Entries Tagged 'website copywriting' ↓

Words can be a powerful force when used correctly.

In a novel they have to conjour up an image in your head so you can visualise the characters and scenes they are playing out. In the world of marketing they have to be direct, simple and to the point.

This is something I frequently have to remind my clients – not all, but a few.

A while ago, I was writing for one client and nothing I produced seemed good enough. It was frustrating because I knew what I had written worked. No matter how many times I explained my reasons for using certain layouts and words, it wasn’t good enough.

The reason…

“I thought you were supposed to make me sound more intelligent.”

Eeek! And there was me thinking the whole purpose behind copywriting was to generate sales.

So what does a freelance copywriter do?

Working as a freelance copywriter, it is my job to create great copy which will be interesting and sell – but without being ‘in your face’ super sales hype.

I write all sorts of copy from SEO website copywriting through to reviews and just about everything else in between.

Let’s take website copywriting as an example. If you could ask someone what their reaction was when they landed on your website, which scenario would you prefer?

Scenario 1

Reader – “Gosh, what a superbly written site. You are obviously incredibly intelligent and well edcated.”

You – “Why thank you, and what did you think of our product?”

Reader – “Product? Oh, were you selling something too?”

Scenario 2

Reader – “Amazing, that’s just what I’ve been looking for. It’ll solve all my problems.”

You – “Great. What did you think of the writing on the website?”

Reader – “Writing? Oh, I don’t know. I was too interested in your product and how it would help me.”

I think I know which one I  would perfer.

Invisible writing

It sounds rather strange that your writing should be invisible to your reader, but that’s how it should come across. The words you use have one purpose only – to convince your reader the product you are selling is the one for them.

Becoming blinkered by your own writing ego is the fastest way to churn out redundant copy. If someone is reading your website or brochures, they are doing so for one reason only – they want to know if your product is a fit for their needs. If they can’t find that our quickly, they’ll move on to the next company’s product.

Clear, conscise and simple – that’s it. No frills, no sparkles and no sequins.

If you are a website copywriter or have a website and have dabbled in producing your own content, you’ll probably have used the HTML H1 – H6 tags in some way, shape or form.

But do you fully understand their SEO capabilities?

We all know that a solid block of text on your website isn’t going to attract anyone. Your reader will see it and head for the hills. It’s just like when you were a little kid getting excited about the mystery present under the Christmas tree with your name on it. Eagerly you’d run your fingers around the paper trying to guess what was inside. When your finger found a seam that wasn’t covered in sticky tape, you’d rip the paper away. As your excitement grew it suddenly faded as the book fell in your lap. Even worse, it fell open to show page after page after page of text – no pictures!

OK, I got a bit carried away but you get the idea. Solid text is about as welcome as an angry skunk in a phone box. If you want people to read your website, it has to have loads of white space and be divided into bite size chunks. And the best way to do that is by using headings and sub headings.

Where do I stick my H1 tag?

Tempting…

OK, being serious for a second, your H1 tag – if you’re unsure – is normally used in the main header of a web page because it creates the largest font size. But not only that but it takes precedence over other text types when the search engine spiders come crawling by.

Because of this the H1 tag should:

• Appear only once on your web page
• Be at the top of your page content
• Contain your most important keyword
• Help your reader understand what your page is about.

What about the other tags?

The H2 – H6 tags are given slightly less priority over H1 but are still important. You often see the H2 and H3 tags being used for sub headings in web pages. These therefore should contain your longer tail keywords.

Of course the added bonus in getting used to using these tags means you’ll break up your text into smaller sections. This will increase the amount of white space on your page and consequently make it easier to read.

Your headings will act as sign posts so your reader can easily scan your page to find the information they are looking for.

How do I add these tags?

You’ll probably be using a WYSIWYG editor to enter your text which looks a bit like this one:

To choose your heading click on the button highlighted and you’ll see a choice of font types appear. Just type in your text, highlight it and then click on the text type you want.

Position is everything

You see, when you are preparing your copy for your website there is a lot more to think about other than what words you’re going to use.

You also have to consider what SEO features you want your site to have and exploit the positioning of your keywords to the max.

If you are using a freelance copywriter they should be able to advise you on this, but if you’re going it alone, hopefully this post will give you a better understanding of where to place your keywords and why.

The H tags are only a small part of on screen SEO but I hope that this blog post will help you review your current website and make a few changes to squeeze a few more drops out of your SEO.

You might think that a heading such as ‘Tips for writing for web readers’ is a bit odd – after all, who else would you be writing for?

Well with everyone concerned about search engine optimisation (and quite rightly so), some companies fall into the trap of writing for the search engine spiders rather than their readers.

Looking back through this blog you’ll find a few posts relating to this exact topic but I find it’s always useful to get someone else’s opinion on something.

Keyword stuffing is a prime example of people getting their website copywriting wrong. The only thing this achieves is filling your web pages with a load of nonsense that people won’t want to read and Google will pick up as stuffing and walk on by.

