If you want to convert sales, engage your audience, and set the tone for your brand, it’s time to revisit your website copy! If your copy is doing its job, you can attract, engage, and nurture your clients because they’ll understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them.
Have you been wondering how to make your website copy stand out? It doesn’t have to be hard (although, writing our own copy can be a real challenge)! Keeping these easy strategies in mind will help you create dazzling web copy that sets you apart from the rest.
Your Audience is your new BFF.
When writing your website copy, know your audience and speak directly to them. Write as if you were having a conversation, just like you and I are. Welcoming your audience into the conversation will make you sound less like an advertisement and more organic.
Wondering how to connect with your audience? Think about who your target audience is and research them. What is it that they need that you have? What words and phrases do they like to use? How do you want them to feel? Why is your offering better for them than your competition’s? Always write with your audience in mind.
Make it Personal.
Add pizazz by using personality in your website copy. Don’t be afraid to inject personal anecdotes that will show you relate and connect with your audience. There’s only one you, use it to your advantage. Adding your unique personality will make your copy stand out and intrigue your audience. This might mean getting hyper specific about some random details, like your love of pineapple White Claw, to help people build a mental picture of who you are and what you’re doing.
Keep it Simple.
It’s easy to get carried away when we’re excited about something. Instead of overloading your audience with wordy copy, let your message speak for itself.
Engage your reader by using short, succinct sentences with active verbs. Paint a picture, be punchy, but don’t be over the top. Lose the big words we learned for the SATS in favor of simple words that everyone can understand.
Keep the mindset that “less is more” and streamline your copy with less punctuation and shorter paragraphs (think 2-3 sentences tops). When in doubt, cut it out!
Slow Your Scroll.
Think of how many websites we see a day—it’s A LOT. We’re trained to scroll quickly through content and quickly decide if it’s worth stopping for. With just seconds to capture an audience, it’s important to break up your copy to grab their attention. Encourage them to stop quickly scrolling and focus on what you’re offering.
Start with the headline. No pressure, but a headline is one of the first impressions your audience has of you (if you want to learn more about the importance of first impressions, check out the First Impressions Project (LINK)). Craft clear, snackworthy headlines to grab the audience’s attention and keep them wanting more.
While we’re on the subject, make sure you are including the most important information at the top of the page, and the least important at the bottom. Fewer people make it to the end, and readers don’t want to work to find the main attraction. Getting to the point will get your message out to more people!
Consider emphasizing information and breaking up text through the use of:
- subheadings,
- paragraphs,
- numbers,
- images,
- color,
- bold, CAPITALIZED, and italicized words, and
- bullet points (of COURSE I had to go there).
There are so many ways to make your text stand out and easily readable. Have fun with it, but don’t get carried away. Nobody wants to decipher a font that is too tiny, so fancy it’s unreadable, or in too light of a color.
Appease the Grammar Police.
Reading a page full of poor grammar or typos is a total drag. A simple typo can lower your credibility in the eyes of your audience. It’s distracting and will take away from your message. Yet at the same time, everyone makes mistakes so don’t forget that done is better than perfect.
Using a tool like Grammarly (use aff link in Trello), can help you stop obsessing and hit publish. Grab a second pair of eyes or use a tool to make sure your website won’t catch the eye of the grammar police.
Make Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse.
The goal of your website copy is to create a response from the audience. You have their attention, now encourage them to take action!
A good call to action shows your audience what they’re missing and how it can better their life. Make it very clear what you are offering and how they can get it. Just like the rest of the copy, a call to action should be simple and concise.
Bonus points for placing a call to action in multiple places–it will be even easier for the audience to go for it. Extra bonus points for adding a sense of urgency to the action item.
Go Beyond the Home Page.
Once you’ve established your voice and formatting, keep it consistent throughout your website and branding. People might come across your website through any one of your pages, so make sure that your message and offers are clear throughout. Make sure there is a clear link to the home page in case someone lands on another page first.
The Bottom Line
Now that you’ve implemented these tips for your website copy, it’s time for you to get a second pair of eyes! Or maybe you want to implement them, but don’t have time. Schedule a live audit with me today if you want to make your copy stand out and bring your website to the next level.
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