Website Copywriting: A Beginner’s Guide

Website copywriting is one of my favourite types of copywriting projects. Why? Because there’s so much scope for creativity, fun, and brand personality.

But there’s more to it than that. Website copywriting is extremely technical. You’ve got to make sure you write in accordance with the way people read websites. Because we read websites differently from reading a book.

And the reality is: website copywriting is not easy. Not when it’s done right.

So, here’s a beginner’s guide to writing website copy. Whether you’re a business owner and trying to write the words on your site yourself or you’re building a career in copywriting but haven’t yet mastered the art of website copywriting, you’ll find answers here.

What is website copywriting?

Let’s go back to basics first: what is website copywriting?

In a nutshell, website copywriting is the words you find on a website.

The definition isn’t particularly complex.

Writing it, on the other hand, can cause some brains to fry.

And if you’ve found it a piece of cake to write your website copy, then chances are it’s not converting.

What web pages count as copywriting?

Rewind. Let’s remind ourselves of the pure definition of copywriting:

Copywriting is words that aim to convert.

If the words on your site are there with the goal of getting one step closer to a sale, then it’s copywriting.

So, essentially all of your pages other than your blog (where you post content) are copywriting.

From your website’s home page to your services page, every word counts as website copywriting.

Why should I invest in website copywriting?

The truth is: every business out there benefits from great copy. It’s just a fact. And you’d have to go pretty hard to find a time when copywriting is a wasted investment.

(If you’ve found it has been a waste, you’re picking the wrong copywriter. Make sure you understand what makes a good copywriter before investing.)

I know you think I’m biased when I say that copywriting could be the difference between your brand winning and losing, but I’m genuinely being 110% straight with you.

Unfortunately, people think that – because they can type a few sentences on a Word Document – they’ve got the know-how and strategy to create words that push their business forward.

You’re not that type, though, or you wouldn’t be here. So, kudos to you!

Do I need a website for my small business?

Nowadays, having a website is more important than ever.

Imagine, for example, you were looking for a wedding cake. (Shock – I’ve got weddings on my mind 💍)

You’ve found a website that makes you feel safe, supported, and secure, and lives up to all of your expectations. The price tag is a little high, but not unachievable.

Now, let’s say you’ve heard about a woman who supplies wedding cakes. But she has no website. No social media. No anything. But her prices are slightly lower.

The chances of you going ahead with that second lady are pretty slim. Because you haven’t been able to get a “vibe” for how she works, the style of cake design she specialises in, or essentially any information.

And with a wedding on the line, you’re not about to pay for a service that you have no idea about. It could end up being a £5 cake from Tesco!

Here are some reasons why you need a website for your small business.

A website shows your brand is legit

If you’re currently of the mindset that “I don’t need a website because I have an active social media account,” then it’s time to reconsider.

Because 84% of consumers today believe a website makes your business more credible than solely having an active social media account.

The truth is, social media accounts take seconds to set up. Anyone can set up an Instagram page. (I’m not saying that anyone can sell on Instagram or build a brand. That takes time and skill. But that’s another article for another time.)

When a brand has a website, though, it’s fully tailored to the brand itself. It’s more legit, credible, and trustworthy.

And if you don’t know already: trust = sales.

A website is the perfect place for promotion

We all know that the key to social media success is to provide value. Promotional material on social media only works when posted few and far between. On social media, people don’t like being sold to.

But the mindset is completely flipped when interacting with a website. They expect selling strategies here. And, for the most part, they’re even welcomed.

When navigating to your website, your leads are interested in what your brand provides – be that a product or a service – so they’re already warmed up to the idea of making a purchase from you.

That’s why – BTW – your website copy needs to rock.

A website can be a selling machine all by itself

I talk a lot to my clients about evergreen investments.

Essentially, an evergreen investment is an investment that’ll always keep paying you back, making a much higher return on investment.

Your website is a prime example of an evergreen investment.

Let’s say, for example, you invest in your website’s design, development, and website copywriting. When done right, your website will attract traffic and convert that traffic into hot leads, which will then turn into clients or buyers.

Websites do need maintenance and you should be updating it as your business grows. Still, after the initial investment of money, time, and effort, it’s relatively simple upkeep from there out.

So, your website – again, if done right – can be an automatic selling machine all by itself.

A website is yours

Say you’ve decided to build your brand on Instagram and you don’t have a website.

If Instagram were to “go under,” your entire brand has gone. All that work, all those leads, all those buyers: gone.

When you invest in a website, you own that website. You have complete control over what does and what doesn’t happen to it.

A website is a foundation for a skyscraper

Finally, having a website is a baseline that every business needs. On top of this, you can build anything and everything you want.

Want to create a course? Fantastic. Put it on your website.

Want to run a blog? Brilliant. Run it on your website.

Want to open a shop? Excellent. You get it – on your site.

Once you have a website, your opportunities expand tenfold. You can build anything you want and anything you think will push your business forward.

Honestly? I don’t think a business can evolve to its fullest potential nowadays without a website.

