5 website copywriting tips to increase conversion
Photo by Andrew Neel from PexelsCopy is the backbone of your website.
The words you use to describe your product or service directly relate to your website’s conversion.
Thing is, they don’t teach you website copywriting tips in college.
Because of that, the internet is full of websites that use jargon, are overly sales-y, and are business-centric, not customer-centric.
Writing a high-converting website isn’t easy. It involves strategy, empathy, and attention to detail.
The good news is writing an effective website can be taught, and in this post, I’m going to outline 5 of my best-kept website copywriting tips to boost your website conversion.
1. Clear website copy dispels misunderstandings and creates a clear path
We’ve all been on a website where we’re not quite sure what we’re supposed to takeaway.
Said website is vague, confusing, and involves misunderstandings, incentivizing you to bounce ASAP.
That’s why it’s so important to be clear in your website copy.
By being clear, you tell people what to do in a way that can’t be misunderstood. This creates a clear pathway on your website, so the intended journey is intuitive.
To write clear website copy, keep the following in mind:
Shave away adjectives to get to the isolated message.
Edit. The first thing you write might be long and hairy, so chip away until the message is crystallized.
Worry first about clarity, then layer on pizzazz and brand voice.
2. Concise website copy lowers the cognitive load, streamlining understandability
Nobody reads. We skim, at best.
It’s not just because our attention spans are increasingly decreasing. Long sentences create a high cognitive load, and we’re usually not committed enough to take that on when we’re browsing a website.
Your website needs to be concise to convert.
By being concise, you deliver the main message right away — in a relevant manner — taking the burden of comprehension off the reader.
When you write your website copy with being concise in mind, imagine your potential customers in the following scenarios:
Just about to hop onto a Zoom call
Waiting to cross the street
Slacking and reading your website at the same time
You should write your website copy like you don’t have your website visitor’s attention.
People demand unpretentious, snappy copy so they can understand what you’re saying at a glance and feel validated in their choice to read what you’ve presented.
People want to feel like they’re using their time wisely, and concise website copy can help people come to the conclusion that your website is worth their time.
For reference, the ideal length for a headline is just 6 words.
To write concise website copy, keep the following in mind:
Write out your full thought. Then, cross out all unnecessary words until your sentence is distilled.
Use an editor like Hemingway to lower the reading level of your copy.
Don’t be afraid to break out your thought into multiple, concise sentences.
3. Conversational website copy makes the content feel organic, leading to conversion
The best website experiences read like you’re talking to a friend.
They’re written in natural language we’re all used to, and it doesn’t feel like we’re reading something that’s being marketed to us.
That’s the value of writing conversational website copy — it sells without the website visitor feeling like they’re being sold to.
It’s simple to accomplish conversational website copy — talk like a human.
Use the words you would use to convince a friend to consider a product face-to-face. Write out how that conversation might go. Then, translate that into clear, concise, and useful language for your website.
To write conversational website copy, keep the following in mind:
Use active voice.
Include the subject in the action.
Lead sentences with verbs.
4. Focus on your customers to help them intuitively understand what’s in it for them
We’re all taught to be less self-centered. Yet, this is a common trap to fall into when writing website copy.
So many websites center around “we” and “I,” not “you.”
For example, “We can help you…” is all about the company. “You can achieve…” is all about the customer.
That simple switch in positioning makes the content about the customer, helping them instantly form a closer connection.
People who visit your website don’t care about how great you think your product or service is — they want to know what’s in it for them and how your product or service can improve their lives.
And they’re not going to take the time to translate your business-centric copy into the value they see for themselves.
To make sure your website copy is customer-centric, ask yourself the following questions:
What problem can I solve for my target audience?
What sets my business apart from the competition?
What information do customers need to commit to a purchase?
How can I best address customer concerns?
By discussing what your potential customers can do with your product or service, you’re offering something of value and playing to their emotions. And that’s what hooks someone.
5. Consider your content hierarchy to ensure you’re highlighting your most important message
A lot of websites make the mistake of burying the most important thing they have to say.
That’s likely because the team didn’t prioritize the content hierarchy of the information in the development of the website.
By thinking about the content hierarchy of your website, you decide which information matters most, in what order, and why.
Not only do you make that decision for yourself, you make it for your website visitor, allowing them to clearly grasp your offering.
To think about the content hierarchy of your website, keep the following in mind:
Brain dump everything you want to say on your website page to start.
Juggle and rearrange the order of your points until the hierarchy prioritization makes sense.
Layer on content, and continuously check to make sure your hierarchy stays intact.
On average, visitors to a page will only read 20% of its content. That makes structuring your page with key points that much more important.
Take a moment this week and see how your current website stacks up against these tips. Your website visitors will thank you.
