Website copy should be clear, concise and effective in communicating its message to its visitors, when writing website copy there are several elements that need to be included to create effective website copy.
Website copy should include the problems that are being solved plus their benefits, what makes them different, why they should be trusted, what actions to take to get started and reasons to stick around and explore. This is communicated through headlines, subheaders, body and CTAs.
In this article, we’re going to explore each of these elements that are essential to creating a powerful persuasive copy.
Which Page Are You Writing
First, you need to determine which page you are writing for, a homepage is an “elevator pitch” about who you are and what you do whereas an about page is where visitors go to get the full story. Keep the About page separate from the homepage and only write the need-to-know stuff on the homepage. This keeps your “pitch” short and sweet and quick to the point.
Landing pages on the other hand are designed to receive traffic from a very specific source like an advert or email so they have a single call to action and focus on converting. in the following where going to focus on the elements to include on the homepage of a website
List Problems Solved and Benefits
The hero section, the first thing visitors see when they land on your page i.e. above the fold, is the most important section of your page. let’s face it when some visits your page they’re asking “What’s in it for me?” if they don’t know what is in it for them from the get-go then they’re more likely to bounce on out of there.
So above the fold is where you clearly state the business or brand name and the unique selling proposition. What problem are you solving and what benefits do they get after using your service or product?
This section ideally has a clear, punchy, short headline and sub-headline that states what you do, what you solve and if you plan on capturing leads a call to action so visitors know what to do next. This is also a great place to add your logo and an easy-to-navigate menu.
What Unique Features make you Different
It’s important to understand the target audience and what they are looking for, in order to create a connection with them, so before writing out what makes you different make sure to have that sorted and then and only then somewhere on your website, add a short description about you and your story to create trust and reliability. People are looking for a tribe they can connect to having a short bio, origin story, or company mission and values are a great start to building trust and reliability.
This could be in the form of:
- Personalized experience
- Interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, or games
- Innovative tech
- Exclusive content
- Social responsibility
- Exceptional Customer service
Show what makes you legit
This one is an easy one but only once you have reviews or collaborations with other people or businesses in your field. After working with someone make sure to get a testimonial or review and weave it into your copy or have a section dedicated to testimonials
As you have already read probably 100 times, but here it is again, social proof generates trust and credibility, over time it gives you authority in your chosen field and people are more likely to follow through with someone who has many or even better, high profile testimonials.
Get creative and include testimonials, case studies, and reviews to build credibility and demonstrate the value of your offering. Here are some great ideas for social proof
Mention what you do
Many websites make the mistake of not mentioning what they do on their homepage, remember I said this is an “elevator pitch” so you can add an in-depth paragraph or paragraphs, just don’t add it to your homepage, put it in your About page and keep the “what you do” section short and sweet on your home page with a link to your About page
Don’t risk visitors bouncing before they even have the slightest idea about what your services are or what you do. Have a section that clearly summarizes the product or services you provide i.e. what you do, and convey it benefits this will provide
Tell Them How To Get Started
Never assume people will know what to do next always show them how to get in touch with you how to get your product or how to potentially work with you. If you have a lead capture sprinkle it throughout your website where it makes sense, just check out how our homepage at uxmalcuellar.com, don’t just add it in your header and footer section.
Alternatively, you could use a floating bar that scrolls with the visitor so that when your amazing copy persuades visitors to take action the call to action is there waiting for them. By the way, if you’re looking to write your own high-converting copy check out this guide.
Also, keep in mind to keep your call to action is highly relevant to the unique selling point you specified in your header copy. Otherwise, you may overwhelm your visitor with too much input resulting in no output by them.
Give reasons to stick around
The ultimate goal is to turn those lurkers into leads and then keep those leads in your ecosystem. The homepage should make it super easy to explore everything in your business. Here are just some of the ways that I use at uxmalcuellar.com to keep visitors in my ecosystem:
- After a visitor fills in a form redirect them to a blog or about me where they can learn more
- Have a link to a helpful guide that is relevant under the contact form so if they don’t fill in the form they can check out the guide
- after a purchase redirect the page to more resources and services that you provide
- have a super easy-to-navigate menu that visitors can use to navigate
- Share your social media and keep the icons up to date, I’ve seen so many homepages with Instagram and Facebook icons from last year and what is Google Plus? lol
Basically, if you see an opportunity to redirect someone to something that they are likely to be interested in then, capitalize on it. By the way, I have written many more posts to check out below.