What makes good website copywriting?

Now that it’s clear that you need a website for your small business, let’s dive into good website copywriting.

What makes good website copywriting? How do you know if it’s hitting the mark?

Good website copywriting is captivating

We start with the obvious. If you can’t hook your readers, your website’s going nowhere.

Especially because, nowadays, people don’t actively read. They scan.

In fact, it’s been proven that most website visitors only read 20 to 28% of a website page.

That’s why you need to leverage hooks and create website copywriting that captures the attention of your readers.

Good website copywriting creates trust

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a trillion more times:

Trust = sales.

If a website is done right, a foundation of trust will be made the second the home page loads. As I said before, a website provides heaps of credibility.

But, realistically, it can also go the other way. If you have a website that looks messy, cluttered, inconsistent, and simply “DIY-ed” that features terrible website copywriting that makes little sense, that trust is broken before it’s even begun.

Good website copywriting is audience-centric

A good website talks to the ideal consumer. It doesn’t focus on the brand owners.

And while the brand owner can share their story, it needs to be written in a way that appeals, inspires, and resonates with their ideal client.

Sharing about your niece’s pet bunny’s favourite toy? Not relevant in the slightest.

(Unless, of course, you’re selling bunny toys.)

Good website copy speaks to the reader directly, and it proves that they are the main priority.

Good website copywriting shows expertise

Finally, good website copywriting proves that you know what you’re talking about.

Now, it’s important that you hear me when I say the following:

You don’t need to write super technical, jargon-filled, oh-so-long paragraphs to prove you’re smart.

You can prove your brand is the go-to in your industry by providing:

• Social proof (testimonials, reviews, videos, case studies, etc)
• Pain-point relatability
• Examples of your work (and results)
• Easy-to-digest copywriting surrounding what you can offer, how you offer it, and what it’ll do for the person reading

Is copywriting the same as SEO?

Before we get into how to write website copywriting, let’s address a question that crops up time and time again: is copywriting the same as SEO?

First up: the definition of SEO.

SEO stands for search engine optimisation.

In the most basic terms possible, SEO is about getting your website pages visible in the SERPs (which stands for the search engine results page).

So, why is everyone banging on about SEO?

Well, by being on the first page of the SERPs, your website is far more likely to be clicked on and interacted with. There’s little point in having a website if no one looks at it, right?

SEO is all about traffic.

Take a look at my Coffee & Copy Catch Up: Episode 1 for SEO basics:

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Psst! If you’re looking for more of these quick Coffee & Copy Catch-Up videos, head over to my Instagram.

So, is SEO and copywriting the same? No. It’s not.

Unless you’re investing in an SEO strategist or a content writer (different things), your copywriter can make sure your website copywriting is optimised for SEO but that’s about it.

SEO comes with blogging (ie: content writing.)

The rules of website copywriting

I’m placing extra emphasis on your website’s home page because it’s arguably the most important (followed by your services page.) But these pointers go for essentially every page on your site.

I like to think of a website as a house.

Everyone’s house is a direct representation of who they are.

If you were to walk into my living room, you’d see a very comfortable grey sofa (we spend a lot of time on it) scattered with yellow cushions and a knitted yellow blanket.

I also have a load of framed family photos all around the room and quite a few cat references.

I tell you this not to give you a vivid picture of where I live, but to prove that a home page is very much like your living room. It’s where people spend the most time. If you were having someone round for a cuppa and a cake, you’d likely go into the living room and have a natter.

Your home page is your brand’s living room. And the rest of the pages are different rooms in your house.

With me so far?

Fantastic.

So, what does your house need to do?

1. Host your unique value proposition

A unique value proposition (UVP) should be the first piece of website copywriting someone encounters on your website.

It needs to go in the hero section, and it’s arguably one of the most important components of your website copy.

But what exactly is a unique value proposition?

A unique value proposition is a clear statement that tells your readers:

• What you do
• Why you do it
• How you do it
• For whom you do it
• And why you do it differently

That’s a lot of information to provide in 3 sentences or less. But hey! That’s why website copywriting isn’t easy.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION?

A good unique value proposition will:

• Be completely unique
• Capture your reader’s attention
• Be written in your brand voice
• Create an emotional reaction
• Prove your brand’s benefits

2. Speak directly to your target audience

I know how tempting it is to say “I can’t narrow down because I’ll be niching too far – I can’t freeze out potential buyers!”

Trust me. I know.

And so many other business owners also know this. Because we’ve all been there and all dealt with the same internal battle.

But here’s the truth: by trying to be well-liked and oh-so-popular with everyone, you’re actually making zero connections. People pleasing and trying to appeal to everyone out there will result in no one being able to resonate with you.

To speak to your target audience, you need to know who they are by understanding:

• Where are they?
• What’s their main struggle right now?
• Do they know it’s a struggle? (ie: what stage of the buyer’s journey are they at?)
• What’s their ideal solution? Why?
• What would stop them from making a purchase?
• What are they truly passionate about? What gets their blood boiling?
• What motivates them?

