If you’re doing that and also focusing on design, it’s often surprisingly easy to forget about the words on a website. In fact, copy can sometimes be the last aspect to be considered during a website launch or refresh.
“You can have the most beautifully designed website in the world but if your audience doesn’t know what they’re meant to do when they’re on your site, it’s a bit redundant,” says Nicola Withers from The Writers’ Studio www.writerstudio.co.uk “Words absolutely have their place and shouldn’t be thought of as the final piece in the puzzle. It’s a bit chicken and egg – which comes first, design or copy? They go hand in hand really, and I always think the best websites are those where enough consideration has been given to the text – the words might actually have a bearing on the layout too.”
The Writers’ Studio is one of a group of agencies we work alongside here at Target Ink to offer our clients access to the best creative input locally.
The quality of content on your website can determine whether visitors stick around or not. If your web copy is poorly written, some people might wonder if your business is equally careless… Also, you’ve probably put a fair amount of effort into building your brand – establishing trust, enhancing credibility and promoting brand loyalty. If your copy is poor quality and grammatically incorrect, this could undo all the hard work you’ve put into creating your brand.
“If the copy on your website is dull and uninspiring, visitors will quickly move on,” says Nicola. “It needs to be well written and relevant, clearly highlighting the benefits. Plus, it directs the reader in what they need to do to get your product/service and how much better their life will be as a result.”
Well-written and appropriate copy can attract visitors, encourage interaction and, most importantly, increase conversions. In addition, good content will encourage more shares on social media, as well as supporting your email marketing.
In a previous blog, we discussed how one approach to produce content for your business is to ‘think like a publisher’. In much the same way as a magazine has a variety of articles from interviews to photo spreads and news to seasonal features, the content you need to create for your website is much the same. On your website, there will be copy introducing visitors to what you do and then you’ll potentially have a news section and case study area. All of these require a different type of writing style but all need to be written well.
Many assume copy for a website needs to be written with SEO and keywords in mind and that certainly used to be the case. Not so long ago, stuffing your website content with your keywords in every place possible was the trend. However, this made web content jarring to read and visitors would typically click away.
Here at Target Ink, we recognise that keywords still have their place and, while they are less vital in the main body of any web content, it is important to include them in headings, such as H1 and H2, and the first paragraph. As part of our role, we’ll also place keywords in the meta data of a page and into the image tags.
Nowadays, Google has made it clear it rewards content prioritising the reader. In its ‘Helpful Content Update’, Google explains: “Google Search is always working to better connect people to helpful information. Our ‘Helpful Content Update’ is part of a broader effort to ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results.”
This doesn’t just cover the blogs or articles in your news section. Even if you have paid attention to creating excellent articles, then you could still be penalised if content on other pages of your website is considered not useful or relevant.
Google wants to see people-first content in the top position of its search results and, if you answer ‘yes’ to these questions, the organisation suggests you’re probably on the right track:
Google also looks for regular fresh content – so don’t write some good blogs and assume your work is done; you have to keep going. The search engine also likes it if people share your content on social media, linking back to your site – so if you post a new blog, always share it to your social media channels, so it’s seen by others who may also share it.
When you are creating content for your website, don’t get too hung up on SEO during the writing process. Instead, put your marketing head on and focus on your customers and write for them, offering them solutions and content which is both engaging and informative.
In much the same way as you might engage a professional photographer or videographer to deliver good quality images or video for your website, many businesses invest in the skills of a professional copywriter. They will understand how to craft compelling, engaging and effective content tailored to your target audience, while also communicating your message clearly and succinctly. They should take time to understand your business, enabling them to craft content in the correct tone and voice for your organisation.
Many copywriters also have a good understanding of SEO best practices and, if required, can incorporate keywords seamlessly into your content. While this isn’t the necessity is used to be, there are industries where strategically placed keywords still make a real difference. There will be a cost to working with a copywriter but, typically, we find they save our clients time, effort and, very often, money.
“Business owners are so close to their brand/product/service that it’s difficult to take a step back and become the client,” says Nicola. “An external copywriter dons that cap, whilst also retaining the business owner’s voice. And, of course, getting someone else to write the copy ultimately saves time and therefore money. Also, when a business owner talks to someone outside their organisation about the business, they are reminded of why their product/service is so great and why they do what they do!”
Finally, somebody we spoke to recently, told us they ask AI to create content for their website but – while that technology is getting better every day – can it replace the human touch?
“AI absolutely has a place in the generation and ideas behind copy but the output is only as good as the prompts it’s given,” says Nicola. “At the moment, AI can’t write to your ideal avatar, in your tone of voice, with that human element and with nuances of language. It doesn’t have the backstory to help it shape the copy or has had the conversations about the business. That all weaves in. AI is a great starting point and beats staring at a blank page, but I think the human is here for a bit longer.”
If you’d like to discover more about creating great content for your website, call our team at Target Ink on: 01892 800400.
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