Did you know that you only have 7 seconds to capture your reader’s attention before they click away and head to your competitors’ websites?

That’s why it’s so essential that you create the kind of website copy which grabs them by the eyeballs, gets them hooked and leaves them wanting to know more about your product or service.

Of course, creating this kind of high-quality, optimised website copy does require expertise and insider knowledge to get just right.

But anyone can take steps to improve their web copy and make it start working harder for their business. Here are our tips to make this happen.

1. Be real

When creating your web copy, be sure to speak like a real human, be friendly and add as much personality as you can.

This tells your potential customers that you aren’t a faceless business, helps build connection and trust and makes you seem more appealing to your potential customers.

2. Research your keywords

Keywords help guide your readers towards finding the right solution to their problems.

That’s why it’s important that you don’t just include keywords in your copy, but you also do your research. Find the keywords that your potential customers are actually searching for and include them in your copy in selected places.

3. Avoid jargon

Make sure you use words in your copy that your readers understand and can identify with.

Yes, it can be tempting to show off what you know so you can look more like an expert in your field, but this can end up backfiring and you’ll leave your customers confused and clicking away to your competitor.

In most cases, if you aim to write at a level that could be understood by a teenager just starting secondary school, you’ll hit the nail on the head and stay accessible to all. If you’re unsure, you can use the Hemingway app to help you simplify and reach the right audience.

4. Format your content for maximum engagement

Although you always want to wow your audience with your intelligent and informative content, you also need to make it easy to read.

Make it easy to scan, avoid long paragraphs (keep it under four sentences if you can), use plenty of headers and sub headers to split up the content, use bullets and lists and include plenty of white space to help your web copy really stand out!

5. Add visuals

Help your website copy look more appealing to your target audience by using visuals such as images, infographics, diagrams, screenshots and so on which help break up the text, avoid eye fatigue and keep those potential clients engaged.

6. Write for your ideal customer

Who is your ideal customer? What are they looking for?

Identify who they are, what they want and their main pain points and you can create web copy that helps you connect with them, gets them interested and turns them into loyal customers.

Great ways to do this include using the exact words that they’d use, including cultural references that make sense to them, and speaking in a tone that appeals to their unique wants and needs.

7. Get the most important info ‘above the fold’

If the offer you’ve created on your website doesn’t capture your readers’ attention, they probably won’t bother to scroll down and see what else you have to offer.

That’s why you should always pop your most compelling information at the top of your page, so those visitors are more likely to stick around, find out what you have to say and hopefully turn into customers.

8. Write awesome headlines

Get your headlines and sub headers right and you can attract the attention of those search engines, get casual browsers to click and potentially turn them into loyal customers.

They also help make your content more scannable and minimise the amount of effort your reader needs to take to understand your core offer. Craft them with your reader in mind and include keywords whenever possible.

9. Focus on benefits

Don’t talk about what your service or product can do. Instead, think about how it can solve your potential customer’s problems and potentially change their lives.

For example, don’t say that your mp3 player offers 1 GB of storage; say that they’ll have 1000 songs in their pocket. Don’t say that your food processor can chop up food into small pieces quickly; say that it will save time and effort so they can eat healthier food faster.

10. Add a CTA

Every single piece of marketing content should tell the reader exactly what you want them to do next.

Perhaps they should get in touch for a free quote or add their email address to receive a pdf with three healthy and delicious smoothie recipes, or even click the link to read more useful (and related) content. Don’t just leave your reader hanging. Tell them what you want them to do.

Creating excellent website content isn’t always easy. But remember these tips and you’ll help attract new customers, engage their interest, provide solutions to their problems and turn them into loyal customers. If you need a helping hand when it comes to writing your web copy, get in touch. Our team of experienced copywriters can take the headache out of getting it right so you can focus on the core of your business.