Great news, you’ve managed to convince a potential customer to look at your website. But what now? How do you convince this visitor to delve deeper into what you can offer? How do you convince them to take the next step in the customer journey? How do you get them to buy your product or service?

The answer – Great website copy.

Great website copy is vital in ensuring prospects stay on your site. It can be the difference between the prospect taking the next step along the customer journey or them clicking-off your website.

So here are the top six tips from the Richmond Marketing Consultancy in using captivating copy to help keep customers moving along their journey.

Know your Audience

It feels as though there is barely a marketing blog I write in which this is not my first tip. But it is there for a reason. And that is knowing your audience is the essential first step in any marketing activity.

It can be helpful to imagine a profile of a member of you target audience and write copy as though you are talking to them. What do they want? What tone of voice would you use addressing them? Do they know a lot of technical jargon, or do you need to simplify your message?

Considering who you are writing to is the first step in producing great copy.

Focus on the Headline

The headline is the most important part of any copy you write.

The fundamental aim of any copy is to be read by your target audience. Without a compelling headline, no matter how great the rest of the copy, it will not be read.

A captivating headline should entice the reader with a proposition. It should offer the reader with something useful, information that will improve their lives.

Common simple-to-use tactics that allow anyone to write an effective headline include:

• Offering a guide to the reader, also known as the ‘How-to- headline’ – How to Write Great Website Copy in 6 Easy Steps.
• Posing a question of interest to the reader – Do You Want to Find out How to Write Great Website Copy?
• The list headline (as used in this blog) – 6 Tips to Writing Great Content
• Using a command to inform the prospect what to do – Write Great Copy Today!
• A direct headline making your proposition completely clear to the prospect – Free Essential Copy Writing Tips for Your Website

Focus on the Sub-Headlines

It is not just the headline that it is important, sub-headings are crucial too.

Most readers do not read copy from top to bottom in one go. They skim, they jump around, they might cut to halfway down the page and then back to the top. Sub-headings act as a guide; they allow the reader’s eyes to move all over the page without getting lost.

They also break up what can otherwise be an imposing wall of text into easy to manage chunks. Break your copy up into small sections and allow the reader to take on each section by itself.

Keep it Simple

Copy should be simple. A long sentence or paragraph without pause can be as tiresome to read as it is to write.

Don’t be scared to break up paragraphs or bend the rules of grammar to help the reader. Start a sentence with a conjunction, leave a sentence fragmented and use contractions when appropriate. Your old English teacher may have a heart attack but keeping copy simple is the best way to ensuring it is read.

Remember, most people don’t speak the way they write, so don’t feel the need to follow grammatical rules if you can maintain clarity without them.

Be Credible

Behind all great copy though is an authority to speak on the subject you are writing on.

Your reader must believe that you have the credibility to back up your assertions. Use statistics, references and testimonials to give authority to claims you make.

For example, The Richmond Marketing Consultancy was founded in 2009 and its founder has over 25 years’ experience in marketing strategy and communications.

Write it for the Machines

Unfortunately, unlike traditional copy, website copy is no longer solely for our human eyes. The machines have taken over.

Copy must now be search engine optimised (SEO). Often this can be achieved by writing for your ideal customer. Use the same words they might in a search term to help boost your chances of being found by the major search engines.

Cross referencing with other websites can also be a great way to offer your reader more material, as well as helping to increase your search engine rank.

If you are thinking about updating your website, please get in touch with us at The Richmond Marketing Consultancy. We would love to hear from you

Further Reading

If you want to read more My.copyblogger produces some fantastic free resources on producing great copy http://my.copyblogger.com/