As a website designer, I’ve seen my fair share of good, bad, and ugly when it comes to website design and copy.
Last week’s episode was all about the DIY website mistakes I see people making and how you can fix them, but today, I wanted to talk about something a lot of people neglect when it comes to a website, and also the reason why a lot of people think their website isn’t working:
Copywriting.
As a designer, you might think that I believe the design is what makes the sales, but in all honesty, copy dictates design. And I believe the best website designs are the ones that are set up to enhance your copy. To make people read, and to make it easy to digest whether you want to read every single word on the page or if you just want to skim.
Because copy does dictate design, it is also really important that this aspect of your website is ready to go before you start designing – whether you’re working with a designer, DIYing all on your own, or even working from a template.
In today’s episode I’m gonna share some of my top copywriting tips that I’ve learned over the years, and also what I look for when tweaking my client’s copy so that it will actually stand out and get read in a sea of competitors.
Ready for it?
Let’s dive in!
Your copywriting is part of your brand
It might seem obvious, but the entire message that you’re sending to potential clients through your copy is huge for your overall brand and the impressions you are sending to potential clients.
It allows you to set the stage for what they can expect as your clients, and often has the power to make or break the sale when it comes to potential clients reaching out and forming a good first impression with you.
Just like your visual branding should be consistent, so should your copy and messaging.
What I mean here is that it is very important that the tone and voice on your actual website match the one in which you show up in emails, on calls, and even on your social media.
If your website copy is super fun and quick witted but your emails are formal and corporate sounding, there is a huge disconnect that can cause confusion for your potential clients, which definitely does not help with building trust.
If you’re a personal brand business, which a lot of us are. I even consider myself to somewhat be one, even though my business isn’t named after me. It can sometimes feel hard to distinguish between how we show up and talk in our real life and how we show up and talk in our business.
While these two are definitely connected, we also want to keep in mind that they can be a little bit separate. Simply because your business voice and language is a representation of you, but one that is tailored to your ideal client.
To understand how copywriting fits into your brand, I want to encourage you to consider the kinds of words you want associated with your brand.
Is it cozy, is it fun, is it welcoming, maybe even formal or sophisticated. Then consider what sorts of word choices make sense for that kind of brand.
Your brand voice should really fit into the overall impression you are trying to create, and sometimes this means including words or adding words to your brand vocabulary that you might not normally use.
If you find that you seem to be attracting the wrong type of clientele, maybe the people who inquire with you almost always seem to be outside of your price range, it could have something to do with the brand message that your sending. A combination of your visual brand identity and the copy on your site not matching up to create the right kind of impression.
So that’s the first thing here, is to understand that copywriting is a part of your brand, and it all needs to fit together and be cohesive to build trust.
Your website copy isn’t really about you
You’ve probably heard this one before, but your website copy really isn’t about you at all.
This might sound harsh, but…
The people on your website don’t actually care about you as much as they care about themselves. And the sooner you realize this, the quicker you’ll be on your way to selling more!
The ever famous example of this is the about page on your site. The place where we think we can finally roll out the red carpet and share our own story, let people in on our journey in our chosen creative field, and really show how much passion we have for what we do. However, this is actually the place we should be focusing the most about them.
Let’s look at an example, shall we?
Imagine a wedding photographer’s about page sounding something like:
“Hey! I’m Anna. Ever since I picked up my first 35mm film camera and looked through the shutter, I was obsessed with taking photos. I never wanted to put down the camera, and now, I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to look through my favorite 50mm lens every weekend capturing the most special day of all these couples’ lives.
I love coffee, my dog, and yoga pants.
Come say hi, wont you?”
I’m gonna be pretty blunt and honest with you for a second — tough love warning — this will not sell, and most definitely not to the kind of client you want to work with.
See, the problem with this one is that it is very much about the photographer. But even more so, it talks about technical things that the average shopper has no idea about, which can quickly lead them to feeling lost and unseen rather than excited and connected.
The one question that your client is wondering about this entire time, that you’re not answering is “ok, but what about me? Where do I fit into this picture?”
We’re also really not sharing much of the heart behind the business, or anything about the why or what you believe, which leaves this one easy to glance over or even close out of the browser.
While you always want to share about you and your story, you want to make sure that every single word you put on your site is intentional and serves a purpose!
ANd also remember her the power your words have to make people feel seen and heard. Rather than making them feel like one in a bunch, by using words like “all my couples” or “all these couples” specifically calling this one person out, by using words like you, can really do wonders!
While you always want to share about you and your story, you want to make sure that every single word you put on your site is intentional and serves a purpose!
So that’s the second thing here – remember that your website really isn’t about you at all. But about selling your services and showing up for your ideal client.
Get in their head
There is nothing better than a potential client telling you “wow, I really feel like you get me, just from reading your website”
But how do we make that happen?
We need to get in their head.
So how do you do that?
Easy!
Ask them 🙂
Most of the words on my own website were actually written by or inspired by my ideal clients.
If you get really good at this, you’ll actually never run out of things to say that feels like it is exactly tailored to your ideal client, what they fear, want and long for in life.
And especially with a luxury service, I think this is more important than ever!
So exactly how do we get those juicy words that sell?
I recommend either chatting directly with potential ideal clients or asking super specific questions in your testimonial forms to your past clients. If you listened to Episode 4, you heard me talk all about testimonials that convert, and these truly have the power to transform your copywriting as well.
For me, this looks like asking questions about fears and hesitations, transformation through my services, and how they think my service will help them move forward.
From there, I’m able to pick out specific words, phrases, or even thought patterns that my clients have when it comes to my services that I can turn into words to put on my site to help me sell!
If you aren’t booking ideal clients or you’re trying to move into a new market and need some feedback, I would recommend reaching out to some people on instagram that might fit the bill. Ask them straight up if they’d be willing to lend some of their time in exchange for something like a Starbucks or Amazon gift card. You’d be surprised at how often people want to help!
So that’s the third thing, is to get in their head and understand what problem you solve for them and how!
Run the boyfriend test
This isn’t English class (sorry to all the teachers turned creative entrepreneurs), and the rules you may have learned growing up no longer apply. It’s perfectly ok and even encouraged to write more like you speak. Switch up your sentence lengths, and make this as engaging and human as possible!
Edit your copy and be sure to remove anything that doesn’t need to be there or that doesn’t add to the greater picture.
I also like to do what I call the husband test or friend/boyfriend test.
I’m probably not the only one with a very outspoken husband, but any time I’m not quite sure if I’ve tried to be too creative with my copy and failed or if it hits just right to where someone else would understand it, I run it by him.
I straight up ask him if this sounds like me, and if it even makes sense.
My husband sort of knows what I do, but is also far enough removed that he’s able to really give me a good idea if it does in fact sound like me and if it sounds ok. This really helps as people land on my site and then book a call with me, so that I don’t sound super different from the way I come across in my copy.
That’s the fourth tip here, is to get rid of unnecessary words, and be sure to run it by someone who knows you well to make sure enough of your personality is present to connect!
Use hierarchy
Your website and copy should be tailored to all the people who land on it. Whether they’re the ones who fall in love with you and what you do and literally comb through every word, or if they’re the ones on a search just looking to have their question answered quickly.
Because of this it is so important to break up your copy with headings and subheadings to make the right stuff stand out.
One of my biggest tips here is that the things called out in headings and subheadings should make sense almost on their own, but also create a little interest that will make people want to read the entire story.
That’s the fight tip for you, break things up using hierarchy!
