Website copywriting is in itself a unique type of communication. While there are many types of marketing content, website copy is a beast unto itself, requiring a shit ton of nuance and the balance of brand, SEO, conversion, usability, and more.
Before we dive into what website copywriting includes, I wanna take a second to address a common misconception: that website copywriting is the same as content writing.
Copywriting vs content writing
If you follow a bunch of content folks on LinkedIn, you may well have seen this discussion before. And if you aren’t in that world, it is totally understandable that you’d get the two confused. So I’m gunna lay out some super quick definitions to get us started.
Copywriting: sales-focused writing that focuses heavily on creativity, brand messaging, and conversion. Can be seen in advertising, websites, landing pages, social media, and (arguably) email marketing. The copy is often short (or in short chunks) with a specific actionable in mind for the audience.
Content writing: entertaining or educational content, typically longer form and regularly the focus of SEO strategies. These are the blogs, cornerstone content pieces, topic clusters, press releases, and case studies that live on your website (or someone else’s if you fancy those backlinks).
Now we’ve got that covered, it’s time to take a closer look at the nuance of website copy specifically.
Nuance of website copy
As I mentioned a little earlier, website copywriting is a very intricate process. In these little chunks of copy you have to balance keyword density, messaging, tone of voice, conversion, and accessibility. Not to mention, the website copywriter needs to factor in content design into their writing process. So if you’re every wondering why writing website content takes longer, this should shed some light.
So there’s a lot that goes into it. Let’s take a moment to (briefly) look at how each of these elements and how they factor into website copy.
Keyword density & SEO
Unlike the aforementioned content writing, website copy should be much more chill when it comes to keywords. As the primary job of this copy is to convert audiences into customers, cramming in a bunch of nonsense keywords and bulking out the copy isn’t going to help. It’s just going to drive people away.
While it can be tempting to add dozens of pages with exactly the same content with a tweak in location, this won’t help you in the long run. Google is clamping down on this shit and you could be hit with duplicate content warnings. This means that a bunch of the content will be de-indexed anyway and may land you with a spam penalty across your domain.
So be careful out there, folks. A light dusting of keywords is all you need in your website copy. Leave the rest to your SEO content.
Messaging and tone of voice
These two are similar but different. Your messaging is the underlying focus of your brand. Who you’re targeting, what you’re going to bring to their lives. It’s informed by what you do and focused on the why. As much as I can’t stand Simon Sinek, he has a point with the whole “Start with why” stuff.
Tone of voice on the other hand is how you communicate that; the language choices in place. These choices can include things like punctuation, such as how often you use exclamation marks and whether you use the Oxford Comma (you definitely should). As well as the general vibe of your content. Is it giving, like, young super excitable golden retriever vibes? Or perhaps a more corporate, professional tone where conjunctions simply are not acceptable?
Conversion
This is ultimately the main goal of website copy. There will be different points of conversion on your website, depending on the type of business you run and what your goals are. For example I have 3. Sign up to my newsletter, book a place on my Write Your Own Fucking Content program, and my contact page for project enquiries(where you can choose to book a call or fill in a form).
For restaurants, the main priority will be table bookings. For event venues it’ll be availability checks or tour bookings. For many B2B businesses it’s enquiry forms and phone calls. For ecommerce, of course, the focus is on purchasing products.
All roads should lead to conversion in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Which, once again, is a difficult line to walk.
Accessibility and inclusivity
This incredibly important but often overlooked aspect of website copy is one so baked into my own process, I barely even think about it anymore.
From an inclusivity perspective, it’s a simple case of adjusting your language to your user base. For example defaulting to they/them pronouns when talking about a hypothetical person rather than he/she (or even worse, just he). Or discussing parental leave instead of maternity leave.
A lot of inclusive language has to do with neutralising the way we write and speak. Removing gender roles and gendered language from things. This also helps your marketing to be more inclusive of a wider range of LGBT+ folks.
Accessibility is also simple but more time consuming. There are design decisions that can help, like making sure the text on your website is minimum size 16, leaving lots of white space, and creating block capital headings through CSS rather than typing BLOCK CAPITALS all the time. This last one is so our friends who use screen readers don’t get shouted at.
We can also, as copywriters, focus on using simple, jargon-free language and prioritising details like alt text on images. And no, do not put your keywords in the alt text. Don’t be a dick.
What’s included in my website copywriting packages
So now we’ve covered all the things that need to go into effective website copywriting, I wanted to give you an example of what is included in my own packages.
It’s worth noting at this stage that every website copywriter will be different. I have a strong background in SEO, others may have more design savvy, and some specialise in website copy alone. No one way is better or worse, it’s just how our experiences have shaped what we’re able to offer.
My website copy packages always include SEO support. Depending on the package you choose (and your budget), my packages can include the following:
- Keyword research
- Competitor research
- Google Search Console and analytics checks (set up if needed)
- Technical SEO audit
- Sitemap design and URL designation
- Redirects spreadsheet (and implementation if needed)
- 2 x onboarding consultations
- Messaging development
- Website copywriting (search optimised and conversion driven) inc. meta titles and descriptions
- 2 rounds of amends
- Alt text writing
- Migration support (if needed)
- Pre-live website, copy, and SEO checks
- Optional ongoing SEO support
As you can see, it’s a lot more than just words. Often, folks come to me because their website just isn’t performing well with SEO or conversion. So I take a wider approach to improve both of them. A lot of businesses who work with me are also in the midst of an identity crisis, and need a hand bringing out their brand personality.
This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s just a common question I’m asked. All of this information as well as my pricing is available on my website copywriting packages page. Transparency is very important to me so I’m never gunna hide shit away with hidden costs or confusing processes.
As I said before, this doesn’t speak for all website copywriters. It’s just my own process for my clients. And it works well for all of us. If you fancy a chat about website copywriting projects and/or SEO support hours, please get in touch so we can have a good natter about your business.
