Anyone can create a website, but not everyone can create a website that will generate results. Wondering what the key difference is between the two?
One word: copywriting.
The words you are putting on your website’s pages need to be engaging, convincing, interesting – and a whole lot more. Here’s what to avoid so that you create the best copy for your website.
Don’t Make it Boring
Somehow, whether they found you through a search engine or typed in your URL directly, traffic is on your site.
Your main goal now? Keep it there long enough to create a customer lead.
Google notices when traffic only drops by your site and doesn’t hang around. Over time, this can begin to negatively affect your search engine result rankings. So you need to work hard to keep that traffic there – at least for a couple of minutes.
The first step is to add lots of copy to your site. Creating a few pages of copy rather than just a home page or a couple of pages will encourage web traffic to stay around for a while.
But creating copy in itself is not enough. It needs to be interesting copy. Writing in a way that engages a reader initially and keeps them engaged enough to keep reading is a skill in itself. That’s why many small businesses choose to outsource their website’s copywriting to a professional.
Don’t Ignore SEO
Just having words on your website is not enough – they need to be search engine optimized (SEO).
In order to attract traffic, your site needs to show up on search engine result pages – and incorporating proper SEO technique into your website copy accomplishes that.
Creating a website that is SEO friendly can be overwhelming as it includes multiple factors, both onsite and offsite. Onsite SEO includes using a certain length of characters (maximum 72) in titles, proper meta descriptions, integration of keyword research (without going overboard) and image name and ALT tags.
Offsite optimization refers to link building or getting other websites to link to yours.
Feeling overwhelmed? Remember, we provide web design services and can take care of the complexities of SEO for you!
Don’t Forget About Your Audience
What you want to write on your website and what you should write on your website are normally two different things.
When creating effective web copy, you need to think like a customer. What would they want to know about your products or services? How could it better their lives?
What may seem like common knowledge to you may not be to someone who is not familiar with your industry. Avoid jargon that could be confusing and choose wording that makes your concepts easy to understand.
Don’t Forget About Readability
Think about how often you have skipped through a web page, not reading it in its entirety.
Although it may be difficult to consider about your own copywriting, not every web visitor your site attracts will want to read every word you’ve posted.
In fact, most will want to skim your content until they (hopefully) find what they need.
Make this less aggravating for them by keeping readability in mind when writing your web copy. Use a proper font and size, incorporate headers, and break up your text with white space. Keep the entire design clean – too much clutter can be distracting and unprofessional.
Don’t Neglect to Edit
Once you’ve got the words that you want to be displayed on your site, it’s time to make sure there are no errors.
Incorrect spelling, grammar and punctuation can make you seem unprofessional and can potentially drive traffic away.
The same goes for broken links. Before hitting that ‘publish’ button, double-check that any page links display the proper information. A 404 error could quickly divert traffic from your site!
The Bottom Line
When it comes to your website’s copy, you can’t afford to do it poorly. Hire us to complete your entire website for you! From website design and copywriting to SEO implementation, we’ve got your best interests in mind. Located in Hamilton, we act as copywriters to many small businesses located in and around Toronto. Reach out to us today for a free consultation!