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Web Copy
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We have all heard that “it’s not what you say, it’s how you
say it”. Well, the same applies to website content. In
this article we will discuss the importance of web copy and
how to turn your visitors into customers.
Your website content should convince visitors that your
service is either unique or superior to that of your
competitors in terms of quality or is competitively priced.
It should show your potential clients that you can provide
the solution that they are seeking. Your product or service
will solve their problems, answer a dream, enrich their
lives, and/or improve their businesses. You are the
dependable expert that they want and need!
Your website copy plays a major role in establishing and
growing your customer base. Web site copy creates the
“voice” of a company, just as the look and feel of a site
put a “face” on the company and on otherwise intangible
products and services. On an e-commerce site, the copy plays
a key role in closing sales as well as in up-selling and
cross-selling products and services. Good copy delights
first-time visitors, encourages return visits and propels
both customer acquisition and retention.
People read a Web page differently than they do a brochure
or a newspaper. They scan, scroll, click, hit the back
button, and hit the forward button. “Reading” is about
moving around and being in control. You have one chance to
make a first impression – to quickly convey the benefit of
staying on your Web site. I can’t overstate the importance
of first impressions, which in Web-time are measured in
milliseconds. The layout, functionality, message and overall
look and feel of your web page determine who stays – and who
clicks away.
Your story should be clear and to the point. The goal of any
web page should be to get the visitor to DO something: to
move on to the next step in a purchase sequence or to click
for more information about a product or service. Without
readable, compelling copy and clearly organized hypertext
links, visitors are much less likely to complete a
transaction – and return to your site again.
Writing for your Web page should always start from your
visitor’s perspective. What is your Web site visitor looking
for? Why is he/she here? How can you make his/her visit as
quick and efficient and positive as possible? You should
take the time to clarify the goal of each page before
starting to write. If the page is part of a transaction
sequence, identify what may be hindering the buying process.
Be sure instructions are clear and easy to read.
If you are selling a service on your website, your Unique
Selling Proposition (USP) is your service’s most powerful
benefit, in combination with a strong, unique feature of
your business. It answers that most difficult question:
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Why should potential customers hire your service company?
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Tell your customers what service you are selling and explain
what your service provides. What is the key benefit(s) to
your customers? What pain does it cure, what solution does
it provide? Compare your service with that of your
competitors and highlight what makes you stand out from the
competition? Keep working on this until you can clearly
separate yourself from the field. As stated earlier there
must be a convincing reason for doing business with you,
instead of your competitor.
Summarize the above into one tight, powerful, motivating
phrase that will persuade your customer to do business with
you and to trade their money for the benefits delivered by
your service.
As you start to work through the above four steps, you may
find this to be a lot harder than it looks. Don’t blow it
off and give up! You must have a USP. If it was easy,
everyone would have a great USP! Come up with a tight, sharp
USP that sells your service to your customer.
Write tight, get right to the point, be keenly aware of the
audience for the page, and don’t use a three-syllable word
when a one or two-syllable word will do. Use call-to-action
language and be interesting. The page should be so clearly
organized that, in seconds, visitors can understand and get
convinced to buy your product and be able to anticipate
where a hypertext link – or a “Continue” button – will take
them. Studies show that “ease of use” is the winning factor
on an e-commerce site.
If you’re going to promote your service and expand your
customer base using your website, potential clients have to
be able to trust you. Their confidence in you and your
products has to be boosted. Endorsements on your website
from a valued friend or colleague, or a referral from a
strategic partner are the types of “leads” that boost your
credibility. You and your service must be perceived as
being trust-worthy before your visitor will be confident
enough to contact you or even buy your product.
Show prospects that you have their best interests at heart
and that you can adapt or customize your service to meet
their individual needs. Foster an ongoing relationship that
steadily increases their trust levels and cements a view
that you are an “authority” in your field.
Another important aspect of convincing prospective customers
is to keep abreast of recent developments in your field.
Check on what your competitors are writing about, and watch
for new trends. This will keep your website current,
razor-sharp and unique. By keeping your eyes open, you will
be able to grab an angle or niche that hasn’t been well
covered yet by your competitors. Portray this angle or niche
on your website.
Finally, be wary of broadening the theme of your site too
much. Try not to dilute your product or service’s targeted
niche simply to expand your base of merchant partners.
Remember; focus on your selling your service. That’s where
the “meat and potatoes” of your business will come from.
Warmly,
Jeffrey Meier
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