Before you all start scrolling down to add a comment telling me the title of this post is grammatically incorrect – I know, it’s meant to be.

I want to talk about a common mistake in website copywriting, but first a short illustration.

It is the school summer holidays so I am trying to juggle work whilst entertaining my sons. When they’re not glued to Top Gear on Dave I can usually hear them bickering…

Son number 1: “How fast did you run the 100 metres?”

Son number 2: “About 12.3 seconds, how about you?”

Son number 1: “I did it in 11.9.”

This kind of ‘trying to get one over each other’ conversation continues for most of the day. The problem is it gets them absolutely nowhere

You are probably wondering what all of this has to do with website copy. Well, I’ve written blog posts in the past that show the importance of using the word you in your web copy.  This is because it is one word that allows you to directly address your reader and connect with them which, let’s face it, is the whole point of your website in the first place.

The website and I

Sooner or later, within your web copy, you will have to talk about your company. Not excessively though. But how you go about this is crucial.

If you are a sole trader it is very tempting to use ‘I’ but don’t. Refer to your business as ‘we’ or ‘our’ which will effectively make your business sound larger than it is generating an image of experience, stability and expertise.

After doing some research for a client the other day, I came across a photographer’s website. Paragraph after paragraph he talked about:

“I do…”

“My portfolio…”

“I visit…”

“I will…”

Argh! How egotistical does that sound?

At no point did he address his reader; he never told them what he could do for them. Instead the entire site talked about how amazing he was, where he’d been and the people he’d worked with.

So what? A prospective customer is going to know why they should chose him over someone else? What makes him so special? And if he can’t convey what he’ll do for them through his website they’ll hit the back browser and be gone for good.

Using the second person (you) will help you build rapport with your reader. It will have the effect of you holding a conversation with them. After all that’s what copywriting is all about – it is a one way conversation designed to replace the more traditional two way dialogue.

Your website copywriting is crucial if you website is to attract readers and convert them into sales. If you are in any doubt find yourself a good freelance copywriter who will listen to you and work with you to produce copy that will sell you to your reader.

Tweet This Post

After months of R & D you’re ready to launch a new product. You know your target market and you think you know what they want so you’re ready to start creating your marketing materials.

You are now sat in front of your PC. The screen is blank and your mind is blanker – HELP!

Does that sound familiar?

How do you start?

The best place to start is with your readers. So ask yourself what is it that they’re interest in. If you said your product, you’d be wrong. The answer is simple – they are only interested in themselves.

Get to know your reader

If you are going to sell something to someone, you have to get to know them. As a copywriter I spend a lot of time ‘inside the heads’ of the audience I am writing for.

Take a look back at some of the sales copy you’ve produced. If any on it spends time telling people what you are selling to them (in the first instance), you’re wasting your time. All your readers want to know is what it does for them. Basically tell them how your product will make their life easier, more rewarding and more complete – whichever is applicable to your product (and make sure it is genuine and can be proven).

So, how can you tap into your readers’ emotions? Well, you will need various keys to unlock their emotional desires:

Pride – Flattery will get you anywhere. Suggest that someone with as much talent for making the right decision as they have ought to be signing up for or buying your product.

Envy – If they think people are already benefiting from your product they’ll think they are missing out, and they’ll hate that.

Gluttony – We always want more, so if you can convince them they will feel contented when they ‘consume’ it you will be on to a winner.

Lust – Tricky, but if you convince them your product will satisfy their craving, they’ll snap your hand off.

Anger – The last time I was angry was over my mobile phone’s pathetic battery life. Give your readers a way out of their present frustrations and they’ll thank you.

Greed – A major motivator. Say no more.

Sloth – We’re all lazy so tell your reader how your product will save them time and effort and they’ll buy.

Being human, you reader will try and rationalise their buying decision. But all you have to do is give them enough reasons why your buying your product is the sensible option and they’ll hand over the cash.

Tweet This Post

Let’s get one thing straight from the start – a copywriter writes to sell.

Pure and simple.

Of course, their sale writing also has to be interesting enough to make someone want to read it in the first place.

That’s all well and good, but how can you ensure your reader will actually buy your product when they land on your website?

Well, there are no guarantees – everyone is different and their motivations for buying are different therefore no one can guarantee sales.

