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When it’s time for a new website, most of us get excited about the design and style aspects. We all want a good-looking site.

What we don’t often think of, or we remember at last minute, is the copy which goes onto each page. That’s why your web page content sometimes misses the point or doesn’t get your message across clearly or to the correct people.

Today I want to share some tips for writing your web copy so you know what you might need to include.

1. Understand why you need good copy on your site.

There is a multitude of businesses out there which are like yours. Your website won’t stand out if it doesn’t prove you can meet your customer’s needs. You need to get your message across clearly and quickly, so a potential customer can see your solution as soon as he or she lands on your home page.

When your web copy is well written, it speaks to the right person in just the right words. It communicates your brand, shows your experience, gains customer trust and encourages them to buy from you.

Above all, websites with sloppy copy look totally unprofessional.

2. Know who you’re writing for.

Don’t try to reach everyone with your words. It’s impossible, but remember this: not everyone needs you, or your products and services. Why waste time talking to people who aren’t interested?

Think about the people who want what you have and put yourself in their place. Why do they need you and what problems will you solve for them? If you can do that, you can write specifically for those people. You can give them what they want straight away.

3. Use your keywords.

Keywords are great for search engine optimisation (SEO). By using keywords in your copy, you help your site rank better in the search engines. You become easier to find when people look for businesses offering what you do.

How do you choose your keywords? Think about your potential customers and the words they might use when searching for a business like yours. For example, if you offer graphic design services, that term will be one of your keywords/phrases. You can make it more specific by adding your location, such as “Sydney” if you want to target that market.

Don’t try to target keywords which are general or descriptive. I once had a client who wanted to rank on the search engines for the keyword “beautiful.” Can you imagine how many business names and descriptions use the term “beautiful in their marketing?” The competition would have been fierce and the term almost impossible to be ranked against.

Choose the main words your customers would use to look for you and work on those.

4. Write for your readers.

While it’s great to improve your search engine ranking, if your customers don’t read what’s on your page, you’ve wasted your time.

Keep your layout clean and use lots of white space between your content so the page looks easy to read. Write in short and simple sentences, avoiding jargon. If you’re not sure how easily read your page is, run it through a readability test. If you’re using the Yoast plugin for WordPress, it will score you for readability as well as SEO. If you’re worried about your grammar, try this free grammar checker for UK English (and general English) or for US English, try Grammarly’s online checker.

5. Put your most important information at the top of the page.

When you’re doing a web search, how long do you spend on each page once you’ve clicked through to a site? For most of us, it’s in the seconds rather than minutes unless we’ve been lucky enough to find the right site on the first go.

Put your key information right at the top of the page where it will be seen immediately. Don’t wait for people to scroll down your page because they might not do it. All the supporting information will come further down on your page.

Writing web copy isn’t easy. There’s a lot more to it, but if you follow these five tips, you will give yourself a good chance of reaching the right customer and making a sale.

When you’re so close to the business you’re writing about (your own) it can be difficult to make your page say what you want it to. Working with a copywriter will save you time and stress. At Clever Streak, we will work with you to produce the perfect copy for your website and increase the demand for your business and your products. Ask for a quote today.