Web copy should not be a set it and forget it type of thing. Instead, you should always think about how you can improve your website copy. It’s how you can increase your conversion rate and make content marketing a success.
As you’re thinking about how to improve your website copy now, learn some of the best ways to do it so you can make an impact on your digital marketing strategy.
How to Improve Your Website Copy
Effective website copy isn’t easy. That’s why there are so many copywriters in business right now. If you’re looking to do your own website copywriting, you’ll need to learn what the professional copywriters know, so you can improve your website copy.
The following are some of the best ways to not only write compelling copy but write effective website copy for your target audience.
Write for Search Intent
One of the best ways to increase web traffic is to write content that search engine users are looking for in search results. Website visitors from Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others are asking questions and looking for information on products and services.
If you can provide the best information on what your prospective customers search for on search engines, you won’t only improve brand awareness, but you’ll increase conversion rates and revenue from your site.
Write for Potential Customers
Even though Google appears to be a big giant machine brain that controls everything, it is still optimized to give the best possible results to humans. SEO web copy isn’t about trying to trick the algorithm. Always write for your ideal customer instead of Google itself.
Think about what it’s important to your target audience. Are they coming to you for important information? Looking to buy something?
If you haven’t done so already, create user personas and buyer personas. They will help you understand what you need to provide them in your sales copy to convert them easier. A sales page doesn’t always have to be about pushing a service or product, it can be more about information that nurtures someone towards a purchase.
Identify Keyword Phrases
Do keyword research to make a list of potential keywords of how your target audience could find you. They might be long-tail keywords (four words or longer) or more precise keywords. Whatever they are, you should know what you want to show up on Google.
Knowing your audience’s intent is going to point you in the right direction for making content. It will help you decide your content type and content format.
What type of web copy are you going to have? A blog post? A landing page? A product page?
Web page format, on the other hand, generally applies to important information content. Think of lists, reviews, and how-to articles. In fact, a recent survey from SEMRush showed that how-to articles are some of the most frequently used to generate organic traffic.
Basing your website copywriting on what the user wants is a surefire way to answer their questions and provide possible solutions.
Outline Body Copy for Compelling Copy
Even the world’s greatest writers start with an outline. Many fiction writers start by writing the ending first and then working their way back to the beginning. That requires plenty of planning, don’t you think?
We’ve already talked about search intent, but it might require you to dive a little deeper into what you’re actually writing.
Here are some questions to think about and answer ahead of time:
- What are you trying to convey with your post?
- What is your prospective customers looking for?
- What will the structure of your article look like?
This doesn’t mean you have to break out the classic outline you used back in high school, but take some time in the planning stage before you jump right into writing.
Continue Keyword Research and Consider Keyword Density
Planning out your text gives you the opportunity to do additional keyword research or ancillary keywords, you may want to use in your web copy.
It’s pretty easy to find out those additional keywords. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner to help give you an idea or just use the Google home page as a start.
There are plenty of SEO tools out there, but many of them are paid. One that offers a bit longer of a free trial is UberSuggest. It will give you additional ideas to help you flesh out body copy.
When you know the keywords you want to use in your content, it’s time to think about keyword density. Good website copy doesn’t have keywords littered all over it. Instead, the keywords fall naturally into the text and relate to the website design.
Be sure to break up your content with bullet points and short, easy-to-read paragraphs. Internet users don’t have long attention spans, so you want to give them the most important information quickly in a way they will understand easily.
Use Competitors for Guidance
This goes with your keyword research phase. You need to look at what content is already ranking for what you are trying to answer or provide.
If you’re writing a blog post about the best car stereos, plug that into Google and see what is already out there. You can start to make a guideline for yourself and have an idea of what readers are already clicking on. Plus, through your research, you may also find some places to acquire some valuable backlinks.
Here are some of the questions that you need to find out:
- How long are the articles?
- What does their format look like?
- Are they conversational in tone or more professional?
- Are the other articles lists, how-to guides, informational pieces?
- Do they make use of media? Are there lots of videos or images?
It may take some time to go through 8-10 posts, but it’s worth it in the long run.
User Experience in Website Copy
With many people’s past writing experiences based in the academic world, it’s time to throw (almost) everything you learned out the window. If something is too long, too complicated, or just not interesting, your website visitors will be clicking that back button immediately.
Another way to improve your website copy is to make it easy to read for a better user experience. The following are some ways to do that:
- Break up your writing. Use things like quotes, numbered lists, bullet points, and more to make your information more digestible and readable.
- Use media. We’re not just talking about pictures, but videos and GIFs as well. Not only do they break up the text, but they give you a chance to show off your personality a little bit.
