When building a website, most people focus on how it looks first. While there’s nothing wrong with using well-thought-out logos, colors, and design, you need more than that to make a good impression.
In the cases mentioned above, website content is often viewed as something that should “go with the design” rather than an essential element. But what good is an attractive web design if your target audience can’t find it? This is where well-written website copies become useful.
Considering copywriting costs, you need to make sure that you only get high-quality copies to ensure that the right people find your website. Otherwise, you’re just giving away your hard-earned money.
Whether you already have a copywriter working for you or are planning to hire one, here are six qualities you should look for in the website copy they produce:
1. Error-Free
When a reader clicks on a page on your website, it may be the first time that person has ever heard of you. This gives you the chance to make a great first impression.
But how can you do that if your website copy is filled with subject-verb disagreement and misspelled words?
Grammar and spelling mistakes are two of the biggest red flags of a poorly written copy. Besides being difficult to read, a copy with many errors is more like sending the wrong message to your audience.
This kind of sloppy writing and unclear messaging is counterproductive to what you’re trying to achieve. It will negatively affect how people view your website – and your company. Readers will also start questioning your authority and credibility in your industry.
To make sure a copy is error-free, you can:
- Proofread and edit – You can do this yourself or hire a copy editor to check all blog posts and website content before publishing.
- Run through editing software – Human error is almost impossible to eradicate 100 percent. This is where editing software, like Grammarly, can help.
2. Has Great Personality
Personality isn’t limited to a person or entity. A well-written copy should also have a pleasing personality to ensure that the target audience finds it relatable and understandable.
A copy’s personality should be in tune with your brand message and buyer persona. If the target customers are young (e.g., college students), your website posts should be written in their “language.” But when presenting your business as an entity serious about its mission but is still open to fun, readers should also be able to get that vibe when browsing your website.
Remember that the key element of a copy with personality is its voice.
3. Easy-to-Read
A website copy isn’t the right place to impress readers with big words with more than three syllables. Rather than picking a piece peppered with colorful words, select the one that speaks loud and clear.
Make sure that the message can be easily understood even when your website visitors only spare less than a minute on your page.
Remember: Internet users scan the copy rather than read every single word in it. If they can’t get the answer they are after within a short span of time, they are more likely to move on to the next search result.
Below are some elements a scannable copy must have:
- Headings and subheadings – This should be written in bigger fonts for more straightforward user navigation.
- On-point message – Avoid beating around the bush. Readers hate that.
- Bullet points – This makes it easier to pinpoint important information within the copy.
- Short sentences and paragraphs – This enhances the overall readability of the copy.
- Images – Adding pictures and other forms of graphic element breaks text blocks and aid in illustrating the point of the copy.
- Audience’s language – This not only piques the target audience’s interest but also ensures that the message is clearly understood.
4. Organized and Optimized
Stories can be presented in many different ways. However, an excellent web copy considers the target readers when deciding in the order of information presented to ensure that the message is understood clearly.
Besides proper order, blogs and other website content should also be optimized for search.
The goal is to get your website into the first search engine results page that appears on your target market’s screen.
To make sure this happens, your copy should contain key phrases or the so-called “keywords” in SEO. These will tell search engines what the page is all about and put your website in front of prospective customers.
You can use SEO tools to determine what phrases people are searching for in your industry. These keywords can also be tweaked to make them fit the natural flow of language.
Of course, using too many keywords at a time is also not good. There’s something called “keywords stuffing” that makes the copy look written for search engines and not actual human readers.
Besides, overusing keywords won’t help convert the leads you get from search engine traffic. After all, if the audience doesn’t understand what your website is saying, how will they act on it?
5. Has a Clear Call-to-Action
A copy should show people what you offer and make them realize that they need it. They should know exactly what they will miss out on if they don’t act now and how your offering can solve their problems and improve their life.
Copywriters can implement this using Call-to-Action (CTA).
Aside from catching attention, another equally important mission a copy has is getting readers to become customers. The idea is to ensure that people who read the copy take the action you want them to take.
Here’s what a CTA should look like:
- Has a few and short words
- Simple and straightforward
- Contains an actionable item (e.g., “Get the eBook” anchor text hyperlink to the shop page where customers can download the ebook)
6. Contains Relevant Links
Besides keywords, another important thing your copy should have is links.
In search engine optimization (SEO), links are vital in building a website’s ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs). They keep readers browsing your website by redirecting them to other internal links. They also offer a quick and easy way to convert via CTA links.
Besides that, having links also add value to a copy in search engines’ eyes as they see it as an ecosystem.
Take note: Like keyword stuffing, too many links within a single copy is also bad for your website. Besides making the page look spammy, it also sends the wrong signal to web crawlers and may even be counterproductive to your SEO efforts.
It’s All About the Content
While design appeals to the audience’s eyes, the quality of website copywriting determines how well your website performs in helping you achieve your goals. Make sure that you only get excellent web copies using this article as a guide.
AUTHOR BIO
Hisham Wyne is an award-winning copywriter, brand consultant, and content creator based in Dubai. He has over a decade’s experience in helping brands get their messages right. From crisp web copy and zippy brochures to in-depth company profiles and analytical annual reports, Hisham makes words work for you – so you can sell better, gain visibility, and give your brand a unique voice.
