How To Write Effective Copy for Your Website

Writing good copy for your business website is something that sounds easy. After all, it is your business. But most of us weren’t taught this kind of writing in school, so it’s easy to either get stuck, or worse, to write bad copy.

The good news is that the principles behind writing for the web aren’t hard to grasp. Here are some of the basics:

Don’t Over-Communicate

It’s good to be enthusiastic about your products or services, but remember that your visitor probably has just a few specific questions that they want answered. Long paragraphs with too much information are not likely to be read at all.

The best way to organize the information on your website is to start with only the most basic details on your home page, and then progressively offer visitors more details on sub-pages. Notice the home page examples below, one with full paragraphs of text, and the other using brief teasers:

The best way to organize the information on your website is to start with only the most basic details on your home page, and then progressively offer visitors more details on sub-pages. This way your visitors can see at a glance what you do, and then quickly find out where to get the additional details that they want.

Also, remember that potential customers are likely visiting several websites before making their decision, so make it easy for them to quickly understand what you do, how you do it, where, when your hours are, how much you charge, and so forth. Otherwise they may leave prematurely.

Avoid Generic Company Information

Most business websites include phrases like “We work hard for you”, “We strive to meet our customer’s needs”, “We have the most experience” and so forth. Generic statements like that don’t convince anyone, and don’t interest your visitors.

Instead, present specific facts about your business in a way that focuses on your visitors’ needs. Does your business have a fast turn-around time? Great, tell me more. Do you offer free estimates, warranties, or any other perks? Write about those.

Testimonials, photos and other work samples are also effective ways to convince visitors that they should do business with you. When explaining your services, use plenty of examples and illustrations to help potential customers to understand better what you do.

Focus On What Your Customers Want

Also, present information in a way that focuses on the customer instead of your company. Instead of writing “We have the most advanced system for…” involve the reader by using: “You’ll get the most advanced system…” “You’ll save with our low prices…”

Thinking like this will help you to create website copy that is more relevant and interesting to your visitors.

Know When To Seek Help

It’s a painful thing to work hard on a website and see it rendered ineffective by bad content. But every web professional I know sees it happen to their projects again and again.

Smart business owners know when to do something themselves, and when to seek the help of a professional. If you don’t have training or interest in learning to write website copy, talk with your web designer about improving it. We want to help.