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If it’s been a while since you updated your website copy then this post is especially for you because the harsh reality is:

“Your website is NOT a tattoo.”

Your website copy needs updating regularly. It needs revising, refreshing, tweaking, optimizing and refining.

Because the words on your website are critical.

They can ‘make or break’ whether someone sees your site in the search engine results in the first place.

They can ‘make or break’ whether someone remains an ‘interested browser’ or converts into a valuable customer.

Because, it’s the words you use that interest, nurture and convince your audience (and, ultimately, sell your products or services).

Updating your website copy is also good for your search engine optimization (SEO). By updating your website copy you’re sending a signal to Google that your business is….well, still actually in business. This means your website is more likely to rank higher in the search engine results. 

Ready to get started?

 

8 ways to (drastically) improve your website copy

 

1. Make your homepage copy crystal clear

The majority of visitors to your site are likely to enter through your homepage.

The first words they read must convey (in a matter of seconds):

• What your business does
• Who it does it for
• The problem it solves
• The value it delivers

 

The goal is to make it easy for someone to understand if they’re in the right place for what they’re looking for. And, if they are, you need to encourage them to stay on your site longer and check out more of your content.

We live in a fickle, attention-deficient online world. If you confuse visitors with complex messaging and long words they’ll just click straight back out to the search results.

Make sure your message is concise, direct and oh-so-simple to understand.

 

2. Make your About page…. NOT about you

Fun fact – your About page isn’t actually about YOU. It’s about the person reading it.

Your goal on the About page is to communicate who you are and what you offer BUT only in the context of how you can help your target customers.

So, if your About page is all about You, You (and more You) with no focus on how you benefit your clients then it’s time for a rewrite.

This page is likely to be one of the most visited ones on your site. Make it engaging, include a call-to-action (what do you want the reader to do next?). At the very least ensure your contact details are visible (on both desktop and mobile versions of your site).

 

3. Write sales-focused copy on your Services page

Good news – if someone is checking out your Services page then their interest level is likely to be pretty high (or, in marketing speak ‘they’re further down the sales funnel’).

So the goal of the copy on this page is to help convert the reader into an actual customer.

To do this your words must clearly explain the benefits (rather than just the features of your product or service). Keep in mind that a prospective customer wants to know ‘what’s in it for me?’.

Review your copy through the lens of this question: “Is it clear how my product or service HELPS my customers and solves their problems?”

 

4. Sprinkle testimonials like gold dust

Client testimonials play a vital role in informing people’s purchasing decisions. Testimonials are GOLD.

So display testimonials from your clients on your website. Tip – you don’t need to put them all on one dedicated ‘Testimonials’ page. It’s more effective to strategically weave them into different areas of your site.

Download my free guide on ‘How to get powerful client testimonials and use them to boost your marketing.’

 

5. Is your FAQ page up to date?

If you have an FAQ page on your website review the copy and check that the answers are all correct and comprehensive. Consider adding more information (and new questions) to help your potential client make a purchasing decision.

Link to any other relevant content within the answers too, such as blog posts. This is a great tactic to encourage visitors to spend more time on your site (this is good for your SEO too) and the more content they consume, the more likely they are to trust your business.

 

6. Make your copy skim-friendly

“On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.”  David Ogilvy (advertising legend)

The online world is full of ‘skimmers’  so make it as easy as possible for them to get the gist of your message.

Avoid long words, complex sentences, jargon and chunky paragraphs and instead, use:

• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Effective use of headings and sub-headings
• Bullet points and numbered lists
• Bold, italics and different fonts
  
  

 

7. Update old blogs with new information and internal links

A great content marketing tactic is to update old blog posts with fresh, updated information.

The content stays relevant and it gives you an excellent opportunity to reshare old posts and drive new traffic to your site.

Also, internal linking is one of the fundamentals of good SEO. Review your blogs and look for opportunities to put links to other relevant posts you’ve published. This will encourage people to stay on your site longer and check out more and more of your (amazing) content.

 

8. Review your on-page SEO

Your website copy is busy. It has two jobs.

Firstly, it needs to convert customers and secondly, it needs to get your business found on Google. This is where on-page SEO and using targeted keywords come into play.

First research, identify and list the primary and secondary target keywords you want your business to rank for in the search engines to organically drive traffic to your site.

Then naturally, and strategically, weave the keywords and phrases into certain parts of your pages. Note the emphasis on ‘naturally’ because Google will penalize you for keyword stuffing.

Here’s a quick on-page SEO checklist of six places you should be incorporating your keywords:

• Page title
• Meta description
• On-page body copy (ideally, within the first 100 words)
• H1 (Header) and H2
• Image file names
• Image alt tags

 

Finally.

Remember, the key mantra from this post is ‘My Website Is Not A Tattoo.’  Get a post-it note and stick it to your wall.

Then get a plan in place using my 8 tips and start to see how small changes to your website copy can make a significant difference to your traffic and leads.

 

Want to have a chat?

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of updating your website copy, or writing copy for a new website? Check out my website copywriting services.