Maybe you’ve heard that your website is your 24/7, online shopfront. Or that it’s your online business card. Or some other metaphor like it?

But whatever you might have heard about your website, there’s one thing we can surely agree on:

Your website is one of THE most critical marketing tools for you to get right. Because it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at Google ad words or Facebook ads or how much time you invest in keyword research of blog strategy- if your website drops the baton, then you’re dropping sales opportunities with it.

So if you want to safeguard yourself from letting hot leads slip right through your fingers, here’s 9 website copywriting hacks that are easy to remember (and take action on)- and you can do them yourself:

#1- Identify Your Audience

First of all- you’ve got to clearly establish who your website content is written and designed for. Who do you want to call you or your team, sending an e-mail enquiry and moving the dialogue onto the next step towards another sale?

#2- Create Catchy Headlines

It doesn’t matter how catchy or memorable the copy you write is- if you don’t give them incentive to read it with your headline, you might as well write THIS over and over:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lQ_MjU4QHw&w=806&h=453]

I’ve spoken in previous articles about crafting a catchy headline, but if you want to really nail it down, get your hands on the free guide here- it’s just a simple download that also reveals how to write articles that keep them glued to the end once you’ve stopped your audience in their tracks with that killer headline: Click here to get the free download

#3- Speak Positively!

Whatever you do-

DON’T think about a pink elephant with spots wearing sunglasses!

What did you literally just think of- after I told you NOT to?

How about…

You’re a kid and you’re carrying something delicate. Then one of your parents or your teacher warns “Don’t drop it!”

How much more did you stress after they said that? They had the best of intentions, but they expressed it the wrong way. The coach who sends his team out with the message that “We CANNOT afford to lose today” has himself to blame as much as his players if they fail to deliver.

So when you’re selling your product or your services in your web copy, instead of talking about what’s NOT going to happen or the problems your customers are going to avoid, instead be positive. Talk about how much they stand to gain. Sell them on the benefits.

Tell them to think about the yellow giraffe in the party hat!

Tell them that today they’ve got what it takes to win- and they should.

Make them associate positive thoughts and feelings with your product or service. Look at how companies like Coca Cola sell what is (essentially) sugary water with caffeine in it:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F411acOyIzw&w=806&h=453]

#4- Put Your Audience First

Be more liberal with usage of the word ‘You’ in your website copy. This is a word that makes your audience instinctively take notice, as opposed to talking about yourself. Look at these two sentences:

a) Scribe Copywriting creates online copy that delivers more leads, enquiries and sales for our clients

OR

b) Scribe Copywriting creates online copy that delivers more leads, enquiries and sales to you

Which one felt more relevant, as you read it?

The website isn’t written for you, after all. It’s written for your audience. So put more ‘you’ in the content and put them first!

#5- Make Them FEEL Something

Rather than presenting bland, static information, make them feel something as they read your copy. What do you want them to feel? Because if your copy makes an emotional impact on them in some way, they’re much more likely to engage and you’re far more likely to persuade them to take action however you want. I wrote about this fine art, here

#6- Talk Like Them

When it comes to copywriting (or even selling in general) getting the ‘tone’ right makes a big difference between the positivity of interaction between your lead and you. It’s about connection, earning their trust, getting them on side and getting them to believe in what you’re doing or what you’re selling. When they read your website copy, they want to know that it’s written for people like them- people who want what they want. I go into more detail on ‘tone’ and how to get it right, here

#7- KISS

In short? Keep It Simple, Stupid! The joys of editing. Basically, go back through every sentence of your website copy and ask yourself 3 questions:

a) Is it relevant?

b) Is it necessary?

c) Does it provide information of value to the reader?

If it does none of these things, then get rid of it! I also covered this in my piece on blogging: Before every blog article you write, stop and asking yourself THIS

#8- Hyperlinks- Use Them And Be Smart About Them

Using hyperlinks to external sources (other websites or articles) or internal sources (your own sites/ articles) makes your web browsing experience more user friendly but is also a boost when it comes to SEO. It makes it easier for them to learn more about your business or about your industry, without having to go and do the navigation themselves.

Make it as easy as possible for them!

But if you have too many links, or too many irrelevant links, you may be penalised in search rankings for this. So use the power wisely!

Neil Patel goes more in depth, here

#9- Be Specific In Your Calls To Action

Your calls to action (CTA’s) should be specific and idiot-proof. Because imagine being your audience, for a second:

You’re reading this site (your website) and the content has grabbed your interest and you’re reading along feeling more positive as you read every paragraph- these guys know their stuff! You definitely want to speak with somebody on the team to see how they might be able to tailor a service to fit your needs.

Then you get to the last paragraph, and below is a button…

Let’s switch back to you, the website owner-

You’ve put a button right here for users to fill out a quick questionnaire and send it to you in order to get up to speed on their requirements when you call them. So you have a green button there with ‘Submit’ on it

But the audience is confused here- what exactly does ‘Submit’ mean? Submit work? Submit an application?

It would pay to be specific in this example, wouldn’t it? So instead, on the CTA you’d put ‘Get A Consultation’ or ‘Talk To Us’- so when they click that button, they know exactly what happens next!

It pays to be specific, after you’ve done all the other great work, carry it to the very end and let them know exactly what happens next.

Conclusion

These are all simple action items you can take care of yourself. And you’re fully aware of how small changes can make a big difference in how your audience interacts with your website- and the success you enjoy from converting leads and transforming your curious audience into customers.

If you want to go in depth with this and get real, professional feedback on your website- Contact Us