Why? Because the text on your website should actively attract new clients, make you money, and help your business grow. From uninspiring self-centred pages to SEO-deficiency, we’re about to share exactly what’s been holding your website back, and how you can make it a whole lot more effective!

1. You say ‘we’ more often than you say ‘you’

Self-absorbed web copy turns off visitors and kills conversions. Funny enough, it seems 90% of websites miss the mark completely. It’s “we do this” and “we do that”. “Look at me! I’m brilliant!” As I often say to my clients, your audience doesn’t care about you (yet). If a business owner prefers to focus on what he or she wants to say instead of what the audience needs to know, the results will be the same: low engagement and poor conversion rates.

The fix:

Write your web copy with your audience in mind. Get to know them, speak their language, identify their pain points, and clearly communicate how you can solve their problems or take away their frustrations. Use concise and strong language, answer questions, highlight benefits, and incorporate numbers where you can. Three compelling, relevant points that hit the mark with your ideal client are much better than 10 that prospects don’t care about.

2. You’re nowhere to be found in Google

There are a few reasons why your website is not showing up in Google’s search results and many of them are easy enough to fix. Your site could be brand new (if you only launched your site this morning, then the most straightforward explanation is that Google just hasn’t found it yet), it hasn’t been indexed, or you could have duplicate content issues. Your copy could also be the problem. Google scans your website for meta content, keyword saturation, relevant content, and many other things. If your copy isn’t great, Google is unlikely to prioritise it for its users.

The fix:

Not only should the text on your website be easy to read and relevant, it also must have the right keywords and phrases worked in, in the right places, and without too much repetition. Keywords can be a single word or a short phrase. These should be terms that are relevant to your site and that people are likely to pop in the search bar when they use Google. Google’s algorithm also ranks sites with original, relevant content higher than those with content that’s repeated elsewhere. If you want to read more about SEO, check out this blog post.

3. Your website copy has gone stale

Your website should not be a set-and-forget exercise! When was the last time you gave your website a refresh? When did you add new content? If your answer is “ages ago,” then it’s highly likely that your website is getting stale. It’ll need new material, and probably a new look as well. Search engines love fresh content! Broken links and 404 error pages, outdated information, and irrelevant or low-quality content are instant red flags.

The fix:

Much like your vehicle, if you identify and rectify problems with your website early, you’ll save expensive repairs down the line. It also ensures optimal performance. A website audit is a great place to start. Find someone (or get in touch so we can recommend one of our awesome partners) to audit your website for technical issues and SEO, and carefully review the copy on all pages. You could also get the UX (user experience), backlinks and code checked, your social media reviewed, and a competitor analysis done. At least then you’ll know what needs to get done to your website back on track.

4. Your tone of voice is lost

The tone of voice of a website is super important, but often overlooked. How you speak is just as important as how you look, and it isn’t what you say but how you say it. In a competitive market where businesses do their best to match each other on cost and quality, people’s choices are influenced (consciously or not) by how what you offer is presented and delivered. Your tone of voice is what leaves an impression on your visitors.

The fix:

The first two things you need to know before setting the tone are:  who is your ideal client (more about that here) and what do you want to achieve? Your answers to that should be the force behind your website’s content. Once you’ve determined your audience and your site’s purpose, you’re halfway to deciding on tone of voice. A few more tips: always write for a smart reader who isn’t necessarily an expert on whatever topic you’re talking about. Also, avoid acronyms and jargon. You don’t want your reader to lose focus or having to scroll away from the page to look something up.

5. Your competitors are doing it better

If you don’t see the value in investing in a great website with well-written copy but your competitors do, you’re in trouble. Your competitors could be publishing content consistently, just to improve their Google rankings. However, you’ll find that many websites have pretty average content or rely heavily on ChatGPT. That’s where you can make a difference. Well-written and relevant content that your ideal client really wants, written by a professional copywriter, will always outperform the rest.   

The fix:

What you need to do to is not just publish fresh content but offer real value to your website visitors. In this blog I’ve published earlier,  you’ll find a whole lot of valuable tips and tricks on how you can stand out from your competition. I’m 100% sure it will help you increase sales and engagement and no, it’s not just your website I’m talking about!

Do you get enough leads in your inbox that come directly from your website? If you don’t, it means it’s not doing its job properly. Maybe you’ve written your own website copy or outsourced it to the cheapest writer. Perhaps a friend of your neighbour’s cousin’s daughter had a crack because she’s good at English Literature.

If you do understand the importance of high-quality content (that’s why you are reading this, right?) and need a pro to help you get it right, we’d love to hear from you. Your website copy should be working for you 24/7. If it hasn’t been doing that, you should seriously think about a copy refresh. Ultimately, success comes with delivering value.

A few last words about strategic website copy

If you want your website to convert and turn prospects into hot leads, make sure:

• It has clear and concise overall messaging
• You’ve done solid research of your ideal client and speak their language/voice
• It stands out from your competitors’ websites for all the right reasons
• You’ve added all the right SEO keywords and key phrases in the correct places
• The copy is written with readability, the user experience (UX) and SEO in mind

It needs all those conversion elements and more (great design, fast loading, awesome images) to take someone from a prospect to a paying client. Investing in an experienced and professional SEO focused copywriter makes total sense if you want to make a positive impact on your bottom line.

~ by Martine Pierhagen, founder of Sweet Orange Copywriting & PR

Need more reasons to outsource your copywriting? Have a look here. 

~ Again, with thanks to the amazing photographers from around the world that generously upload their work for free sharing on unsplash.com