But what you can do to maximise your chances is to put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Imagine yourself browsing the web. You come across a web page. It looks quite attractive, it has some good images, the copywriting is persuasive but your not completely sold on  the fact that the product is for you.

What do you do next?

I’m guessing you go back to your search results and take a look at another site. Would you return to the first site you landed on? Probably not.

Therefore if your reader navigates away from your website it is highly unlikely they’ll come back. So to get your visitors to buy as soon as they land on your website you must create a sense of urgency to make them buy rather than wandering off to browse other sites.

How you can create a sense of urgency

One of the easiest ways of creating a sense of urgency is by including a time limited offer.

No one likes to think they are missing out on something whether it is a discount, free bonus, stock availability or even getting in quick before the price goes up.

If you hear there is a time limited offer on an item you instantly start to think that it’s going to sell out very fast – so it must be really popular – so it is the thing to have – the thing all my friends will have – I SIMPLY MUST HAVE IT NOW!

Below are a few illustrations of time limited offers:

• Get your order in now before August 11th’s price increase
• All orders before midnight on 13th July will get a 30% discount
• Place your order before October 10th and get your free bonus worth £25
• Order now while stocks last. After October 2nd we can’t guarantee availability for Christmas

Recognise some of them?

As I said earlier, there are no guarantees – just because someone lands on your website doesn’t mean they are going to buy from you. But if they are interested, the addition of a time limited offer will usually get them reaching for their wallet.

Give it a go and see what different it makes.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter (Briar Copywriting)

Tweet This Post

Copywriting has a lot in common with the fashion industry.

No, really, it has! Come on, give me a chance – let me explain.

We’ve all seen images of fashion models. They strut their stuff up and down the catwalk, pouting and scowling at the assembled press. Most of them are so skinny the latest designer clothes they ‘wear’ are practically falling off them.

So what do you reckon is more attractive? Emaciated models or the 1920s vision of a beautiful woman with curves?

Your website on the runway

Think of your website as a model. If it is skinny and malnourished of great copy Google isn’t going to be able to see it. But, if is more akin with the 1920s vision of beauty, it will be well fed, oozing with great copy that makes the most of your keywords. Google will revel in its curves and snuggle up in its relevant and interesting copy. It will be so in love with your site, it will want to hold it aloft for all to see.

Make sure it has a balanced diet

The content of your website has to be relevant and interesting.

Interesting because it has to attract your readers attention and keep them interested enough to read it.

Relevant so that it when it appears in the search results, it provides the information your reader is looking for. Also,  the more relevant it is, the more likely it is to attract links from other websites which will make Google love it even more.

Talk to your reader

When writing your copy, make sure you address the reader directly. There’s nothing worse than reading a website that is all about the company and what it’s achieved and nothing about what that company can do for you (i.e. the reader).

If you have the budget, it’s well worth getting a copywriter in to produce the copy for you. But if that’s not possible just remember to write about the main benefits you offer your customers – after all, that will be all they’ll want to know.

Why you need to know this

Content is one of the key factors in getting good search results. After all if your website has next to no copy on it, how will Google what search results to list you under?

Tweet This Post

It doesn’t really matter how many people see or read your website, if it doesn’t inspire or compel them to buy it’s no good.

I’m sure you’ve experienced landing on a sales page just to think “interesting…” and then moved on to something else.

‘Interesting’ doesn’t get you sales. Your website copy and your approach has to be proactive to encourage people to part with their hard earned cash.

7 tips to help you convince people to buy from you

1. Make your copy like a conversation

Don’t talk at your readers, talk to them. Imagine they are in front of you as you write and you’re having a conversation with them. Use words such as “you” and “your” to build a relationship with them.

2. Use online forums

Participating in online forums is a great way to promote yourself and increase your credibility as an expert in your field. Fill out your profile (gaining those all important back links) and try to visit the forums as often as possible. You can even contribute articles – giving free advice helps build trust.

3. Make your call to action clear

If your web page doesn’t have a clear call to action that tells your reader precisely what you want them to do, it’s not good. Tell them to “buy now”, “subscribe to your newsletter”, “call to make an appointment” etc.

4. Focus on your reader

Your reader is only interested in one thing – themselves. Therefore you must focus your website copy on what they want. If they can’t see what’s in it for them, they won’t be interested.

5. Keep it simple

The only thing on your website that will sell to your reader is your words. Graphics and pictures look pretty but they won’t sell a sausage.

