The Secrets to Website Copy That Converts
Compelling copywriting is the key to boosting website traffic, generating high-quality conversions and helping your business achieve its full marketing potential. If done well, the copy you write can have a measurable and long-lasting impact on the outcomes for your entire business.
However, great web content isn’t easy to come by. Particularly if you’re writing it yourself and have never written for this purpose before. Luckily, with the right knowledge, tips, tools and skills – it’s possible to start writing great copy. The kind of copy that shows up on the front page of the search results, delivers value to your target audience and communicates clearly, all while staying true to your brand and your offer.
As you develop your ability, you’ll discover how to connect with your audience and choose words with power. You’ll also be able to produce content for all kinds of online mediums, from bottom-of-funnel sales pages to blog posts, resource pages, social media posts and everything in between. And exercise SEO copywriting skills that help you rank.
This website copywriting playbook is a complete guide that will teach you what you need to know about the copywriting world. You’ll find out how to write compelling headlines, craft effective web content that aligns with your broader content marketing strategy and start making the most of your digital communications. Plus, you’ll get to learn by example, referring to the strategies of the copywriting greats.
Don’t waste time before getting started. Here are our secrets to writing copy that converts!
Website copywriting basics
Before you start creating web copy, it’s important that you understand the basics. After all, knowing the fundamental components of high-converting copy is the first step on the path to achieving your content goals.
What website copywriting is
Website copywriting is used to communicate brand story, product details, and other business information online. Web copy refers to any written website content used to communicate with your target market.
For most businesses, good copy is the key to making sales and to building brand awareness. It allows your website to show up in search engine results, generating traffic and interest in your product or service offerings. Copywriting content is a chance to define your business and its purpose at a global scale.
Website copy can be used in conjunction with other marketing materials and channels, including social media posts and print communications. While there are crossover skills, writing for the web is unique in its power to capitalise on technological software and connection scope. Online, good copy can help your business reach people from all around the world!
In the digital age, well-structured website content should be at the centre of any marketing strategy. Your content should be specifically designed to respond to the online environment and facilitate comprehensive experiences on your website, across all of its pages.
Why you should invest in it
There are many reasons why it’s important to invest in online copywriting. In many cases, your brand’s web pages are responsible for making a first impression on new searchers. Hence, the quality of your copy at first glance can influence their overall perception of your brand and consequently, their likelihood of engaging with you.
Website copy can also be optimised for search engines using SEO. This can help you boost website visitors and generate more interest in your site. SEO copywriting makes it possible for your website to be found online. In the long-term, strong SEO-enriched copy can make meaningful improvements to your website’s performance. This can help with business growth and development.
Ultimately, in a competitive landscape, website copywriting is a valuable investment for small businesses and large companies alike. When you communicate clearly and purposefully online, you can begin to create success in real-life business! Whether you choose to write your own copy or employ a professional copywriter, you should never underestimate the power of copywriting to transform your brand’s potential.
How to structure it
The process of writing effective web copy should always start with a clear plan. Outlining your copy before you start to write can allow you to produce clearer, more impactful content.
By planning your web copy ahead of time, you can identify your content goals early on in the writing process. This allows you to consider exactly what your content needs to stay and how it needs to communicate. The more you understand about your objectives and the role of written content in helping you meet them, the more likely you’ll be able to create copy that responds to your business’s needs.
Website copy isn’t one size fits all. There are many different kinds of website copy that you can use, individually or in combination with each other, to establish a strong brand presence in the online space. Web copywriting covers everything from landing pages to product pages, service descriptions, blog posts, and more. Some copywriters even include email marketing content under the web copy umbrella! Each of these will require a different structure.
However, when producing content for online consumption, it’s usually a good idea to use short paragraphs and short sentences. These can be more receptive to SEO. They can also be easier for readers to take in, especially if your website is content-heavy or tackles a complex subject matter.
Try to speak directly and stay consistent with your brand voice at all times. Remember your business’s value proposition, and position this at the core of your message whenever you can. Avoid taking an overly sales-y tone. Instead, speak directly to your audience, focusing on what matters most to your readers. Make sure that your writing makes sense and that it is well suited to your audience. With these best practice tips in mind, you can’t go wrong!
The best copywriting formula
Wondering how it’s possible to put all the copywriting rules into action? There is a formula that can help you produce better copy than ever before! This system is called the PAS formula, and it consists of three simple stages: problem, agitation, and solution.
