Writing Website Content

If you are a small business owner who wants to create a website for your brand, you might be wondering how to write effective and engaging copy that attracts and converts your visitors. Copywriting is the art of using words to persuade and influence your audience, and it can make a big difference in how your website performs.

However, writing good copy is not easy, especially if you are not a professional writer or marketer. You might have a lot of information to share, but you don't know how to organize it, how to make it appealing, or how to avoid common mistakes. That's why we have compiled 5 tips for writing good copy for your small business website, based on our experience of building websites for our customers.

Tip 1: Know your audience and their needs

The first step to writing good copy is to know who you are writing for and what they are looking for. You need to understand your target market, their demographics, their pain points, their goals, and their motivations. This will help you tailor your message to their needs and interests, and show them how your product or service can solve their problems or improve their situation.

To get to know your audience better, you can do some research, such as conducting surveys, interviews, or focus groups, analyzing data from your website or social media analytics, or creating buyer personas. Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers that include details such as their name, age, gender, occupation, income, hobbies, challenges, and preferences. You can use these personas to guide your copywriting and make it more personalized and relevant.

Tip 2: Write clear and concise headlines and subheadings

The headline is the first thing that your visitors see when they land on your website. It should capture their attention and entice them to read more. A good headline should be clear, concise, and compelling. It should communicate the main benefit or value proposition of your product or service, and include a keyword that relates to what your audience is searching for.

Subheadings are also important for breaking up your copy into smaller sections that are easier to read and scan. They should summarize the main points of each section and highlight the key information or features. Subheadings should also be clear, concise, and compelling. They should use action verbs or questions that encourage your visitors to continue reading.

Tip 3: Use simple and conversational language

One of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make when writing copy for their website is using complex or technical language that confuses or alienates their audience. Unless you are targeting a very specific niche that requires a certain level of jargon or terminology, you should avoid using words or phrases that are too difficult or unfamiliar for your average reader.

Instead, you should use simple and conversational language that sounds natural and friendly. You should write as if you are talking to a person face-to-face, using words that they would use and understand. You should also use the active voice instead of the passive voice, as it makes your sentences more direct and engaging. For example:

Passive voice: "Your website will be built by our team of experts."

Active voice: "Our team of experts will build your website."

Tip 4: Focus on benefits rather than features

Another common mistake that small business owners make when writing copy for their website is focusing too much on the features of their product or service rather than the benefits. Features are the characteristics or attributes of your product or service, such as its size, colour, speed, or functionality. Benefits are the outcomes or results that your product or service provides for your customers, such as saving time, money, or hassle.

While features are important to describe what your product or service does or how it works, benefits are more persuasive and appealing to your audience because they show them how your product or service can improve their lives or solve their problems. Therefore, you should always emphasize the benefits over the features in your copywriting.

For example:

Feature: "Our website builder has over 100 templates to choose from."

Benefit: "You can create a stunning website in minutes with our easy-to-use website builder."

Tip 5: Include a clear and strong call-to-action

The last tip for writing good copy for your small business website is to include a clear and strong call-to-action (CTA) at the end of each page or section. A CTA is a statement or button that tells your visitors what you want them to do next after reading your copy. It could be signing up for a free trial, requesting a quote, downloading a guide, contacting you for more information, or buying your product or service.

A good CTA should be clear, concise, and compelling. It should use action