Copywriting is an art, but as in art it is important to know some rules, or rather tips, that can help you create a good copy for your website. Apart from directing the customers towards your products and services, a good copy makes sure that the customers are able to find you authentic as well as trustworthy. Besides creating an impression on the customer’s mind, a good copy aims at making such an impact that is not only long-lasting but is also propagating and can lead to website conversions.
A good website copy can help in connecting with the customer directly and urging him or her to make a purchase. It’s a shame for a website to get traffic but not enough conversions. This means something is lacking in the website copy. Besides, creating an impact on the customer who has landed on your website through some link, a good copy also helps with the search engine optimization of the website, to help gain a better page ranking on search engines.
In order to create an impressive copy, it is important to take care of few points. Here are some tips to help you…
Use a Positive Tone
Everyone wants to feel optimistic. An affirming tone urges the reader to go through more and also helps in building trust. Sounding excited can help your customers feel excited too. An upbeat tone is focused on solutions. It is accessible and doesn’t include hard understanding jargons. Avoiding discouraging words and including positive ones like ‘great’, ‘awesome’, ‘reward’, ‘perfect’, ‘progress’, ‘boost’, ‘yes’ etc. can help you create a great copy. The first step to this is being in a good mood while writing.
Make it about them
Being personal and direct while talking to your customers can help them see you not as a faceless business, but a brand that cares about them. It is important to drop that mechanical tone and connect with your target audience. A relationship based on trust is the best. Building a relationship with your target audiences means gaining their trust, and to do this you have to make it about them. Simply use words such as you and your. Focusing on verbs rather than adjectives is also a good way to be clear and direct. Instead of describing with adjectives how good a service is, talk about how the service can change their lives/businesses for better. That’s what’s going to stay your customer’s mind.
Insist on action
Content marketing is not marketing if it doesn’t sell. Your copy has to be compelling enough so that readers buy your products. The best way to do this is to use clear Call to Actions. For e.g. instead of saying, “you could sign up and we will send you emails about awesome copywriting tips that will help you make conversions”, say “Sign up now for copywriting tips.”
Newsletter – Insisting on Action
The call to action shouldn’t get lost in the sentence, in fact, it should be sentence itself. Add different calls to action under different sections of your website to keep the action going with this simple trick! Use words such as ‘get’, ‘create’, ‘launch’, ‘start’, ‘drive’, ‘grow’ etc to fuel your website copy with action verbs that insist on action.
Be concise and clear
Nobody wants to read much, at least not on a website! The SEO guy has been telling you to add more words, but the truth is a compelling copy is usually clear and concise. Write your copy and remove all the words that you can do without. An average sentence length should not be more than 15-16 words. This makes it easy for the reader to grasp what you want to say, without getting diverted from the meaning. Simple words ensure that the message is clear. Avoiding jargons in website copy is always the best idea!
Break up the page with subheads and bullets
It has been observed that more than two-thirds readers skim, and not read every single word. Therefore, it is always a good idea to divide your copy into heading, subheadings and bullet points. You can also check first which heading and subheadings your competitors are using. Include important keywords in your subheadings and make sure each bullet point is precisely related to your services or products. Using numbers is also an attractive trick which drives people to read your copy. Instead of saying, “How to Get a New Job”, try something like, “6 Ways to get a new Job.” The second headline is more compelling and will urge you to read the whole copy.
Avoid overuse of buzzwords
If there’s one thing which can tarnish your reputation amongst your target audiences, it is being pretentious. No one is perfect and everybody knows this. Using too many buzz words in your copy give away the meaning. The reader will feel that you are trying to lure him or her into buying your products, which are not as good as you are saying, because, let’s be realistic; nothing is extraordinarily amazing as well as cheap. An overuse of jargons and industry buzz words damages the copy as well as the trust a reader puts in your brand. What you can do is include power words such as, ‘Free’, ‘New’, ‘You’, ‘Instantly’, and ‘Because.’ Using these words in a context which is easy to understand and is relevant holds the power to get more website conversions.
Microcopy and more
A good copywriter knows the value of a good microcopy. It is these texts which can make or break a deal. A microcopy is the text of your website form, text on the buttons, or any instructional text which we usually ignore. The microcopy should be clear and directly aimed at its purpose. For example, instead of saying, ‘Leave us a message’, ask what kind of message you want from them. For instance, you can say “Email us your Query”, “Which service are you looking for?”, “Get a quote”, “Get a callback!” etc. The thing is you should be ready to leave them wanting more, and then give them an idea of how and why they should contact you. This will help in generating website conversions.
With these copywriting tips, you can be sure to make your website a great tool for online conversions. Try them and share with us your experience. Don’t know how to? Hire a good agency for content marketing/ copywriting for your websites and social media, to ensure successful lead generation and good conversions.