Assuming your website designer has done a brilliant job with impactful visuals on your website, you will pass the 4-second test. That’s how long (or short) you have to grab a website visitor’s attention and spark their interest.
Once they’ve decided to remain and take a further look, it’s the job of the words to draw them in.
That’s why it’s so important to write great copy for your website.
What does great copy look like?
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes
It’s not your website, it belongs to your customers!
Writing copy that is all about you, your business, and the services you offer is an easy trap to fall into. After all, you know your business inside out, so it’s relatively easy to produce ‘me, me, me’ or ‘we, we, we’ copy. Sorry, it’s not all about you. The content on your website should be all about your customers.
They quickly need to know that they’ve arrived in the right place. This means you need to be talking about their problems and frustrations and empathising with their situation. This will get them thinking, “I’m in the right place. These guys really understand me”.
The other reason you need to be writing about your customers’ problems is that they may not know what the solution is…yet. They will be searching for information about their problems in the hopes that they find a solution. You!
Tone of voice
What does the language you use say about you and your business?
The style that you write in will give your website visitors a clue as to the type of people you are and the culture of your business.
The feelings they get because of the words that you use are the first steps to building trust. Trust that you understand them. Trust that you will do a great job for them or that your products are a perfect fit and will remove their pain.
How do you want your website visitors to feel about you?
Answering this question will help develop the right tone of voice that expresses your personality and that of your business.
A legal practice will use a very different tone of voice to an Event Planner, for example. The former will use language to convey that they are highly professional, credible and supportive. Whilst the latter will use language that is fun, friendly and possibly a bit cheeky.
Your tone of voice should reflect your brand and be consistent throughout all the touchpoints your customers have with you. If your website visitor goes on to watch one of your videos, then meets you or your team at your office, all these experiences should leave them with the same feeling about your company.
Keep it short and simple
Many of us are time poor and we live in an age where we want instant gratification.
Great copy allows the reader to quickly grasp the essence of the information you are providing on the web page.
- Use short sentences
- Use headings and titles
- Use bullet points
- Leave them wanting more
This makes scan reading easy.
Enough said!
What would you like your web visitor to do next?
- Great copy guides the reader through the website journey.
- If they need more information, make it easy with links to additional pages or documents to download.
- You might want to encourage them to sign up for your lead magnet (something of value such as an eBook, white paper, quiz or similar in return for their email address).
- Perhaps you want them to pick up the phone and arrange a free 20-minute consultation or send an email with an enquiry.
- Whatever you decide, great copy almost always finishes with a ‘call to action’. So, make it easy and tell them what to do next.
What next for you?
If you need some help with copy, get in touch with the My New Venture team.