- Be more like Ernest Hemingway. Those that have read Hemingway know he loved to use short sentences. Don’t drag on and on, you’re more likely to cause your readers to lose interest.
Finally, it always helps to read your copy out loud to make sure it not only looks right but sounds right.
Speaking of sounding right…
Avoid Industry Jargon
If you’re coming out and writing everything in industry jargon, you may turn off your readers. Even though you put lots of work into a certain piece, no one is going to be reading each word in grave detail. Readers on the internet are more likely to be skimmers.
If you have complicated text and long words, those skimming may not want to put forth the effort into reading your whole post.
Remember, it’s vital to think like your customer. While you may know all the acronyms, fancy language, and trendy words, your customers may not. Don’t consider it dumbing down, just think of it as making your language more accessible.
Use Proper Grammar and Spelling
One of the quickest ways to erode the confidence of your readers is to use poor grammar. While they may not be such grammar-fiends that they’re picking out where you should have put a semicolon instead of a colon, most people can recognize misspelled words or spot missed punctuation.
Many times these errors can be caught while you’re reading text out loud. You may notice you substituted a “their” for a “there” or “roll” for a “role”.
At the very least, make sure you’re running a spell and grammar check after your article. We are big fans of the plugin Grammarly which will suggest spelling and word changes. But remember! Don’t rely on these checkers to do the work for you. Make sure you go over your text with your fine-toothed comb.
Write to Solve a Problem
Unless you’re writing news-based articles, people likely aren’t clicking around your content just for fun. That’s why you need to help them solve a problem. You could be answering a question, telling them how to do something, or offering a product for their needs.
Writing copy based on problem-solving is just like any proper commercial you see on TV. They revolve around presenting the problem, explaining why it’s a problem, and then offering their products or services as the solution.
Think of the classic Flex Tape commercial that has spawned thousands of memes across the internet.
- The Problem: You’ve got a hole in your pipe/house/swimming pool and you need to fix it now!
- Why it’s a Problem: If you don’t take care of it, it could lead to thousands of dollars in damage!
- The Solution: Flex Tape can seal up those holes and save you money and a huge headache!
It’s best to put this information in the introduction of your article, that way you can draw readers in instead of having them snore their way out of your website.
Again, it’s important to know your user persona and buyer persona so you know what their pain points are when you’re writing.
Use Simple Headlines to Help Your Readers
Compelling, attention-grabbing headlines can make or break your article, even before readers click on it.
A 2017 BuzzSumo study unearthed a lot about what makes a great headline. For starters, headlines with numbers tend to work the best. And not just regular numbers, but odd numbers as well. Instead of doing a Top 10 list, why not do a Top 13?
When it comes to the length of your headline, you should be shooting for anywhere between 12-18 words. Those tend to get the highest number of engagements. Curiosity also plays a huge role in headlines. Make sure you leave something for readers to discover and entice them. Add something that will make them click. Phrases like ‘this is why’ and ‘the reason is’ performed quite well in the survey’s findings.
Add a Table of Contents
While CTRL+F is a great trick for many, readers aren’t going to be coming to your website ready to do extra searching. So why not hand them a map as soon as they arrive?
Adding a table of contents will let the reader scan through your list of headings to see if the article or blog will satisfy their search. If they don’t find what they’re searching for quickly, then they’ll leave. Even if it’s on your page. Your goal should be to make things as easy as possible for them. The easier you make it, the more likely they are to continue reading.
Adding a table of contents is great for people with short attention spans. They can skim the headings and go right to what they want to read about. People love it and so does Google, which can help with ranking in search results, which will increase organic traffic.
Take a Break
Writing sales copy and website copy can be hard and mentally draining, especially when you’re doing a ton of research and trying to take plenty of things into account. That’s why it’s always good to take a break once in a while. Are the words all starting to look the same? Does everything you write seem to sound awful?
Step away from the document and focus on something else. Let it simmer before coming back and giving it a look-over. A new eye and refreshed mind can make a huge difference.
Improve Your Website Copy with Atiba
Now you know the best practices in improving your website copy. If you’re overwhelmed at all, don’t worry too much about it because Atiba can help.
We have helped many businesses with their copywriting needs with our web design and development services.
Learn More: Website Design and Copywriting
We know how to build and redesign websites with good website copy to ensure they satisfy the needs and desires of a business’ potential customers. If you’re looking to improve your website copy and content marketing efforts, we can help you.
Contact us now to discuss how we can help you with your website copy. Our professional copywriters are ready to help you.