The first step of good copywriting is to identify the problem your customers are experiencing. This is often referred to as a pain point. What challenge or difficulty might your target market need help to resolve? What problem might be bothering them when they start searching for websites like yours? When you’ve answered these questions, show your customers that you understand their struggles by including their pain point clearly in your copy.
Next, it’s time to move on to agitation. At this stage, you need to add emotion to your audience’s problem. Why is it so important that your customers find a solution? How might they be feeling as they navigate the problem you identified? How can you reinforce your buyer’s need? In your copy, use emotive language that recognises the importance of your audience’s struggle. Remind website visitors why they went searching for a business to help.
Finally, you can offer a solution! As a copywriter, it’s your job to provide customers with a way to resolve their problems and fix their pain points. Can your product or service help buyers overcome difficulty? How will your business make your audience’s struggle go away? What impact can your offer make to help or support your audience? Use persuasive copy to show your audience your willingness and ability to help. Explain clearly how your business can solve problems for its audience.
With these three steps in mind, it’s easy to keep your words on track to create real impact for site visitors. You can offer value to audiences with every web page! Websites that help people are always popular, and solution-focused copy can often be the key to turning content into sales. And you can also recycle them for other channels like LinkedIn Ads and Outbrain.
Secrets to website copywriting success
Writing great persuasive copy isn’t rocket science. All you need is a little skill, a lot of patience, and a strong understanding of how effective website copy should be structured. With this knowledge to support you, amazing things are possible.
You have the power to emulate the most effective websites and writing strategies on the Internet. To help you on your way, here are our secrets to successful copywriting!
Write for your target audience
Most copywriters consider target audience as the first step to the copywriting process. Understanding your audience can help you write targeted content that responds directly to customer pain points.
Before you begin to write, ask yourself who you’re writing for. What is your main audience demographic, and what can your business offer its clients or customers? In some cases, it can be helpful to conduct market research to better understand consumer needs. You might also produce a buyer persona to function as the target for all your communications.
The ultimate goal of most copywriting is to make sales and improve business performance. Websites that understand their audiences and provide real value to consumers tend to perform better than those that don’t. Keep these things in mind as you write.
Best practices for website copywriting include placing customers at the centre of your content strategy and writing style. Know what your copy needs to say in order to serve its audience well, then make this your writing mission.
Strategise around SEO
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is an important component of online copy, affecting your content’s discoverability using Internet search engines.
Keyword research is the first step to the SEO process. To ensure that your website shows up consistently in search results, it’s important to research and include a good range of keywords that relate to your topic or business niche. Your chosen keywords should feature relevant terms. You can include a mix of short and long-tail keywords in your content.
When you write copy for SEO, you should think about how customers will find your website online. What will they type into a search engine when looking for a business like yours?
Using keywords frequently can be a major influence in boosting site traffic to maximise brand awareness. As you write, be careful to ensure that your SEO-enriched content makes sense. Don’t forget to be as clear and compelling as possible.
Create compelling headlines
Headlines play an all-important role in the world of copywriting, helping to categorise and simplify your copy’s overarching structure. This is helpful for readers and search engines alike.
Using headlines and sub-headlines is great way to break your content up for easy readability. It can also allow you to establish a logical flow of information. Headlines even act as tools you can use to guide your buyer’s journey!
Headlines should relate closely to your business offerings and to the key message you’re trying to communicate on each web page. As you construct your headlines, choose your words carefully. Words have the power to enhance your content style, structure, and branding. For extra traffic potential, you can also add a couple of SEO keywords!
Litter consistent CTAs
A CTA, or call to action, is your chance to direct site visitors, telling them how to engage with your website and its copy.
CTAs should be used consistently in all web copy, reminding your target audience what comes next. Whether you’re writing a blog post or producing content for a landing page, a clear CTA could be the difference in helping you make a sale.
Depending on your content type and writing style, suitable CTAs are likely to vary. In some cases, a CTA may invite site visitors to shop online or read more copy. You might tell visitors to check out another web page, or you may direct website traffic to your social media channels. Other CTAs direct audiences to leave a comment, enter a competition, or download a resource.
Whatever kind of call to action you decide to use, always ensure that your CTAs are clear, compelling, and concise. If you can, choose CTAs that are measurable so that you can get a sense of how your copy is performing. Actionable CTAs are the secret to the best conversion results!
