important information front and centre
Carrying on from my previous point, you should have your biggest benefit be the first thing visitors see when they enter your website.
What is the main thing people get out of using your product or service?
As readers scroll down the page, everything should be ordered based on value.
The information that tells people what problem you solve and how should be up the top. The extra side-benefits that are less crucial to know about can go further down.
Be objective and honest
Building trust is a huge part of writing copy for a website.
You not only need to show people the amazing outcomes you can give them, but you also need to prove it.
Use facts, data, customer reviews, and quotes from experts to back up any claims made.
At the same time, try to speak objectively.
Customers are much more likely to believe something is an amazing product when you show them why it’s an amazing product.
By just telling them it’s amazing, you’ll only make them wary about what you’re trying to sell.
Be specific and speak directly to the customer
Generic statements are crap.
That’s all there is to it.
It can be tempting to try and include everybody when writing copy for your website, but this has the opposite effect of what you’re after. It makes everybody feel excluded.
Better to make them feel special.
How do you do this?
Firstly, always be writing to one person – your customer avatar. Use the pronouns “you” and “your” rather than “them” and “their”.
This makes the copy come across as inclusive and conversational. You’re not lecturing your customers; you’re having a friendly chat with them.
Secondly, where possible, be ultra-specific.
Don’t just say, “We help startups work smarter.” when you can instead say, “[Our product] reduces workflow friction and boosts team efficiency using rapid cloud software, so you can spend less time going back and forth and more time getting things done.”
Readability is key
“Being clear is the most direct path to being interesting.”
If people are having a tough time reading or understanding your copy, there’s a good chance they’ll give up and find someone else.
There are four qualities that are paramount to effective web copy:
Clear, simple, and concise language.
Skim-friendly formatting.
It makes sense.
Content is presented in a logical order.
We’ve already touched on the last one, and the first and third points are pretty self-explanatory, so let’s quickly cover “skim-friendly formatting”.
Basically, most people aren’t going to read every single thing on your page.
It’s a bummer, but it’s true.
Instead, they’ll be skim-reading, scrolling down the page until they find a bit of text that grabs their attention. Then they’ll probably read that section of the page with a bit more focus.
As copywriters, our job is to make this super easy for them. We can’t change their behaviour, but we can work with it.
To do this, ensure that any crucial information is contained in the headers, sub-headers, and bolded text so it stands out when you’re rapidly scrolling the page.
Bulleted lists, images, and infographics are all also great ways to grab a reader’s attention.
Use a consistent tone of voice
People don’t like purchasing things from businesses. They like purchasing things from people.
Personification is an essential part of creating a brand image.
And the best way to come across as a human being is to speak like one.
Find out how your customers speak to one another – the language they use, the style, what they talk about – and mimic it as best you can across all of your web copy.
Your brand voice should be recognisable, relatable, and consistent everywhere you speak.
Edit the hell out of it
The job isn’t over once you’ve got words on a page.
You need to comb through it several times before publishing the copy to your website.
And that doesn’t just mean checking for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. I like to edit my copy in stages, focusing on one detail at a time.
Here’s how I do it:
First, fact-check everything. Make sure there are external links to back up any claims and that all your claims are completely true.
Second, read it out loud. Does it sound natural? Is there a nice cadence to it? Are there any words that sound clunky or get repeated a lot?
Third, get a second opinion if possible. Chances are you’ve been staring at the copy so long that you can no longer tell what’s good and what’s bad.
Fourth, perform a line-by-line edit checking for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Using a tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid is super handy for this.
Finally, after you’ve published it to the actual website, go through it one more time. Double-check all the formatting is acceptable. Sometimes what looks good on a document can read differently when merged with the design elements.
If you’re not confident in your ability to edit copy, try hiring a freelance copyeditor to go through it for you.
Use active voice and have a clear call to action
Active voice is what separates persuasive writing from boring writing.
Active voice is clear and direct, and will force your reader to focus on the subject of the sentence.
Think about it: You’re trying to compel the reader to take an action. Active voice is compelling. That’s its job.
Speaking of taking an action…
Every page on your site should have a clear CTA (call to action) that tells them exactly what you want them to do next, whether that’s sign up for a free trial or enter their email address.
Learn more about how to write a good CTA here: 5 Tips For Writing An Enticing Call To Action
Make sure your copy fits with the design
Copy and design should never be competing for the customer’s attention.
Ideally, they will work harmoniously, each strengthening the other.
During the planning stage, it’s good practice to work with your designer so you can find a good balance and get the most out of your collective expertise.
Website copy is what sells the product or service. Design is what convinces the customer it’s worth reading.
Annnnd that’s it! You’re good to go.
