You know when a journalist asks a politician a question and they just say a whole lot of nothing? Steering this way and that to make sure they hit just the right PR points and avoid the PR disasters without committing to anything at all? That’s what your website copy sounds like when you tell me you have an “innovative solution to unlock the potential of future careers”. You know what you could say instead? “A full suite HCM system to keep your employees happier for longer”.
HCM means Human Capital Management. The title itself is a dystopian way of basically explaining “all that HR stuff”. The jargon in this heading makes sense because that’s what people in this industry will actually be looking for. The benefit is in plain English. Nothing is embellished.
The lost art of writing website copy in plain English
Over the years, I’ve worked with a fair few companies suffering at the hands of “jazzy” or even worse “clever” marketing. Folks who fill their copy with buzzwords and their homepages with essays. All in the name of standing out, ironically in an industry full of the same fluffy bullshit. To be clear, I am a big fan of my clients and I wouldn’t work with them if I wasn’t. I want to see them do well. Unlock their potential, so to speak.
Your website is a key sales tool. Especially when you work in the B2B space. Bigger investment software subscriptions or services require more money and time from your customer than an impulse purchase off a Shopify site. So you have to work harder to earn their trust.
In the world we live in, just about every niche is saturated. But the ones that aren’t shouldn’t use this as an excuse to be high and mighty, filling their copy with esoteric language and references. You could be the only company in the world that offers your product/service. But if no one knows what the fuck you’re selling, what is the point?
So what can we do instead?
The 5 key principles of writing clear, effective website copy
- Leave the jargon behind
- Be clear and precise in your language
- Use headings and formatting liberally
- Don’t speak down to your audience
- Make sure you’re targeting the right people
1. Leave the jargon behind
Sure, in the example I gave earlier there was a term only familiar to those in the industry. In that case, it makes sense. What you cannot do is assume that you and your audience have the same frame of reference for what you do. Keyword research is obviously really helpful to understand the ideas you could target for SEO. But your website copy isn’t just about SEO. It’s about usability.
I also love to use Also Asked for this. It’s a tool that gives you a shit ton of data about the People Also Ask (PAA) section on Google’s results pages. Also Asked displays everything visually and gives you a breakdown of categories and questions relating to your keywords. Which provides a wonderful insight into the way people word things. And may show you some knowledge gaps in your audience that you weren’t aware of.
So it’s important to do some research and make sure your target audience understands what you’re saying without having to look anything up.
2. Be clear and precise in your language
Look, I started my marketing career in an agency specifically working with luxury hospitality clients. I know a thing or two about fluffy copy. And sure, it paints a picture, sets the scene, and goes on forever, but you know what we also did on those pages? Very clearly separated out important information like amenities, parking access, and room sizes in bullet points.
The fluff is still there to do the brand thing (although I’m not 100% sure how effective it is) and the information people actually want is right there at a scan.
Now, a decade later, if I were to write those websites again, I wouldn’t throw in so much fluff. You can still balance brand personality with clarity, you just have to be really conscious about what you’re doing. And you can’t be afraid to edit ruthlessly so that your copy actually gets to the fucking point.
Leave the innovative, disruptive, game-changing bullshit out of it.
3. Use headings and formatting liberally
No one comes onto your website to read an essay. A blog? Sure. But that’s not what your website copy is there to do. There is a hierarchy of needs for your website copy.
From most to least important, your website copy needs to balance:
- Accessibility and usability
- Conversion
- Messaging
- Brand
- SEO
You can have the most search optimized copy in the world. If it’s in big blocks of text, no one will read it. You can have the most wonderful, beautiful, clearly envisioned brand voice, no one is going to convert if it doesn’t make sense and they can’t scan for information because your headings are solely a creative exercise.
So make use of headings, bullet point lists, tables, and white space. But keep it clear. All key information like pricing, timelines, and process should be easily scannable.
4. Don’t speak down to your audience
I once worked with a company who asked me to take subheadings out of a long form piece of content because it made them look like they didn’t know what they were talking about. This feels to me like a very antiquated view of things. It’s a whitepaper. It’s going to be read on a screen. And you know what people don’t like reading on a screen? Unbroken and unformatted text.
There is this perception that seeming clever will gain people’s trust. And while that may have been a big thing in the 80s and 90s, audiences now are expecting to be invited to the conversation, not lectured at. You can sound like an authority without outsmarting your audience.
In fact, being able to effectively communicate complicated concepts is one of the best displays of knowledge out there. And one that really connects with the busy ass people you’re selling your services to. Your website copy isn’t about you. It’s about them.
5. Make sure you’re targeting the right people
When I first started freelancing, I offered every type of content under the sun. I offered social media support, email marketing, ad copy, brochures and ebooks as well as the website copy and SEO support I focus on now. Because my audience was “anyone who will pay me to do work I’ve done before”. It’s the reason my business is called Alice Rowan Content Marketing. Casting the widest possible net while putting my name at the forefront for SEO purposes.
So I’m not here to judge anyone who doesn’t really know who their audience is. A big part of my onboarding process is finding out who your current customers are, who you want your customers to be, and how we bridge that gap.
Time and again, I come across brands who want all the traffic no matter if it’s relevant or not. So they target broad terms and broad audiences. But their conversion rates are through the floor. Meaning, not only is it not improving business, it’s wasting the time and resources of their sales people having to go through calls and emails with folks who aren’t the right fit.
So it’s important to take the time to understand who your audience actually is. Who is the buyer? Who in this metaphorical company is likely to have influence? Who is the one likely to be doing the research and creating a shortlist? You need to know how to talk to those people. Not to everyone who could possible ever have an interest in your product.
Go forth and write (or hire me to write) clear, effective copy
Yes you can still balance personality and usability. It is even possible to balance brand, messaging, conversion, usability, and SEO all in the same website. As long as you prioritise usability, accessibility, and conversion, people will know exactly what you do. Nail the messaging and they’ll understand who you are. The winning combination brings both together.
I’ve given you all of this information for free. Imagine what we could do if we worked together. If you’re ready to improve the conversion and usability of your site without losing sight of your brand’s personality, now is a great time to get in touch.
More on websites and usability
In the name of trying to be as helpful as possible (and because I bang on about these things a lot), here are some more resources to help you on your way: