One of the last things web designers think about is the copy. I’d argue that some don’t think about website copy at all—thanks, Lorem ipsum.
If you had a freelancer or agency build a website, you’re likely left to outsource or produce the copy yourself. Sometimes, there is website copy, but it’s dull and generic.
So, how do we write copy that resonates with our audience and makes them want to stay, explore, and eventually buy our products or sign up?
What Makes Website Copy Stick?
You want to write website copy that is memorable enough to stay top-of-mind. Don’t worry about trying to convert first-time visitors; the likelihood of that happening is slim.
Studies suggest that 96% of website visitors aren’t ready to buy. And even if they’re not ready to buy—you need to write copy that sticks with them even after they leave. We do this through:
Skimmable Website Copy: Nobody likes walls of text (unless it’s a Banksy). Making your copy skimmable ensures enough time for leads to skim through your site to find something that interests them.
Knowing Your Brand Voice: Authenticity makes you memorable. Understanding your brand voice helps you write copy that’s memorable, unique, and built to improve brand loyalty.
Understanding Customers: Learn what customers want from your products. Focus on their benefits. Write a copy that emphasizes those benefits. You can do this through surveys, interviews, or A/B tests.
Appealing to Emotions: Emotions are powerful tools marketers can leverage to get conversions. It’s one of the best persuasive writing techniques. When applied correctly in your copy, emotions lead to action, and there’s a lot to choose from.
Solid Value Propositions: At the end of the day, it’s all about what your products offer. Your value proposition expresses why prospects should choose you over the competition.
Think of what you bring to the table. Are you more affordable, have better quality, or more convenient? All that’s left now is to sprinkle your value proposition on your website copy.
Writing High-Converting Website Copy: A 3-Step Guide
Using the fundamentals listed above, we will show you a step-by-step rundown on how to make high-converting email copy that sticks. Here’s what you need to do:
Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) For Copywriting: Getting organized is the first step toward efficiently writing copy. Create a content plan that includes the copy for your blogs, sales pages, and other key landing pages on your site. You can do this on a simple spreadsheet or through platforms like Trello.
Include word count, the page it’ll be on, the headers, wireframes, due dates, and the targeted keywords we want to rank for. Once an SOP is established, writing copy for future blogs or new landing pages can run like clockwork.
Focus on the Benefits, not the Features: Earlier, we discussed focusing on benefits, and we can’t emphasize this enough. Even if your product has the best features, focusing on them alone doesn’t make it appealing.
Website copy fixated on features are just bullet points. They don’t provide prospects with context.
Let’s say you’re a company that provides outsourced, affordable, and talented medical virtual assistants. Which copy would a prospect latch on to the most?
Copy A: Our professionally trained medical VAs can save you upwards of 40% on staffing overhead for all your back-office needs.
Copy B: Our medical VAs can do everything from bookkeeping and bill management, all the way to insurance claims.
Copy A is the sure winner here. It already includes what copy B is trying to say but focuses on what prospects can expect when they get your service, contextualizing your offer from their perspective.
Use Customer Language: You don’t want to be boxed in by sounding too professional in your website copy. Sometimes, the copy can derail into a congregation of industry jargon that many could find alienating.
Instead, write copy as if talking to the ideal customer. Put yourself in their shoes. As a customer, describe your problem and the solution you’re after.
Let’s say you have a fitness app that acts as a personalized virtual trainer called FitFriend.
One of your ideal customers might be someone in and out of the gym, month after month. Your website copy could be as simple as “Looking to stay consistent? FitFriend is here to help you follow a personalized routine and track your progress.”
This can quickly lead to a “Dang, this product is exactly what I need” moment. We want these reactions if we aim to create high-converting website copy.
Website Copy Elements You Should Always Have
Remember, there are different elements in your site that you need to write copy for. Here are the elements that you should always include:
H1 Heading (Main Heading/Top-of-the-Fold)
Your H1 Heading should be the first thing site visitors see. It should be a concise and accurate description of what a page is all about. Let’s use one of Spacebar’s pages as an example:
The H1 heading on this page is “We keep backlinks classy.” This is followed by a short description that summarizes the entire page. It’s all about backlink building as a service, not how to do backlink building.
H2 Headings (Supports H1, Helps Prospects Find What They Need)
Further down the page, site visitors should find your H2 headings. They support your H1 heading, help visitors skim through your page, and find what they need most. Here’s an example from Semrush.
The H2 headers on their homepage include social proof and the benefits the tools provide to their prospects, SEOs, and marketing agencies.
Body Copy / Main Copy
The body copy is the main copy we write below our headers. You don’t want to sound like you’re trying to pitch a sale. Instead, go for an information-led approach. Focus on the benefits and provide everything necessary to help your prospects make an informed decision.
Call to Action (CTA)
A call to action directs interested prospects to the next step they should take. For a product page, these are things like “Buy Now!” or “Order Here.” These CTA copies are typically inside colorful buttons that stand out from the rest of the page.
But not every CTA has to be this way. It can be subtle. Guiding prospects down your sales funnel. For example, you can contextualize your CTAs.
Let’s say you’re selling a lead generation tool. Instead of saying, “Start your free trial today,” you can say, “Start Scaling Your Business Today!”
Key Takeaways
Website copy should be part of your overall website development plan. If you want to write high-converting website copy, remember these best practices:
- Ensure that you understand your customers and their needs
- Write copy that’s skimmable but enough to provide necessary information
- Focus on the benefits, not the features
- Don’t alienate prospects with technical or industry jargon
- Use language that’s understandable for the majority of readers
