Ready to make your brand pop? I’m talkin’ *champagne* bottle poppin’ off the page status! Pour a glass of bubbly and get ready to write engaging website copy that lands customers, increases sales, and articulates your brand voice.

When you write well, your business straight up does well. No, I’m not talking about writing academic jargon that nobody understands. I’m talking about engaging website copywriting that fosters a human-to-human connection!

Ultimately, your ability to connect with your target audience dictates what they do next. So, we want your words to count!

When a new visitor lands on your awesome site, how do they decide whether or not they want to do business with you? While you may think it’s flashy design or beautiful imagery, what actually seals the deal is your website copy. 

Why Web Copy Matters

For small businesses, connecting with customers with engaging website copy is crucial.

It’s no secret that everything important happens online, so your website stands in when you can’t meet in person.

So, how do you write engaging website copy that captures your visitor’s attention and converts them from prospects to clients? It seems like a daunting task, but I’m here to help! And don’t worry, you don’t need to be a professional writer!

Whether you’re a beginner or need a website refresh, I’m sharing seven easy steps to writing engaging website copy. But first…

What Is Engaging Website Copy?

Your website copy is pretty much the first impression you make on prospective clients. Beyond that, it’s a reflection of your brand values, mission statement, voice, and identity.

In the simplest definition possible, engaging website copy uses words to describe your offerings, evoke feelings that resonate with your target audience, and convert them into a customer.

Your website copy is every piece of written word on your website, which includes:

• Landing Pages (Home Page, Sales Page)
• Services Page (Your Products or Offerings)
• Product Descriptions
• Opt-In Forms
• Freebies
• Blog Content (Don’t have one yet? Learn what business blogging can do for your biz!)

When you nail website copywriting, your website works for you. However, when your brand messaging is jumbled, people get confused. And when they don’t understand what you offer or why it’s special, they aren’t going to buy it.

We’re not gonna let that happen, because your small business deserves to shine! Let’s cook up some engaging web copy! The first order of business?

1. Know Your Target Audience

Thinking about tapping away at that keyboard of yours? First, create an image in your mind of the type of person you want to visit your site—your dream customer. Ask yourself these questions:

• Who is my primary audience? 
• How did they find my website?
• What desires do they have?
• How can my business meet those needs and desires?

Once you have an image of that person in your mind, everything you write should be aimed at them. Audiences will connect with content that they relate to, so if you don’t take the time to understand your users you won’t be able to communicate effectively with them.

If you can show them you understand who they are and what they need, they are more likely to open their wallets. And that’s the foundation you’ll need to write engaging website copy.

2. Know Yourself And Your Offerings

So, you know who you’re writing for and what makes them tick, it’s time to focus on yourself! Why? Because every business needs to have its own voice that signals visitors about:

• Who you are 
• What you offer
• How your product or service benefits them
• Why you stand out against your competition

To answer these questions, ask yourself: Do you want readers to see you as formal and authoritative or friendly and funny? Is your brand business-class or coach? Flex those nuances in your brand voice. 

No matter how formal or fun you want your tone to be, the most important thing to keep in mind when you write engaging web copy is to stay human.

Avoid industry jargon or excessive punctuation; these will be nothing but speed bumps for your readers. Instead, think of it as a conversation! Speak directly to them, using “you” and “we” whenever possible. Don’t be afraid to add a little humor and let your personality show through! 

Once you pick a tone, stay consistent. Use the same personality and verbiage across your social media platforms and marketing collateral. This will help your prospects to understand your business as well as build trust, credibility, and brand recognition.

And before we move on: a word on adding personality to your copywriting. I know many people struggle to express themselves, and the task is even more daunting when describing your biz. But please, if you get ONE takeaway from this post, it’s this:

3. Add Personality To Your Copywriting

We all have competitors, but the one thing that sets you apart from them is your personality. Sharpen it. Lean into it. Flex it. At the end of the day, many people might not remember your product or service, but they will remember YOU, yes you, the brains behind the business.

Write a Q & A blog post, add a short and zippy bio to your home page, and I am absolutely BEGGING YOU: Add an “About” page to your website. So many businesses miss this opportunity, but it can help you stand out from the crowd.

So, introduce yourself! Personalize your content. And if you aren’t comfortable stepping into the spotlight, add personality to your copywriting.

4. Keep It Concise – You Can Say More With Less

With the rise of the digital age, people’s attention spans have gotten shorter and shorter. In fact, experts claim we only have seven seconds to make a first impression!

Additionally, the majority of people search for things using their phone which means a smaller screen and less patience for scrolling through big blocks of text. 

When people visit a website they’ve found through a search, they want to locate the information they’re looking for as quickly as possible. This is something that used to really weigh me down. Why spend so much time crafting an article when people will just skim it?

