Let’s start simple: Website copywriting means writing content for the online world.
That’s the simple meaning.
But its simplicity in meaning doesn’t exactly make it easy to do.
Because you see, when it comes to writing for the digital world, there are many nuances you must take note of.
And being able to crush it will make your writing more persuasive.
A persuasive copy can keep your visitors glued to your page and encourage them to take actions that are beneficial to both of you.
There are many different aspects of writing for the online world, but in this guide, we will focus on writing for your own website.
Table of Contents
Why is website copywriting important?
Website copywriting can help you transfer your ideas to your readers in the best ways possible.
Good website copywriting techniques can make you communicate with your audience in a language that they will understand.
You must be able to achieve this if you want to help people reach their goals.
Don’t be fooled, great copywriting can change the way people feel about you and your products or services in a good way and provide them with the extra push they need to take the next step in forming a relationship with your business.
Of course, having quality website content alone won’t work; you also need to have something to back up what you say.
However, it can be useful when forging new user or customer relationships in the early stages.
But as a business owner, you may not have the time to write your own website copy. In this case, you should look for a website copywriter to help.
Let’s start with the type of content website copywriters produce.
What type of content do website copywriters produce?
Website copywriters usually specialize in creating copy or content that sells an idea or a product. This type of content can be either informational or advertorial.
Below are the types of informational content created by website copywriters:
- Blog posts
- Press releases
- Original research
- Email newsletters
- Infographics
- Whitepapers
- Social media posts
- About us pages
- FAQ pages
- Case studies
And the goal of the informational content is to:
- Educate your audience
- Establish your authority
- Help you in being discovered by Google and other search engines
- Promote the customer to proceed through the sales process
Types of advertorial content produced by website copywriters:
- Landing pages
- Sales copy
- Service Pages
- Ecommerce product descriptions
- Display ads
- Facebook ads
- Sponsored posts
- Search ads
The goal of the advertorial type of content or copy is to persuade the reader to take a specific action like buying a product, signing up for an email list, or filling out a form.
This will help you know the type of copywriter you should hire if you don’t have the time to write your website copy.
But if you don’t mind writing your copy, here are some things you must know to write the type of content that makes readers want to do business with you.
Website copywriting tips you must know
Here are eight website copywriting tips you must keep in mind to write effective website copy.
1. Know your audience
For your website copywriting to hit all the right spots, you must know who you are writing to.
This is a crucial first step that most people, for some reason, fail to understand.
Knowing who you are writing to will make you form an emotional connection with your readers, empathize with their pain, and offer them a solution that resonates.
2. Have a goal for every piece of content you write
The secret to engaging readers as an online copywriter is to have a goal for every copy and structure your content around that goal.
The objectives of various forms of content vary.
For instance, the objective of a case study would be to show that your product worked for a customer and will work for others as well.
What you say in the case study is based on this objective.
3. Write attention-grabbing headlines
The most significant part of your website copy is your headline.
The reader won’t read your content if you don’t capture their interest.
Find a unique angle, something no one else has thought of, to create headlines that are irresistible.
Make the headline alluring and unique to the issue your audience is experiencing. Make your headline intriguing. People are naturally curious and want to learn more.
4. Appeal to your reader’s emotions
To buy into your message, people need to care about your product. You can include emotions in your headlines by doing so.
Assume for the moment that you are creating content for an NGO that fights hunger. Instead of stuffing your copy with statistics about how many people are hungry, choose a persona and tell her story.
People are emotional creatures. If you give them someone to relate to, they’ll be more likely to act.
5. Show proof
People are skeptics by nature. Anyone who tries to sell to you will be met with strong defenses.
Back up your claims with concrete evidence to dispel doubt and break through defenses they have put up.
Share endorsements, reliable third-party reviews, remarks on social media, and case studies.
People want what other people want (It’s the crowd mentality).
Therefore, if you show that other people want and have used your product or services through testimonials, you’re more likely to persuade your readers to take action.
6. Keep it simple
It is your responsibility as a copywriter to convey your client’s message.
If no one understands what you’re saying, that will be challenging.
Make short sentences. Take jargon words out.
What language does your target audience use when they talk? Add those words to your writing.
Avoid trying to impress. Instead, try to educate, persuade, and motivate others.
7. Create a sense of urgency
99 percent of visitors do not buy on their first visit, according to data from Omniconvert.
People typically need to visit your website repeatedly to become familiar with your brand before making a purchase.
However, lead generation campaigns operate differently.
Over 350,000 site conversions were examined by Straight North, and they discovered that 84% of conversions took place on the first visit.
You must convey a sense of urgency if you want potential clients to take action right away.
You can create urgency by selling a limited number of your product copies, offering a discount for a brief period of time, and including the word “now” in your CTA text.
8. Use a strong call to action
In a perfect world, visitors to your homepage take action. The action depends on how your website’s content directs visitors.
Create a CTA text with benefits in mind to increase clickthrough rates.
How to write a persuasive CTA text is covered in this article on creating an interesting copy.