3 things you need to know before you write your website copy

Good copywriting is all about the groundwork - there are things you need to know before you ever sit down to write a word.

I've been writing website copy since 2015, before that, I was a research scientist at Newcastle University. As a researcher, I learnt how to produce quality results by digging deep and asking the right questions.  

Now, when I speak to my copywriting clients, I ask questions that uncover the information I need to write copy the sells. In this post, I'm going to share the three big questions I ask, and give you some juicy tips for finding the answers.

If you're writing your own website content, read on to find out exactly what you need to know before you start.

1) Who are you writing for?

Arguably the most important thing you need to understand before you start writing is who you're writing for. Getting the right tone and language is very important, but what's more important is understanding the problems your potential client faces.

If you want to write website content that strikes a chord with your reader, you need to know what makes them tick. But how can you know that if you don't understand who your audience is?

 I know it can be difficult to pin down your target audience, especially if you're still in the mindset of selling all of the things to all of the people. But if you don't decide on who you're speaking to, your writing will not resonate with anyone.

 Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Which customers are a dream to work with?
• Which customers do you have the most experience with?
• Where do you make the most profit?
• What problems do you solve?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you're well on your way to understanding who your target audience is - and therefore who you're speaking to.

2) What's your aim?

We know how important it is to understand the aim of a website from a design and development perspective, but sometimes we forget, this is also the key to great website content.

 If you want to write copy that achieves just about anything, you need to start with the end goal. What do you want your website to achieve? What's your number one goal?

 Forget about all of the things you would like it to do and focus on one thing.

 Do you want to:

• Get enquiries?
• Build your email list?
• Push people along a sales funnel?
• Convert social media leads?
• Drive traffic from Google?

 You might want to do all of the above, but if you try to do too many things, your audience will get confused and not do anything!

 It's possible to have more than one call to action (CTA) per website, but you need to be careful. It's a tricky balancing act, and you definitely need to stick to one CTA per page.

 Once you have your CTA, your content should naturally lead your reader to follow this action.

3) What makes you unique?

You're a web designer creating amazing websites, but what makes you better than other web designers? Why should people choose to work with you?

• Is the quality of your service outstanding?
• Are you the most affordable option?
• Are you a small business that knows all of its customers personally?
• Are you an agency that can manage larger projects?
• Are you a parent, juggling a business and children?
• Do you have a separate workspace with no other distractions?

 This is all relevant. You can use your circumstances to connect with your audience, stand out and be proud. The things that make you unique are your selling point.

Once you have the answers to the questions above, you'll have just about everything you need to write amazing high-quality website content. Content that speaks to your reader and compels them to take action.

 But it's not always easy to get clear on these things; you probably have lots of thoughts and ideas rushing around your head. Sometimes it can be helpful to speak to someone who has been through the process, someone to bounce ideas off.

 That's why I offer one-to-one copy consultations via video call at ￡99 per 60 min session.

 For more information, you can visit www.hannah-gibson.co.uk/website-consulting. Or email [email protected] for bespoke services.

 Speak soon.

P.S You can find the original article and more advice and tips here https://www.hannah-gibson.co.uk/blog