Whether you’re in the process of building a new website or you’re keen to update your current one, don’t make the common mistake of only focusing on functionality and design. While your website needs to be both visually appealing to your audience and offer a smooth user experience, it also has to accomplish a goal i.e. persuade the visitor to take action. To achieve said goal, you’ll need killer copy to convince visitors to act or take that next step.

Achieving the right combination of compelling and actionable content can be hard to master if you’re not a marketing or copywriting guru. However, having the right blend can be the difference between a visitor’s inaction and them taking the next step, so it’s critical that you don’t underestimate its importance. 

Use these 14 tips for writing persuasive website content to make sure your copy is concise, compelling and actionable: 

  1. Know Your Audience

If your website copy doesn’t resonate with the person you’re reaching out to, then it’s pretty much a waste of online space! One of your objectives as a small business should be to get to know your audience (i.e. your customers) inside out. You should know what makes them tick, so you can provide a tailored offering that meets their preferences, needs, and desires exactly. This extends to your website copy too; talk their language and they’ll be all ears. 

  1. Write as Much as You Need

While your website copy should be concise, it also needs to give your audience enough detail to allow them to make an informed decision. Having short, punchy content is great, but what if your audience needs in depth information? To ensure that you’re writing the correct amount, stick to writing as much content as necessary; no more or less.

3. Take a Proactive Approach

Using an active voice will instantly make your website content more compelling. Using a passive voice or writing in a past tense doesn’t create a feeling of urgency, nor does it encourage users to take action.

For example, rather than saying “We executed a strategic strategy which led to a significant increase in sales” say, “We execute strategic strategies which significantly increase sales.”

  1. Write for Your Audience, Not About Yourself

The most common mistake we see in small business website copy is companies talking purely about themselves, without keeping their customers in mind. It’s not about you, it’s about them. While you absolutely need to tell visitors who you are and what you do, you also need to write for them. Instead of writing content about how great you are, focus on what you can offer them. 

Try to think like the person you’re communicating with and ask yourself:

– What does my audience value?

– What do they want to know?

– What questions may they have?

– What information will they want upfront?

– What problems can I solve?

– What type of content would they like to read?

Ultimately, you’re here to serve them, so always focus on how you can provide unrivalled value to them.

  1. Create Helpful Content 

Drawing from your expertise and knowledge to write content that helps your audience is a value add. They’re coming to you for a reason, they need your help! Writing useful copy that either helps a user achieve a task or solve a problem will encourage them to return. 

Your website content should not only guide visitors through your website, it should also ease their fears, solve their problem(s) and answer their questions. Your goal is to help them with a predicament or inquiry, so they learn to trust your brand with their needs.

  1. Tell Your Story through the Content

Your story is unique, so incorporating it into your content is a great way to stand out from the crowd. It sets you apart from the competition and offers the visitor a glimpse into your world, creating connection. Make sure it’s interesting, authentic and most importantly, aligned with the reader’s intent.

Even if your audience requires industry specific jargon or a more professional tone, you can use storytelling to capture their attention. For example, if you’re a technology company, use storytelling and case studies to highlight how your products and services have helped customers.

  1. Create Scannable Content 

You’ve got around 15 seconds to get someone’s attention, so it’s best to avoid wordy content. 

Visitors should be able to skim through your copy and quickly understand the context, as well as what to do next. Use these formatting techniques to create scannable website copy: 

– Headlines & subheadings

– Buttons

– Bullet points

– Block quotes

– Bold, italicised and underlined content

– Image captions

  1. Stress Urgency

Urgency encourages action. Your website content should prompt users to take the next step. To entice them to do so, use urgency in your copy. Statements like “Today Only” and “Buy Now” create a sense of immediacy, reminding users to act quickly. 

The trick to successful urgency copy is to only use it when relevant. If you advise a visitor that a deal is available for “today only”, yet they see it on your site tomorrow, they’ll quickly lose faith in your brand. This type of language works well in the conversion stage of the buyer journey, so keep that in mind when you’re crafting your copy.

  1. Focus on Benefits Ahead of Features

As a potential customer I’m asking myself: “What can your business do for me?”. It’s less about the product or service, and more about the value that your company offers. The features of your product or service are far less appealing than the benefits that they provide. A visitor is mostly interested in what benefits they’ll get or what problem will be solved by making a purchase.

Describe the advantages of using your product or service before diving into the nitty gritty information about the features. While they are tangible, the value derived from the benefits is what will really grab your audience’s attention. 

  1. Always Include a Call-to-Action

A call-to-action (CTA) is one of the most important aspects of any website. Having no CTA pretty much guarantees a lack of action, which leads to less conversions. 

Above all other copy, your CTAs must be actionable, direct, and helpful. Examples of great CTAs include:

– Subscribe today for exclusive deals.

– Fill out the form to contact us.

– Call us today to get started.

– Buy now to receive exclusive discounts.

Your CTAs should tell the reader exactly what to do next; one single, easy step the reader can take immediately.

  1. Optimise Your Content for Humans First, Search Engines Second

Don’t make the error of writing purely with search engines in mind. While optimising your website copy for SEO is important, having copy that reads well is key. Many companies forget that there’s an actual person behind the screen who ultimately determines whether or not to make a purchase. While SEO components like keywords and internal links need to be incorporated, those factors should be second to creating audience focused content; search engines are far too clever these days anyways. 

  1. Test Your Content 

A great way to determine what’s working (and what isn’t), is to test different versions of your copy with your audience. A/B testing is the simplest way to test which variations of content, including things like headlines, CTA’s and offers, are most effective in relation to your website and your offerings. 

Test your content to get real time data directly from your audience, and implement the changes accordingly. 

13. Edit Your Content 

The initial draft is never the final one. Getting into the habit of proofreading and editing your website copy is the best thing you can do. When editing your writing, read it from a visitor’s perspective and ask yourself:

– Does this content help solve the reader’s problem?

– How can the content have a greater impact?

– Does the copy stir emotions?

– What unnecessary “fluff” can I remove?

– Is the content informative?

– Am I including enough or too much content?

14. Enrol an Expert

If the task of writing website content sounds daunting, or you just don’t have the time to do it, consider reaching out to an expert. They’ve got the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to cleverly craft copy that speaks directly to an audience. 

They can also help you with refining your brand voice, so you communicate in a consistent way across all communication channels. 

From professional freelance copywriters to agencies, there are a range of copywriting options out there to meet all budgets, whether large or small. If you aren’t an expert then find someone who is. 

Your website is the digital representation of your brand, and can be your company’s biggest strength if it’s done well. Follow these 14 website copywriting tips to create copy that resonates with your audience, converting browsers into customers. mpl