How to Write Your Website Copy: Hire a Copywriter

There is one huge roadblock we see time and time again in web projects: content.

No matter if you’re building your own website or you’ve hired a website design and development company to do the work for you, creating and sourcing content is an inescapable part of the process. Unfortunately, people tend to underestimate the importance of great website content and don’t recognize how difficult it can be to write website copy until their project comes to an absolute standstill.

Ever hear the saying “all flash and no substance?” Even the most impressive web design isn’t enough to carry a website with no (or terrible) copy.

5 Reasons to Use Website Copywriting Services

Getting content from clients is often the most difficult step in the website build process, and a large part of that content is the finalized website copy. Hiring a copywriter for your website is one of the best things you can do for your site and your business.

A Website Content Writer Saves You Time & Money

Website copywriting services are often the first line item to get axed when companies start pinching pennies and cinching budgets. The thought process typically falls along three distinct yet similar lines:

• “I’ve been in this business for X number of years and know my industry upside down and backward. I can write the copy, easy.”
• “Oh, we can handle that in-house. I’ll just assign it to X person.”
• “We can write the website copy as a team… Each employee will be responsible for their own section of the website.”

While that might sound all well and good, the reality is that all three of these approaches are time-consuming options that sap your and your company’s resources. And unless you or someone else on your team is a professional copywriter, these three content creation approaches are destined to fail or result in a mediocre product, at best.

In the first scenario, you are not only tying up a ton of your precious time as a business owner writing copy, you’re also running the risk of being too knowledgeable about your industry or business (more on that later).

With the second approach, poor person X (let’s call him Todd), has just gained another full-time job. In addition to all of his usual duties, Todd now has to find the time to write an entire website. Both endeavors – and Todd – are sure to suffer as a result.

Finally, spreading out the copywriting responsibility to multiple people will result in a website that sounds like it has a personality disorder. Everyone writes at different levels and has their own unique voice and tone – which is great, so long as each section of your website doesn’t have its own unique voice and tone.

Ultimately, time is money and money is time. The longer your web project drags on while waiting for copy and copy edits, the more your website will cost. Save money and time in the long run by spending a little more at the beginning by hiring a copywriter.

Website Copywriters Speak to the Laymen

While great technical copywriters are well-versed in their niche and can produce detailed blog posts and white papers on their field of expertise, they can struggle to speak to laymen (i.e. the public). The same goes for business owners and company insiders. As an industry expert, you know too much about your field… which can lead to copy that talks above – not to – your target audience.

Website copywriters are typically generalists by necessity. They’re good at learning about new businesses and industries, synthesizing the information and then explaining the product / service / industry to the laymen in an engaging and enticing way.

A Professional Copywriter Can Help Determine Brand Voice & Tone

If your company is just starting out, or if you’re looking for a brand refresh, a professional copywriter can help you determine or refine your brand’s voice and tone. Your website is the foundation of your brand’s image and it’s important that it strikes the right tone both visually and verbally. Once set, your brand’s foundation can then be built upon via other marketing efforts that match your brand’s voice.

Website SEO Services Drive Organic Traffic with SEO-focused Copy

There is no “one weird trick” to rank and it doesn’t happen overnight. Website SEO is a slow-growth strategy that takes time, effort and continual quality content to develop and maintain (i.e. informational SEO-focused blog posts).

While website SEO ranking is determined by a whole host of factors, it’s important to start off on the right foot if you want to land on that coveted first page of Google. One of the best ways to optimize your website for SEO is to improve your website copy. This requires intensive SEO keyword and competitor research, interlacing headlines and page copy with relevant keywords (NO keyword stuffing!), writing great copy filled with quality content and optimizing page titles and metadata.

As much as website SEO ranking can feel like rocket science, it’s more of a delicate art that takes a lot of effort and nurturing to flourish.

Copywriters Provide Bang for Your Buck

Why pay for a fancy new site if the content doesn’t engage your audience? Whether you’re paying with your own blood, sweat and tears building your own site or have invested thousands of dollars in a professionally-built custom website, throwing good money after bad is never a great business plan.

Website copywriting rates may seem like a lot on top of what you’re already paying for a site, but the return on investment – in terms of time saved, product quality and organic traffic – is worth every penny.