One of the key factors when writing your web copy is to write naturally to your reader. I came across a post on dailyblogtips by Debbie Dragon who expands this point further by giving 6 Tips for Writing for Web Readers.

Check it out and see where you can improve your web copy.

Further reading:

8 Tips for Great Web Copy

7 Basics to Make Your Website Readable

The Ego Website

Website Copywriting – 6 Steps to a Sticky Website

My previous post touched on the importance of your Home page and About Us page.

Now we shall move onto the Products and Services page and FAQs

Products and Services

Let’s start off by looking at a product selling company.

Frequently when you look at a website, the products page is full of great images of what you can buy but very little copy relating to the features and benefits.

This is a big mistake. Most of your keywords are going to be product specific so it stands to reason you must have a good amount of copy on these pages. These pages should contain enough information to enable your reader to understand what you are offering and why they should buy it.

Many people have difficulty in differentiating between features and benefits – to put it simply, features will tell your reader what your product does but the benefits tell them what difference it will make to their life.

If you’re still not sure what the benefits are ask your customers! They will gladly tell you and will help you produce some great, hard-hitting, conversational, benefit laden website copywriting.

If you’re a service orientated company then much of the above still applies but you also have to consider whether your service is a commodity or not. If it is (e.g. law services) you’ll have more general copy on your page (still selling the benefits) which directs the reader to contact you so you can sell in a more personal way.

If it’s not a commodity (e.g. a window cleaning service) your copywriting will be more detailed so your reader sees instantly what you are offering.

Keywords are also important here if you are a service company because you can use geographical keywords such as Ipswich window cleaning services.

Whether you offer a product or service this page must contain a strong call to action to either phone/email for more information or ‘buy now’ which takes the reader straight to an order form/shopping cart.

FAQs

This is a great page to have and one that could save you money. How? Well if you have a comprehensive FAQ section do you also need a phone Customer Help function? I’m guessing not.

Often when people are searching for a product or service they are looking for an answer to a problem. That means there is a strong chance they will start their search using a question. If your copywriting on your FAQ page is keyword rich there is a very good chance you will rank highly.

One tip here is to make sure you keep your copy short and to the point. Visitors will probably only scan this page so if they can find what they are looking for quickly and easily they’ll be very happy.

Once your website has all these pages (and possibly a few more besides) your prospects will want to know how to get in touch with you. Your Contact page should therefore provide several options. Start with a short paragraph showing how much you’d like them to get in touch and follow it up with your address, email address and phone number (and data capture form). By providing all of these options you are adding credibility to your company – you’re not hiding behind your website.

Every website is different. Regardless of what industry you are involved in, you are going to have your own take on what is important, what your USP is, what your products/services are and what the aim of your website is.

But one thing that is pretty much uniform is what the most important web pages are with regards to keyword usage.

• Home page
• About us
• Products and services
• FAQs

These are the pages (you may call them by different names) that you’ll need to optimize for your main keywords.

As some of the most important pages on your website they’ll also need to convert your visitors into sales – they’ll need to speak to your customers.

This post will look at the first two pages – Home page and About us.

Home page

This is the corner stone of your website. If it’s not right you may as well give up now.  If you want this page to rank for your main keywords it must have great content. We’re not just talking about a line or two.

One format that I use, and that works well is to start with a strong headline (which includes your keyword), a block of about 150 words followed by a bullet list and then further paragraphs of about a further 150 words. This isn’t set in stone so the numbers are flexible but it gives you a rough idea.

This format also helps when it comes to scanning a page (which many visitors will do) so it is important to have your key points in bold and in  the initial sentences (and headlines).

The copy should come out fighting so hit them with the benefits first and must directly address your reader. The paragraphs following your bulleted list should be introduced by subheadings. These will act as sign posts do your reader can see at a glance what that section of text refers to. After reading this page your prospect should know what you sell and why it is the best product/service for them.

Finally you need a commanding call to action. It might seem an odd thing to say but if you want your readers to buy or contact you, you have to tell them. Don’t let them leave you home page without telling them what they should do next.

About us page

People like to know who is behind a business. If I was looking for a service provider and I’d narrowed my search down to two companies, I’d look at the About Us page.

Why? Quite simply because I want to know who the people are I’ll be dealing with. If I can connect with them in some way thorough their copy I’m more likely to go with that company.

The writing here should be warm with some emotion behind it – you don’t want to come across as cold and uncaring. This is one page where keyword density is not quite so important although it is a good page to incorporate your location keywords.

It is your opportunity to put a face to your business. After all if you have a shop you’d greet your customers, shake them by the hand and make them feel welcome and valued. Well that’s the kind of feeling your words have to evoke too.

When composing your website copywriting, it is essential that you constantly have your reader in mind.

My next post will look at the importance of the Products and Services page and the FAQs.