Pass the time constructively with your 15-point Web Copy Checklist
Stephen Church ?
Human SEO Copywriter | Getting the BEST clients for SME owners by writing web copy (and all kinds of word stuff) that's Clear, Concise & Compelling | Copywriters' Mentor
(Before we start, if you'd like these tips in infographic format, go here)
So you’ve got time on your hands. OK - probably not in the way that you'd wish. But, here’s how to make the most of a spare couple of hours.
Check over your website copy. Is it up to scratch? Are you engaging your visitors? Are enquiries coming in?
Your words make all the difference - more than you might think. To help you on your way, here’s your 15-point checklist -
1. Don’t write - speak
Read your copy out loud. Is this how you speak? Or does your copy sound stiff and formal? Write in a relaxed, conversational way. Imagine you’re chatting with your reader over a coffee. The next tips explain how …
2. Use contractions
No more You will benefit, We have a great offer, Do not worry.
Go for You’ll benefit, We’ve a great offer, Don’t worry.
3. Ask questions
The first rule of good conversation - ask questions. Be interested in your reader.
Ditch Whether you’re an SME, a Sole Trader or a large business … <yawn>
Instead - Are you an SME? Maybe a Sole Trader? Or perhaps you’re a large business?
4. Short words
Forget assist, commence, dispatch - way to formal! Use the shorter, less formal word - help, start, send.
5. Short sentences
There’s nothing more off-putting than long, convoluted sentences that are aimed at impressing the reader and trying to come across as super-professional, when, in fact, all they manage to do is turn them off, so that they’ll leave your website, never to return.
Instead, mix up your sentences. Use one or two short ones. Follow up with a few medium sentences. By using a varied and relaxed rhythm, you’re far more likely to engage your readers.
6. Don’t be passive - be active
A bit of techno-grammar here. Rather than Our whisky is distilled three times, say, We distil our whisky three times. Not, Your gift will be sent within 24 hours. But - We’ll send your gift within 24 hours. See the difference. The active ‘voice’ is way more appealing and personal than the remote-sounding passive ‘voice.
7. Cliches - avoid them like the plague
It’s so easy to slip into cliches. Much better to simply say what you have to say. My least favourite? Please do not hesitate to ...
8. Call To Actions - no ‘ifs’
Forget If you want to know more. What do you mean ‘If’? Be confident. Of course your reader wants to know more! So tell them. Find out more. Get in touch.
9. Who’s it about - you or me?
You want to impress your visitors? Then address them and their concerns. No more We, Us and Our - even worse, I, Me, My. Go for You and Your. Replace We’ll send you our Welcome Pack … with You’ll receive your Welcome Pack.
10. Making your point
Ever tried telling a joke that starts with the punchline? (Maybe that’s where I'm going wrong!). When there are two parts to a sentence, stress the bit that matters, by placing it at the end. Not - Contact us today for your free webinar. But - For your free webinar, contact us today.
11. Cut out redundant words
A pair of twins, In the interim period between, Close scrutiny
12. Space
Avoid heavy blocks of text - a real turn-off. Leave space - lots of it.
13. Bullet lists
Use them. If your sentence contains a list of 3 or more services, products, benefits or features, then turn it into a bullet list -
- services
- products
- benefits
- features
14. Links
Give your website visitors a good time. Make their journey through your website a pleasurable one. If, on one page of your website, you refer to another page, take them there. Insert a link.
15. Leaving the best till last
Your web copy should be about how you make your visitors feel. Songwriter, poet and activist, Maya Angelou might not have been thinking about website copy - but she still says it best -
Use your copy to attract your website visitors. Engage them. Intrigue them. Follow these tips, and in no time, they’ll be picking up the phone or filling in that contact form.
I'm Stephen Church from Copywriter Pro. I get more and better clients for businesses by writing words for their websites which are clear, concise and compelling.
Tel - +44 (0)1604 378495