6. Create your own copy

By all means study your competitors’ website copywriting but don’t be tempted to copy their style and content. Try something different – stand out from the crowd. Be an individual, show your own style.

7. Update regularly

Your readers will get bored if they are constantly faced with the same old website copy. Keeping your content fresh and up to date will keep it relevant.

So there you go – if you follow these 7 tips you’ll increase the number of sales you get through your website.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Tweet This Post

The world is becoming more and more virtual every day. As a website copywriter it is my job to help you to create an engaging website that’s interesting, relevant and converts visitors into customers – no pressure then!

You might think your website already satisfies these criteria, but it is worth reading on just to check.

I’m sure you’ve come across many a website that has been unreadable. I’m not just talking about dodgy copy that has been over stuffed with keywords, or bad translations of foreign sites. What I’m getting at is those sites that are literally unreadable because of the layout and
colours.

I have put together a list of 8 tips to bear in mind when writing your website content. If you already have a site, once you’ve read this list go back to it and see if you have fallen foul of any of them.

Make it easy to read

Here I’m referring to the look of the text (the way it is written is an entirely different subject). Don’t use light coloured text on a white background, for example yellow on white, because it will be unreadable. By the way, the same can also be said for dark text on a dark background.

Get them in the mood

Colour can be used to great effect to create a mood – for example red will create excitement or urgency. But don’t over do it, rainbow text looks very unprofessional.

Attention grabbing

If you want your website to be read make sure you have a strong headline that will grab your readers’ attention and make them want to read on. Use different fonts and colours to make them stand out. 

Highlight important words

Important words can be your keywords and others such as super, fast, free, new etc. They should be highlighted in bold or colour. Be careful if using the underline as a way of highlighting text as this could be confused with a hyperlink. And your reader could get very frustrated
trying to click it. 

Font size

In website copywriting, size is everything. If it’s too small your reader will struggle to read it.

Spare the capitals

DON’T USE ALL CAPS AS IT WILL LOOK UNPROFESSIONAL AND AS THOUGH YOU ARE SHOUTING AT YOUR READER. Not good.

White space

A solid block of text is an instant turn off. Use white space to break it up into paragraphs with sub headings. These will make it much easier for your reader to navigate around your page and find the information that’s important to them.

To highlight your key points (such as your benefits) put them in a bullet point list to make them stand out.

Check and double check

There is nothing worse than a gorgeous looking website full of typos and grammatical errors. Always check and double check before publishing. If possible get someone else to read through it for you. 

This list of 8 tips is a great start to creating an eye catching website.

Tweet This Post

The copywriting on your website is the one thing that will make it work.

“You would say that, you’re a freelance copywriter!”

Yes I am, but that’s not the reason for saying it. You see flashy graphics and animations might look pretty but it is the copywriting that will convey your sales message to your readers and make them want to buy.

If you don’t use the right words within your copywriting you will never convert your traffic into sales. Anyone with a website (or thinking of getting one) understands how important keyword research is and the effect it will have on your SEO, but there are also some other very important words that should be featured on your website.

Below is a list of 10 simple but vital words that should be incorporated in to your copywriting. Your writing will become more powerful and results-driven.

Ready?

You – too many websites use ‘we’ instead of ‘you’. Your readers are only concerned about how your product will benefit them. They couldn’t care less about your company. You can work out your website’s ‘we’ score here

Free – people love free and it helps build trust. It doesn’t have to be something big, a free eBook or consultation will do.

Guaranteed –  a guarantee builds trust as it gives your buyer a safety net should things go wrong. Just ensure you can honour the guarantee!

Easy – everyone loves easy; enough said.

New – people love to have the latest gadgets so ‘new’ is very powerful.

Proven – show your customers proof that your product/service will do what you say it will do. If you can, use statistics or testimonials.

Results – show them results if you have them. When confronted by irrefutable proof that it ‘does what is says on the tin’, they can’t say no.

Save – this could be money, time, energy and trouble.

Maximize – this has the effect of showing your readers that ‘it couldn’t get any better’. But be specific – if it is a woolly claim they will just walk away.

Benefit – the main aim behind any copywriting is to let your readers know how they will benefit from your product/service.

If you already have a website take a look at it now and see how many of these words you are using. Oh, while you’re there, make sure you are not over using ‘we’ and you are using ‘you’.

