Your website does not just need words. It needs well-thought-out, intentionally chosen content that converts visitors into buyers.
How important is website copy?
You have spent days and nights refining your idea, turning it into a product that has massive potential in the market, and you are certain that people need your product.
Your website is up, and now it needs to communicate your product and your vision well. It is the first step of letting the world know about the revolutionary product that has been keeping you up at night.
The words you use in your website are a big part of whether you will get the results you need; that’s a no-brainer. But how do you make sure that you are choosing the right words and that the words create the impact you desire? Comes in the art of writing web copy.
Contents of a Good Web Copy
An untrained eye will look at a website and think, “That’s simple, just say what your business is about”. But anyone who has written website copy knows it is a complex process that needs strategy.
Here is a simplified approach to writing web copy that actually has impact, not just words.
The heading
Once a prospect opens your website, they must understand what you are offering within the first 5 seconds. So the heading, the first words on your website, are the most important. They must be catchy and still detailed enough for the website visitor to know what you are on about.
You want to save people’s time. Let the uninterested ones go, and feed the curiosity of potential buyers. So, do not beat around the bush, the first sentence someone sees on your website should tell it all, but also maintain a desire to know more.
The best approach to doing this is to use a question as the heading. An example of a heading for a nutritionist’s website would be ‘Do you know you can lose 5kgs in a month without hitting the gym? This easily, but effectively, tells the website visitor what the website is about, making them think and curious enough to stay on your website.
What information do I put on my website?
After you have aced the heading, you go to the other parts of your website copy. You can be spoilt for choice on what to put up. But these questions help you figure out what is important.
- What problem is your product solving?
- Why does the problem exist? Why have people not solved it yet?
- Why does it matter that the problem is solved? How does it benefit the prospect if this problem is solved?
- What should people do now that they are on your website, and they probably have a problem?
The answers to these questions are what will fill the rest of the website copy. However, you do not just answer the questions plainly. You need to factor in;
Brand voice
What industry does your product fall into, and who is the audience? How does the audience speak? The answer to these questions helps you curate a brand voice so that your writing matches the style of writing your audience prefers. For example, if your target audience is professionals, you need a formal, authoritative voice. But if you are targeting young people, you will need a casual and friendly voice tone.
SEO
Search Engines use the copy on your website to understand what the website is about and to determine what kind of searches it fits. So, when answering the questions that will turn into website copy, you must consider and include relevant keywords.
Tap into people’s emotions
Despite your brand voice, your copy must connect with people’s feelings. Here are some quick steps to evoke feelings in your writing;
- Decide what emotions your product wants to inspire- hope, confidence, desire, empathy, etc
- Show that you understand that feeling and that it is valid
- Then give them a way your product will enhance or satisfy the feeling
Show credibility
As you answer these questions, make sure you are showing evidence that what you are saying is not just opinions or mere claims. Show that what you are saying is backed by either research, case studies, or even real people.
How to structure the copy
Once you have answered all these questions, it means you have the copy that now needs to be placed on your website. But you need a strategy when doing that. Two tips to know what goes where;
- The most important information should be at the top. Apart from information about your product, show that people love the product on the top parts of the website as well.
- The copy should be scannable- be brief, arrange the information into short paragraphs, and have subheadings.
Lastly, find a way to get people’s emails whenever they land on your website. There are different ways to do that- some intrusive than others, but the most effective one is offering the visitors a free resource to their email. People might not buy the first time they get into your website, but with their email, you can convert them into a buying customer.
Where you go wrong with your website copy
- Your copy is salesy; it sounds like an advertisement.
- Your copy does not show authority. Words like if, probably, and maybe make you sound like you are unsure of what you are offering.
There you have it, folks, use these tips and you are well on your way to coming up with a website whose copy keeps prospects from leaving without taking action.
Remember, copy always has to nudge thoughts and emotions in a way that prompts people to take action.