Because, ultimately, it’s not about me, it’s about them.

Sure, vanity metrics make us feel good, but we’re not here to have egos, we’re creating content to help others, right? Right.

Keep this in mind while creating your web copy and get to the point quickly. Write focused, concise sentences that engage readers and tell them relevant information. Opt for bite-sized, easy-to-read content that has shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs (of about four or five sentences).

Utilize headlines and bullet points — These are great ways to break up your content into more manageable chunks and show the reader what parts of your copy are truly important for their decision making.

When in doubt, ZOOM OUT. Remain objective because, even if you are the greatest writer on the planet, you might not need every word.

Write without fear, edit without mercy!

5. Use Keywords Naturally

When someone searches Google for a product or service you offer, you want your business to be one of the first search results. For this to happen, you need to put in some time doing keyword research. 

Keywords help search engines understand what your website offers so that they can match it with people’s queries. If you want to show up every time someone types a specific phrase into Google, be sure to include that phrase naturally in your website copy.

For example, this article is about writing engaging website copy, and the keyword I’m going to rank for is “engaging website copy.” Thus, it’s peppered naturally throughout the body of the article and subheadings.

Google Keyword Planner is an excellent way to find the phrases people are already searching for. You can also use Google Trends to find relevant topics to write about. At the bare minimum, do a quick Google search on the topic you want to discuss.

Look at what’s top-ranking and try to provide a fresh take on it. Then, scroll to the bottom for related search terms and craft your post with these queries in mind.

Before you go keyword crazy, keep in mind that there is too much of a good thing. Overusing keywords, or “keyword stuffing”, is a bad tactic that can have the opposite effect. Your copy will be difficult to read, and site visitors will give up before they’re halfway done.

Even worse, if search engines think you’re keyword stuffing your website, they will penalize you by removing it from search results altogether! No bueno. You are smarter than that, and good copy will always trump bad tactics.

6. Never Underestimate The Importance of Good Grammar!

While web copy doesn’t need to be as formal as other types of writing, it still needs to be professional. This means you don’t want to be lazy when it comes to spelling and grammar. 

If a reader notices too many spelling errors or grammar mistakes, they’ll assume you have the same careless attitude about your products and services. In other words, these types of mistakes can negate the sense of trust you worked so hard to build! 

And the damage doesn’t stop there! If your site is hard to read, readers leave your site quickly without taking any action. Google records this behavior as a “bounce”. If your website’s bounce rate gets too high, Google crawlers deem it untrustworthy and push it wayyyy back to the quiet and creepy pages.

Good grammar and spelling may sound basic, but they are the foundation for your business. 

And please bear with me for a life lesson from my mother that also applies to website copywriting:

In school, my mom was somewhat of a grammar nazi. Why? In her mind, a person’s ability to speak, write, and communicate correctly is their greatest personality trait. As a backtalking teenager I’d get annoyed with her incessant correcting, to which she would retort:

People don’t care how well you can solve a math problem, they judge you by how you speak.

I can’t say I disagree! In our case, we’re focusing on writing, but the principle remains. It might sound harsh, but your ability to communicate your offerings online will dictate the success of your business. Thanks, Mom!

Planning to DIY your business blog?

I’ve got you covered! Download my free guide to business blogging for beginners. I walk you through seven steps to starting a successful blog that’ll grow your business, increase visibility, and increase sales conversions.

Grab the guide here >>> How To Start A Business Blog in 7 Steps!

7. Refine and Personalize Your Calls-To-Action

There’s no tip-toeing around it: sometimes people flat out need to be told exactly what to do. While you can’t force someone to buy your product or service, you can give them a bit of encouragement with Calls To Action, or CTAs. CTAs are sentences that entice readers to do something with what you’ve just told them. Let’s see if you’re familiar with the following examples:

• Buy now! 
• Learn more! 
• Sign up today! 
• Subscribe to get the freebie!

Seen them before? That’s because, although they are common, they work! But you can do even better.

Instead of using generic phrases like these, focus on writing personalized CTAs that emphasize the benefit of clicking that button. Get creative with it; you might even have some fun writing them!

If it’s an educational piece, tell them to sign-up for a free webinar. If it’s a sales piece, walk them through the steps they should take to complete a purchase, i.e. “Checkout now” or “Add To Cart.” 

Be as specific as humanly possible, and make it enticing.

You’re Ready To Write Engaging Website Copy!

There you have it! Website copywriting may sound like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Do your research, stay human, proofread, and keep it simple, sweetie! I hope these seven tips help you write engaging website copy that highlights the merit of your business and makes you proud. I’ll toast to that! 🥂

If ever you find yourself in an absolute pinch, offload the task to a professional website copywriter, like yours truly! Wherever you are in your copywriting journey, I want to be right by your side.