You know this feeling. You’re staring at a blinking cursor on a completely blank screen or even what to write about.
Sure it sounds easy. After all, who knows your product better than you do, right?
But most of us were never taught this kind of writing in school, and effective website copywriting is a much different animal than a final paper for your marketing 400 class!
To help you get started, or just to give your current site a needed update, it’s important to keep these principles in mind:
1.) Know your Clients/Customers!
Ask yourself, who is visiting my website, why are they visiting my site, and what do I want them to do in my site?
All of your sites content should be written with these answers in mind…. Marketing 101 right?
Target your message for your specific audience and give them the information they are looking for in your site. Include a very specific call-to-action. This is what you want them to do, and of course your call to action will vary depending on your goal. It could be filling out a lead form or making a purchase.
- – Have someone contact you today!
- – Add to cart
This approach works even better if your site “knows” where your visitors are coming from (what keyword), and you can direct them to a targeted landing page. For example if I have a bakery business, someone searching for “Birthday cakes” will need much different information than a victor searching for “pastries near 18518.”
By using a landing page your sites bounce rate will improve and your sales or leads will also improve over time.
2.) Less really is more
To turn more visitors into customers, avoid over-communication. At times we can be so proud of a product or service that we want to go on & on about it, but you need to remember that your visitor likely has a few key pieces of information they’re looking for. The trick is finding out what these are, and put them right out in front of the reader. Your goal here is to give your visitor relevant information quickly & easily.
Being too wordy or specific makes it difficult for visitors to zero in on the info they want, and can distract them from their “mission.” Consider using bullets to make your key points, and use links so readers can easily find more in-depth information if they want it.
Say you’re looking for a new “widget”, would you rather be greeted with this:
or
3.) Writing Style Counts
Your writing style is a crucial aspect of how people perceive your service or product, so it is important to make sure that the tone matches your other communications, and that it is appropriate for your product/service type.
If you sell medical supplies, “Try a free sample of X” may be a more appropriate choice than “Check out our new stuff!” However, if you sell skateboards, “Check out our new stuff!” might suit your readers.
4.) Bonus section for those overachievers out there:
Making a sale shouldn’t really be your only goal!
Obviously the reason why you’re in business is to make money, I have no argument there. Much of your web copy should be devoted to achieving this goal. But, don’t forget about creating engagement with your web visitors. Building a relationship with people before they’re customers puts your biz top of mind when they decide they need a product or service like yours.
For example, if you’re an accountant, people may visit your site to get answers to common tax questions. You could devote a section of your web copy to a “common questions” page with brief answers and links to deeper resources. Your goal is to capture lead information so you can market your tax preparation services at a later date.
This can help your customers and not to mention help with your website’s organic SEO. Google rewards websites who regularly add fresh new content.
Do you have a question about your site?
Contact us today!
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