Website copy
If you are a regular reader of my blog, this won’t be a new subject for you. But, considering the number of times I talk to my clients about the focus of their website copy, I thought it worth going over again.
Your website and its copy must:
- Get your site listed in the relevant search results
- Speak directly to your reader in a way they understand
- Show them what they want to know
- Convince them you’re going supply them with the answer to the challenge they are facing and, therefore, make their life easier
There is only one way you can achieve all of that – writing for your reader.
Website copy is all about your reader
When writing your web copy, it’s tempting to splurge your achievements and company information because that’s what your readers are interested in, right?
Wrong.
That is the last thing they want to read.
Let’s take a step back for a moment.
They have a problem they need to solve. Their first stop is Google (the fountain of all knowledge) to find a person or company to help them. Your website appears in their search results (happy days – your website copy has achieved one of its tasks), so they begin to read.
Oh, dear.
You talk about yourself, your company, your state-of-the-art, market-leading, ground-breaking products and approach. Then you tell them about your remarkable career and what you have achieved. Finally, you tell them everything apart from the one thing they want to hear – how you will make their life easier, better, or more successful.
Your website has failed.
Listen to your copywriter
When I explain this to clients, overall, they take it on board and understand the importance of putting the needs of their readers first.
However, now and then, I come across someone who knows better than me. It’s almost as though my decade-plus of experience means nothing.
Getting your company on the internet is a big deal. The image you portray and what you say could make or break your business. It could turn out to be a fantastic investment or a heavy chain around your neck. The path your website takes comes down to the content you put on it.
It’s essential to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about the outcome they want.
Will you be:
- Saving them time?
- Helping them make more money?
- Making their life easier?
- Helping them achieve the lifestyle they want?
- Guiding them to greater wellbeing?
That’s where you start. Your website must stop them in their tracks. From the get-go, they must see that you’re going to deliver what they need. By doing that, you’re showing them they are important, you can help, and their needs are important to you.
Less we and more you
Another way to show your readers how important they are is to write your web content in the second person.
Most websites talk about ‘we’ a lot. They are very introspective and, therefore, uninteresting. Who cares what you’re passionate about? So what if you’ve worked with top management. Who cares if you’ve managed billion-dollar projects?
No one, that’s who.
Switching the focus of your web copy to the reader by using the second person instantly places the spotlight on them. It shows them they are the centre of your universe, that your company is there specifically to help them and that you’ll go out of your way to make sure you help them.
It’s a little thing, but it has a significant impact on your readers’ perception of your business.
There is a little bit of room for you in your website copy
By now, you’re probably wondering when you get to talk about your company.
The about page is the ideal place for this, but don’t go overboard on the bragging. Check out this earlier article about the hidden value of your about us page to give you a few pointers.
It’s important to remember to make sure everything you say links back to how you’re there to help your customers. Fancy offices are all well and good, but it doesn’t show someone how you will help them.
Focus on the ‘why,’ but that’s a whole different topic. Rather than going into that here, this blog will show you why your marketing should be about the why and not the what.
Now, do you get it?
By following my advice, your website will satisfy the criteria I mentioned earlier. It will:
- Get your site listed in the relevant search results
- Speak directly to your reader in a way they understand
- Show them what they want to know
- Convince them you’re going supply them with the answer to the challenge they are facing and, therefore, make their life easier
Sally Ormond, Briar Copywriting Ltd.