3 Website Copy Writing Best Practices

No matter your industry or service offering, writing copy for your website isn’t easy. As the saying goes, it’s hard sometimes to see the forest through the trees.

If you’ve found yourself thinking, “I hate writing copy!” or “My website sucks!” then fret not. This short article will help you write copy for your site, even if you have a hard time writing a paragraph.

The one thing that’ll help most with being a better web writer is experience. Unfortunately, experience can’t be taught (sorry!). To get experience, you must spend time actually writing copy.

However, there are a few best practices for writing better copy:

1. Remove Distractions

If you’re trying to multitask while writing copy, you might as well be rolling a 100 lb. boulder up a slippery hill. Don’t do this to yourself. Copywriting is much easier when you’re focused solely on the task at hand.

This means…

• Turning off the TV.
• Closing Facebook (you are following us on Facebook, right?).
• Putting your messaging apps and phone on silent.

…and anything else that could break your concentration.

2. Find Related Content

Looking at other sites gets the gears spinning in your engine of a brain. It’s tremendously helpful to look at other websites, even though aren’t in your market. Just because your business is about health, it doesn’t mean you have to limit your research to other health-related companies.

Let’s say you sell hiking gear.

Instead of looking at hiking websites, go beyond that and look at sites such as Saddle Back Leather. Here’s a site with good copy that sells leather-related items. You may find products here related to your hiking business. But even if you don’t, you can still draw inspiration from how this site uses stories and questions to engage visitors.

3. Know Whom You’re Writing For

Try to write copy for everyone, and you’ll speak to no one. Pairing a customer avatar with your copy is an astonishingly helpful combination, but it’s not always necessary to have one (although it’s recommended to have one for the long term).

Before your fingers touch the keyboard, consider the following about WHOM you are writing to:

• Why would someone visit your site? “To check us out,” is too broad of a reason. Consider why they’d come to you to solve a problem or address a concern instead. Think of VALUABLE reasons – not boring ones.
• What kind of language do they use? Knowing in advance the type of language they use will be helpful in what language you use in your copy. People only read things they find relatable. Don’t be an outside – be an insider.
• Why are you different from everyone else? Be different, and you’ll be rewarded. It takes guts and confidence to speak to someone unlike anyone else. Keep this in mind when writing your copy – it’s okay to be unique.

4. Learn from Nike

Improving on your website writing boils down to Nike’s slogan: Just Do It. If you’re trying to create the perfect website on your own, an entire year can fly by before you’ve written your About Page. (Yes, we’ve actually had new clients call and confess this!)

Of course, the alternative to writing your own copy is to hire a team of expert copywriters with a proven record of writing copy for a variety of markets. Hiring expert copywriters means you can focus on the other parts of your business.

If you’re seeking the help of expert website writers – quickly and easily – just click this link to contact us at Sūmèr. We’ll happily get your copy done right.

Don’t delay when it comes to your website’s copy. Aside from your product or service, it’s the most important part of your business.

Photo Credit: Liam Higgins