You know when you walk into a supermarket (or grocery store for my US friends) that you’ve not been to before and you need to find that one thing for your dinner tonight? You don’t go looking up and down the aisles aimlessly taking in every single product on the shelves. The first thing you look for is signage.
In the retail world, this signage is known as POS (point of sale). It helps you locate categories of products, tells you the pricing, shows if there is an offer. The pop up stands full of Walkers crisps or Tresemmé Shampoos are POS created to distract you from the flow of the shop and encourage you to buy that product because it’s on offer.
When it comes to websites, this is what we call information architecture. That signage is what helps you to find what you’re looking for as quickly as possible. And when it comes to websites, this is what things like formatting, design, colours, heading weights, navigation menus, and a whole bunch more are for.
Writing copy that helps your audience find what they need
A bitter pill to swallow as a copywriter is that very few people (if anyone) are going to read everything you’ve written on a website. And the longer the copy, the truer this becomes. We know that just about everyone that reads on a screen scans the copy. Their eyes first dart to images and visual elements, then headings, then bullet point lists, and eventually, maybe, to the chunks of copy on the page.
Chances are, when you opened up this blog, you read the first line or two, scanned the headings, and decided if you cared enough to keep reading. Thank you for being here.
So does this mean website copy is pointless? Not even slightly.
One of the biggest responsibilities of website copy is to shepherd your audience around the website and highlight key information. At a basic level, this can look like:
- Zero-click navigation menus to give folks a quick, low-effort look at what you offer
- Consistently formatted H1s at the top of each page
- Consistently formatted H2s and H3s lower down on the page to break up the text
- Bullet point lists to spell out what’s included, how things work, and/or what your audience can expect
And all of these things are dictated by your website copywriter. A complete copy document should include clear instructions/guidance for how your copy should be laid out and formatted. Then, ideally, your copywriter will consult with the designer to find a solution that works to keep the messaging and guideposts of the website as they should be.
Consistency is key to user experience and navigation
One of the mistakes I see the most often on self-built or self-written websites is a lack of consistent formatting, particularly for headings. Although folks who are not trained in copywriting may not notice it, the structure of these headings shows the reader, subconsciously, the hierarchy of the content.
Your H1, for example, should always be your largest font. Your H2 should be a little smaller, your H3 a little smaller and so on. When it gets to the lower level headings you can also use colour to differentiate. Please see the example below.
These need to be applied consistently across your website for both design consistency and for SEO best practices.
This is how my various headings look:
My H1 is used as the title at the top of the page (I would add it here but your girl is not about to put multiple H1s on a page).
This is what my H2s look like
This is what my H3s look like
This is what my H4s look like
What point of sale copy looks like on a website
Earlier, I mentioned POS and I specifically want to focus on sales-led copy. In this case, we’re looking at Calls To Action (CTAs) and button text. This is your short form conversion copy and some of the hardest to master as a copywriter.
In so few words, you need to balance tone of voice, usability, clarity, and conversion. And my friends, we are not about to start using “click here” in our button or anchor text.
A lot of “Sale” banners in a shop feel like pop ups on a website to me. The ones that tell you to enter your email address to win a special discount (which is always like 5%). Other popular options for ecommerce sites include thin moving banners at the top of the page repeating the sale and discount code needed for it. The movement catches the eye so it never fully becomes visual background noise and encourages people to buy.
However, you don’t need to have an offer on to make the most of the same sort of psychology. A well placed full width CTA, consistent conversion colours, and clever copy can get you exactly where you need to go. Especially for B2B businesses.
When it comes to B2B, the gimmicks of ecommerce don’t work. You need consistency, extremely clear formatting, and scannable information. Prices, processes, timelines, and what’s included should all be visible and readable within a few seconds.
If you bury the lead, the leads won’t come
The simplest way to improve the conversion rate on your website is to make everything crystal fucking clear. Take a leaf out of the supermarkets’ books (aside from moving everything around every couple of months. That’s just shitty behaviour). Clear signage, consistent design and formatting, and easy to access information.
And if you don’t have the time or confidence to do it yourself, you know where to find me.
All of this (and all the other info on my site) is free. Imagine what we could do together if you hired me. Get in touch and let’s chat over a cuppa.