Maximize your resources, streamline internal approval procedures, and harness the potential of essential web components. This guide provides advice, practical techniques, and effective tools for creating compelling website copy that engages your target audience.
Plan Your Resources
Time estimate:
You should plan for 2-4 hours per page for writing and reviewing content. A 16-week project generally allows around 3 weeks for this to be completed. It is common to underestimate the time it takes to write website copy. Give yourself enough time and set yourself up for a successful launch.
Understand your internal approval procedure:
Familiarize yourself with your internal approval process. Are legal or marketing sign-offs required? Determine the individuals responsible for each page's content and those who need to be consulted for content approval.
Foundational elements:
We recommend having writing foundations completed before starting the web copy process:
- Personas and buyers’ journey
- Writing style guide
- Keyword research
Web Elements To Consider
Character limits:
If you decide to write your own copy, our team will provide you with character limits based on web best practices. It is important to keep text within these limits. Less is more. Users skim-read headlines, so take the time curating what is most important.
Page titles:
Page titles should be short and compelling, include relevant keywords, and give a accurate description of what the page contains. Google typically displays the first 50–60 characters of a title tag.
Meta descriptions:
Meta descriptions should clearly state what the page is about, include relevant keywords, and stay under 155 characters.
Linking:
To enhance user experience, it is crucial to strategically incorporate cross-links throughout your website. This ensures seamless navigation and a more fluid browsing journey for site visitors.
Writing Best Practices
Stay customer-focused:
Write for your users (not your company). Remember, they don’t care about the company; they care about what the company can do for them. Click here to read our blog about customer-focused writing.
Determine a page goal:
Each page should have a clear and focused objective. Determine the primary action or outcome you want the page to achieve. Avoid cluttering the page with too many goals or calls-to-action, as this can confuse users and reduce the likelihood of converting leads.
Include the button copy for CTAs and provide the link during the writing process. These are the primary goals for your page, best decided while inside the context of a specific page within your buyers journey, not generalized globally as an afterthought at the end of the project.
Perform a quality assessment (QA):
Proofread, checking for grammar, spelling, and flow. You can use a free tool like Grammarly to ensure there are no mistakes. Someone other than the person who wrote the copy needs to thoroughly proofread to catch any mistakes.
Crafting outstanding web content may require time and effort, but with proper planning and guidance, your website redesign will be a smooth and successful process. By understanding your audience, setting clear goals, and following best practices in writing, you can create compelling website copy that engages your visitors, drives conversions, and ultimately contributes to the success of your online presence.