The way we shop these days has changed. We used to go into shops, look at what they had on the shelves or on the racks and then choose something and take it home. We might have been enticed into the store by an ad on television or a brochure in our letterbox…or perhaps we saw the brand in a magazine. All those things still happen, but we’re mostly motivated to buy these days by what we see on social media or via recommendations from our friends.
And that means people will see your posts on social media or click a link they’ve been sent and then decide – in the first three seconds – whether or not they want to buy from you.
So, making a good first impression is vital.
That first impression isn’t just about how your site looks or how fast it loads (although those are both important too). It’s about whether the words on the page make your visitor feel immediately that they’re in exactly the right place.
No-one likes that back and forth that happens when a link goes somewhere unexpected or what was promised doesn’t materialise when they hit your website.
Good web copy takes the reader from a feeling of expectation…or even quiet distress…to a sense of relief and clarity. You want them to think, ‘At last! A solution!’.
But good copy doesn’t just describe your business; it demonstrates that you know precisely what the person reading it needs and makes the next step feel obvious, whether that’s to make a call, book a service or buy a product.
You know your business.
I know words.
Let’s make beautiful copy together.
Need some great copy?
Common website projects
Most often, when customers click a link, they’ll land on your Home page or a specific service page. Your Home page is the most visited page on your site, closely followed by your About page, so these two need to work hardest of all.
But a well-written website is more than just a Home page. Depending on your business, you might also need:
Service or product pages
These pages explain how what you offer solves your customer’s problem or makes possible something the customer wants.
An About page
Landing pages
Case study pages
Each page has a different job to do…and the copy needs to reflect that.
Whether you’re building your first website from scratch or you’ve had one for years and it’s stopped doing its job, the starting point is the same. We home in on who you’re talking to, what you want them to do and what’s getting in the way of that happening. The copy follows from there.
What makes website copy effective
1. Don’t be too clever
No-one has time to decode clever wordplay or abstract headlines. Your reader should never have to work out whether or not you can help them. If they have to think too hard about this question, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ve already left.
2. It’s not about you
3. Structure and scannability.
4. Write for humans first, SEO second
Of course, keywords matter but stuffing them into text rather than using natural language is just silly. Your readers can tell at a glance what you’re doing (which is annoying to say the least) and search engines are smart enough these days to notice too…so your content gets demoted in value terms.
Copy that reads well for humans and performs well for algorithms is the way forward here.
5. A clear next step on every page.
6. Web developers and designers are your friends
Need some brilliant copy?
FAQs
How much website copy do I actually need?
How much copy you need on your website depends on what sort of business you have, the types of customers you want to attract and how much of the copy is considered useful by search engines.
For example, if you are selling hand-made soaps, you will want to have some copy that talks about your brand, why it’s wonderful and why people will benefit from using your all-natural creations. So, your Home and About pages might be around 600-800 words each. That’s enough to reassure a web visitor that your products are exactly what they’re looking for. It’s also a good length for search engines and AI to consider your content valuable. The rest of your site might be devoted to individual items, their prices and ingredients. So, there wouldn’t be much copy on those pages.
If, on the other hand, you’re a development consultant whose job is to help people build a large-scale development, such as a whole suburb, your website would have many more pages and many more words. This customer is investing serious money in your professionalism and expertise and wants to be reassured by case studies, project portfolios and testimonials that you’re a legitimate business and that you have the experience to make the vision they have in mind for their development come into being.
Can you rewrite my existing website copy?
Rewriting existing copy is a bit like updating an old jacket. If you only want a small refresh, you can take up the hem, change the buttons or even re-dye the fabric…and it will look quite different, maybe even more modern. For your website, that might mean a quick edit, some updated messaging and a bit of SEO work in the background – enough to make it feel good as new.
But if what you really want is something that fits you perfectly…it’s probably better to start with a fresh piece of fabric and a pattern made for you, not inherited from whoever wore the jacket before you.
So yes, a rewrite is absolutely possible. Just know that the original cut and shape can be restrictive. Sometimes the most efficient path to copy that ‘fits’ is to begin with a blank page.
Do you work with web designers and developers?
Because I’ve worked as a copywriter for some time, I have a fairly good idea of how words will look and behave on a page. To make that easier for my clients to see early in the process, I use mock-ups (also known as wireframes) to show how the copy might sit on the page before anything goes near a developer. It saves time, reduces back-and-forth and means we’re all looking at the same thing when decisions get made.
Web designers and developers think in completely different ways from me, and they blow my mind with how they approach things. They know a huge amount about customer behaviour, visual hierarchy and how people actually navigate a page…and working with them consistently sparks ideas I wouldn’t have arrived at on my own.
For example, I might note that a particular paragraph needs emphasis because it’s the most important element on that page. I’ll flag it in the copy and the developer will work out exactly how to make it the first thing a visitor’s eye lands on. A designer might take the same note and make the text a colour that ‘pops’ on the page. Each of them achieves the outcome I want with completely different and complementary skills.
Lots of copywriters hand over the copy and move on. For me, collaborating with designers and developers is honestly one of the best parts of the job.
Looking for a web designer or developer to bring it all together? Two of my favourites are Vanessa Thompson and Vicky Trainor.
Not sure? I can help!
If you’re still not sure or there’s something you’re looking for that’s not listed on these pages, drop me a line contact@mariealafaci.com.
Better still, let’s talk like real humans in an obligation-free 15-minute call. I’m always happy to help. And if I can’t help you, I probably know someone who can.