Tweet This Post

After a while your website copywriting  is going to become tired or out of date. Its pulling power  will lessen resulting, potentially, in a drop in sales.

If this happens it’s because your readers have become bored of the same old message. They’re ready for something fresh that will make them sit up and take notice.

Before you roll your eyes at me and think “…and just when am I supposed to find the time to re-write my web copy?” remember that simple changes can make a huge impact. To give you a hand, I’ve devised a list of 10 simple ways to breathe live back into your tired sales copy.

1.    Change the length of your copy – if long copy hasn’t worked, try short.

2.    Use more sub headings to make your text easier to read.

3.    Pose questions that will persuade your reader to buy.

4.    Highlight your keywords.

5.    Put your main benefits in a bulleted list to make them standout at the start of your page.

6.    Play with the font size – make the salient points larger.

7.    Increase or decrease your advertised product price.

8.    Include testimonials and statistics, but make sure they are real and relevant.

9.    Take out any jargon.

10.   Try a special offer, free trial or discounts.

Your website copy shouldn’t be static. It should evolve with your business so make sure you review it regularly.

Sally Ormond is a freelance copywriter based in Suffolk. She works with companies all over the country and internationally providing  copywriting services  to help them increase their market visibility, targeted web traffic and sales

Tweet This Post

Considering the size of the internet these days, there are a vast number of websites out there which adds up to oodles of content. You can find practically anything online these days.

Some of the content you come across is informative, funny, thought-provoking, persuasive, interesting…and some of it quite frankly is pants.

Funny how it is always the bad content you remember.

To make sure your website doesn’t fall into this Hall of Shame, I have put together a list of 20  website copywriting sins that should be avoided:

1.    No attention-grabbing headline (or no headline at all)

2.    No sub headings

3.    No benefits

4.    No guarantees

5.    Spelling and grammar mistakes

6.    No testimonials (believable ones, anyway)

7.    No features

8.    No conversational writing or questions

9.    Over complex and long sentences

10.    No deadlines

11.    No call to action

12.    No free trials

13.    WRITTEN ALL IN CAPITALS

14.    Very few ordering options

15.    No visuals (all text is a bad idea)

16.    No comparison against competitors

17.    No emotional appeal

18.    Too much jargon

19.    Text is either too small or too big

20.    Not enough white space

Take a look at your website now and make sure you’re not guilt of any of the above. I’m sure you’ve come across other no-nos that I haven’t listed here.

Just remember your website is there to be read – if it’s not read, it’s not selling. And if it’s not selling all you’ve got is a very expensive brochure.

Tweet This Post

Even if you could write the most interesting copy ever seen in modern times, if it isn’t laid out in an attention-grabbing way, it won’t get read.

The problem faced by website copywriters everywhere is that humans are a fickle bunch. If we are expected to take time out of our busy lives to read something we have to know it will be interesting, entertaining and above all, that it will benefit us directly in some way.

How to get your web copy read

Basically, what it comes down to is your copy has to look attractive.

Put you hands up if you’ve ever browsed the shelves of your local book shop and
chosen your next read by its cover. As you take the book in your hand, tentatively you peel back the smooth cover only to be horrified when you’re faced with an impenetrable wall of small text.

You see, the way your copy looks is just as important as the content itself.

These 10 tips will help you create eye-catching copy.

•   Colour – without going overboard, use colour graphs and charts (if appropriate) or pictures.

•   Highlight – if you are using incentives and guarantees, make them stand out.

•    Simple – keep your sentences simple and short.

•    Be bold – place your important words and phrases in bold.

•    Pictures – visuals can be attention grabbing. If possible use ‘before and after’ images.

•   Headline – this is your opportunity to grab your readers’ attention. If in doubt use ‘free’ or ‘new’ in your headline as they always make people sit up and take notice.

•    Stand out – your keywords and phrases need to be obvious so use them in headings and sub headings which are in a larger font to the rest of your text.

•   Bullets – make your benefits stand out by listing them as bullet points.

•    Divide and conquer – breaking up your copy with sub headings makes it easier to read and navigate.

•   Adjectives – use these to make your product stand out – incredible! High power! Sizzling! Just don’t go overboard with them.

All you have to do is marry the above tips with interesting and relevant copy and you’ll be well on your way to creating a website that will be read.

Don’t forget who you’re writing the website for either – address your reader directly at all times.

Tweet This Post