If I’m honest, I could go on and on. Because the more you know about your ideal buyer, the more specific you can get with your messaging. But if you’re brand new to this, then the list above is where you need to start.

SWAP “THEY” FOR “YOU”

A key swap – if applicable – for you to make when making your website copywriting more audience-centric is via the use of pronouns.

If you’re saying things like “We work with consultants so they can find their dream role quicker,” you can make it far more audience-centric just by adjusting the pronouns.

So, the above turns into:

“We work with consultants so you can find your dream role quicker.”

While it’s just a little word swap, the results are huge. “You” is one of the most persuasive words in the English language, after all.

3. Cause an emotional reaction

We make decisions based on how they make us feel.

It’s a simple fact that has determined successful marketing for decades.

Think about the last time you bought something for yourself. You likely bought that product because of how it’d make you feel – even if that was subconscious.

We bought a mattress when we moved house. I didn’t buy the mattress we bought because of it’s a billion and one springs.

I bought it because I wanted to feel refreshed in the morning, cozy at night, and no longer suffer from back pain.

(Seriously, I could feel every single spring in my spine.)

That’s why your website copywriting needs to appeal to and provoke an emotional reaction.

And, because people don’t read and they scan instead, you don’t have very long to do it.

The best way? To show empathy:

1. Bring their problem to their attention. Make it clear that you – as a brand – know what this problem is.
2. Paint the pain point through empathy. Show the reader that, not only can you pinpoint the problem, but you understand what consequences that problem causes.
3. And finally, paint a picture of life without the problem. You’ve demonstrated that you understand and empathise with the reader, but you’re also offering a whole new way of life (no matter how big or small the adjustment.)

4. Use paragraphs. I beg you.

There is nothing worse than seeing a huge wall of text on a website. It’s literally like a sword to my heart.

Every single website needs paragraphs.

And there’s no word limit for how short you can make them.

Yes. One word can be a paragraph.

Large blocks of text are severely off-putting to website visitors. It sends a message that they’ll have to put in more effort than they want to put in, and it’ll take extra time.

Trust me. If a website uses big blocks of text, your bounce rate will be through the roof.

5. Write as you’d speak

While we’re focusing on website copywriting, this point is the case for any kind of copywriting.

You should be writing to mirror speech.

It should feel like a conversation between two friends over a coffee. Avoid giving the whole teacher/student dynamic. It shouldn’t feel like they’re reading a textbook.

Writing the way you speak takes a lot of skill and practice. But the best way, when you’re first starting out, is to read your writing out loud as you’re creating it.

As Elmore Leonard said: “if it sounds like writing, rewrite it.”

6. Focus on your benefits, and support with your features

Chances are you’ve heard the terms “benefit” and “feature” floating around. But sometimes, it can be really tricky to distinguish the difference.

The difference between a benefit and a feature is that a benefit is the advantage of the offer. A feature is something additional. Think of them as “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.”

Let’s look at an example.

Imagine you were looking for a new security camera.

A benefit of this camera could be that your home is protected 24/7. A feature, however, could be that the camera has 500,000 hours of battery life.

See the difference?

The “so what?” exercise

And you can always turn your features into benefits. Take that insanely long battery life. Switch that up into a benefit by asking yourself “so what?”

That game, with this example, might end up looking a little like this:

“50,000 hours of battery.” → so what? → “you don’t need to charge it as often.” → so what? → “you don’t need to worry as much about forgetting to charge it.” → so what? → “your home is protected for far longer with minimal maintenance.” → so what? → “you can forget about it while it keeps you safe in the background for far longer.”

Can I write my website copy myself?

This is your brand. No one can tell you what or what not to do. And nor should they.

So, of course, you can write your website copy yourself.

But – and it’s a big but – that doesn’t mean you should.

I’ve already outlined how important a website is, so I won’t repeat myself (despite the urge.)

But I will say that, as it’s such a large part of your brand, it’s really not worth risking.

Because website copywriting – despite it being one of my favourite forms of copywriting – is one of the trickiest ones to get right.

This article outlined the very basics of website copywriting. It didn’t, for example, jump into how to plan out your customer’s navigation journey. We didn’t address UX copy. I didn’t teach you how to measure your metrics.

And, don’t get me wrong, this article is a great place to start. And if you stick to these rules, you’ll be in a good place.

But your website is a constant. As I said before, it’s an evergreen investment. So, if you decided to invest in your website copywriting, I guarantee you’d see a positive return for years and years to come.

So, to sum up: you absolutely can write the copy for your website yourself.

But I wouldn’t if I were you.

If you’re on the hunt for a website copywriter, look no further.

👋 Hi! I’m Ami and I’m a copywriter and content writer.

Go check out my portfolio and – if you get the right vibe – book a free 40-minute Discovery Call with me.

Until then: take a look at your website and measure up your words against this article. Your website carries so much weight. Make sure she’s prepared for it.