Slide in plenty of sneaky links
Links are an important element of SEO. They can also play a valuable role in driving traffic from one web page to another and establishing trust and value on your website.
Online writing is designed for internal and external linking, and both can help search engines look favourably on your content. Internal links are links that take audiences to other sections of your own website. You can use these to direct to an online store, a blog post, or another web page. External links are those that direct away from your site to another channel or to someone else’s website. These can be useful for link building, traffic generation, and value-adding.
Never be afraid to add a link or two to your writing, but make sure that your links are as high quality as possible.
When adding links to online copy, connecting to existing copy or content instead of placing them on their own. This makes links appear more professional and helps you avoid directing consumers away from your brand story or the journey you’re trying to create. Keep your links as relevant as possible to your business and its niche. Before you hit publish, double-check all links to ensure that they direct to the right page or digital location.
Stay on brand
Well-branded businesses are prepared for success! Your website copy should act as a tool to enhance your brand voice and make your business recognisable to online audiences.
The best way to stay on brand is by sticking to established brand guidelines. What language and communication styles align with your business and your audience? Do you have an existing catchphrase, tagline, or writing style? How would you speak to your audience if you were discussing your business in person?
As you write, think about your value proposition, and incorporate this into your writing. Be aware of what your company can offer its customers, and make sure that this is clear in all of your online content.
Across all web pages, your branding should remain as consistent as possible, helping customers understand your company well. Regardless of what web pages you’re writing for, staying true to your brand should always be a top priority.
Website copywriting examples
For new content writers, examples can be a big help in providing you with a guide to follow.
These three examples of landing pages include all the staples of great website copy. They are designed to give you the tools you need to make your site a success.
Example 1: Trello
The Trello website is a great example of what good copy can look like in action.
Trello offers digital scheduling and organisational software. The company keeps its communications clear and concise. This is a perfect match for its intuitive project management offer.
On Trello’s website, it’s easy for visitors to see what the program does and how it works. Whoever produced the brand copy thought about the questions site visitors would be most likely to ask. Common concerns or uncertainties are all dealt with early on in the buyer’s journey!
Trello’s copy also makes good use of headings and subheadings. The site’s landing page is broken up into easy-to-read sections to avoid overwhelming the reading with information overload.
One of the great things about Trello is the business’s attention to detail. While it’s great to focus on big-picture elements, Trello doesn’t forget about microcopy. They use consistent branding for everything, from large-scale headings to form field placeholders.
Example 2: Basecamp
Basecamp is a company well known for its highly effective sales copy, with content designed to speak directly to the business’s target market.
When writing website copy, Basecamp stays clear and conversational, avoiding technical jargon that might be difficult for readers to understand. Basecamp’s copywriters deliberately choose words and language styles that align with what customers might say about the company.
Another important thing to note about Basecamp’s web copy is that it focuses on the problem it can solve. Basecamp chooses messaging that identifies what people need and why they need it, then offers practical solutions that serve to add value to the company.
Basecamp also includes clear calls to action at the bottom of every web page, directing site visitors to respond and engage. Many of Basecamp’s calls to action are accompany by social proof, making the business even more persuasive.
Example 3: ModCloth
ModCloth is another excellent copywriting example, demonstrating the power of buyer personas in guiding website copywriting decisions.
On the ModCloth website, branding is central to everything. The company chooses and sticks to a carefully curated brand tone, which aligns with the fun, vibrant fashion designs ModCloth sells. A quirky, whimsical tone makes products even more attractive!
ModCloth also used funny puns throughout its content, helping to keep online readers entertained as they shop. A silly, comical approach to writing is a great way to engage buyers with clever, joyful communication.
ModCloth’s imagination is one of the most valuable lessons it can offer in terms of successful website copywriting. The company’s content, especially its product descriptions, all feature an element of imagination and creativity. The writing style makes it easy for online shoppers to picture themselves buying and owning a ModCloth product. This is key to generating sales!
Wish there was an easier way to produce high-quality website copywriting?
If you’re still unsure of your website copywriting skills or would like some professional help to guide you, we can help you produce the copy of your dreams!
Prozely is home to a team of talented Australian copywriters who know what it takes to create copy that converts. Our hand-vetted freelance writers are committed to supporting businesses on the path to copywriting success.
If you’d like to work with one of our writers, don’t wait. Find out more about how the Prozely process works, or submit a brief for your website copy today!
