Are you struggling with what to say on your website? Well, look no further. PHraseD will provide the top 5 things you need to do to write excellent website copy. Even better, I came up with an acronym to help you remember everything. First, let's cover a few basics.
What is Website Copy?
Website copy is the information that appears on your website that helps people to navigate and move through the different pages and sections of your site. It may include information about you, about the products and services that you offer and give information about each page on the site. The website copy on your page is used to convert visitors on your page to clients or customers. As a result, it needs to be well written in order to achieve that goal.
Since website copy is the main method by which you can generate a sale or book a client, it should be written carefully and revised often to meet changes in your business. I've come up with 5 tips to help as you write excellent website copy.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
Here we go with Tip #1:
W: Write
As obvious as it may seem, to have well written copy, you first have to write it. The worst thing you can do is have someone make it to your site and find nothing there, except for pretty pictures and products. Excellent website copy will entertain, inform and convert visitors to your site to customers. Best of all, that transaction happens without direct contact on your part. If converting visitors to your site into customers is one of your goals, one other thing you may also want to look into, in addition to writing excellent website copy is Shareasale. Shareasale, along with your excellent website copy. will drive more traffic to your online store or website and will generate more customer purchases.
Before getting ready to write, consider the goal you are trying to achieve with your copy and also think about your audience. How do you need to deliver or share information with them. Do you need to provide facts and details, less facts packaged in a type of story or some combination of the two?
Regardless of the message you choose, remember to show your target audience why your product or service is needed in a format that they will be able to process. Visit our follow up post Write to the Bank: How to Increase your Online Sales Now for more details on how to write compelling website copy.
Before we move on to tip #2, I want to check that your online business is legal and protected. The last thing that you'd want to do is to create your business and then be sued because you don't have a Comprehensive online legal bundle. This is the same bundle that I use to protect my blog and business and it was both easy and affordable.
Let's keep moving to Tip #2:
R: Revise
This is one of the biggest issues I have noticed on websites, outdated content. When you have a new client engaging with your website, you are building a relationship with them.
Inaccuracies and incorrect information can ruin their trust in your brand before you are even able to establish trust. Make sure that you check the pages and sections of your website frequently to update services, products, contact details and other important aspects of your business. Don't frustrate potential clients in their first encounter with you.
On to Tip #3
I: Include.
Yes, you should definitely include a well-written About Me section. Most shoppers or potential clients are more likely to purchase or use your service if they feel they "know" and trust you.
In your About Me section, talk about why you are qualified to provide the service or product that you are offering. Share your motivation for going into business and who you hope to help or affect. Be authentic and share details that connect with your target demographic!
Tip #4 is the reason I have job security in website copy jobs.
T: Take out
Take out long and complex sentences. Whenever possible, state things clearly, and get to the point. You only have a few moments when someone is on your site to get their attention.
Long, unclear sentences will not convert visitors into clients or customers. Don't waste their time trying to figure out what your business is about in poorly written sentences.
You've made it to the finish line, Tip #5
E: Edit
Edit like your business depends on it, because it does. Bad grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes can chase away potential clients. To them, those errors say you're unprofessional and not worthy of their trust or business.
A clean, error free website says I'm capable and professional, and deserving of your trust. Our follow-up post gives specific tips on the types of editing you need to do in your website copy. Read it here at The Top 17 Website Copy Errors You Don't Know You're Making and How to Fix Them.
What does it all spell? Write. It is our goal at PHraseD to see you succeed by "Writing Right," so we hope you found our tips useful. Still need additional help and tips? Remember, if you need more specific example and tips, go read our follow-up post The Top 17 Website Copy Errors You Don't Know You're Making and How to Fix Them to start writing excellent website copy.
Pin, share or leave us a comment if this article was helpful to you, or if there's another topic you want us to cover. Contact us for a free consultation today to see how we can help you "Make the Write Impact!"
Hi there! Thanks for sharing such great tips. I am going through my blog asap to check for everything you suggested!
Yes!! Great advice! Revising outdated blog posts is so important and something I often need to schedule time for!
These are pretty good tips to write superb website copy. Let your helpful tips keep coming!
Good stuff! I have been trying to go back through my older posts and am constantly finding ways to revise and correct mistakes, so it's definitely been a learning process for me!
Far too many people skip over much of this when they are publishing content, and the result can actually harm their business/brand rather than help it. After all, why should they trust your products if it's clear you don't have a basic grasp of spelling and grammar, right?