Believe it or not, your website is there to sell.
In the past, when I’ve worked on website content projects, I have had clients say “we’re not to bothered about the website because we don’t sell through it.” Thankfully that’s not something I hear too much these days because most people now get that is exactly what a website is for.
But not sell in the conventional sense.
Let me explain.
People don’t like being sold to. If they buy they want to believe it’s because they’ve made an informed decision that hasn’t been influenced in anyway by anyone else.
Of course, you and I know that’s not true, because even though the words on your website aren’t delivering a hard-nosed sales pitch, they have been crafted to persuade your reader that you’re the right company for them.
Who are you?
One of the most important things to consider when creating your web copy is your audience.
Why?
Because that is who your content should be aimed at.
Believe it or not, the content on your website shouldn’t be about you.
Everything you write must resonate with your audience. It must show them you understand their pain and how you’re going to take it away to make their life easier.
It should also ‘speak’ to them and that means writing your content in the second person – abandoning the usual ‘we’ and replacing it with ‘you’.
Who are you?
Same heading, different focus; this time ‘you’ refers to your company.
Thinking mainly about the home page, you only have a few seconds to convince your visitor that you’re the right company for them.
That means no waffle.
In a few seconds they have to understand what you do, how you’re going to help them and provide proof that you can do what you say you can do.
That’s quite a tall order, so I’m going to break it down for you.
Why you’re different
You have to show them what makes you different from your competitors – your unique selling point.
This often takes some thinking about, but there must be something you offer that your competitors don’t.
It’s important you don’t trash your competitors – no one will be interested in that – you have to show yourself to be a superior company in terms of product, customer service, or any other area.
How you’ll help them
Your home page is also the place to push your main benefit – the thing that will make their life easier.
The reason they have landed on your home page is because they are searching for the solution to a problem, so it’s your job to show them you can solve it for them.
Where’s the proof
Granted, just telling them about the benefits isn’t really going to do it. If you want them to delve deeper into your website you have to give them proof.
Make sure your home page also shows testimonials, reviews and even client logos so they can see whom you’ve helped.
Is that it?
As you can see there’s a lot to think about when creating your web copy, especially for your home page, but we haven’t finished yet.
Once you have them on your site and ticked all the boxes above, you have to tell them what to so next and that means a strong call to action.
Whether your goal is to get them to click through to your product page, sign up for your newsletter or report, or get them to email or phone for more information, tell them that’s what they should do.
Omitting it will see them wander off to another website and you don’t want that.
Creating powerful website copy is more than just describing what you do. You have to sell your company in a way that doesn’t feel like a sales pitch. You have to prove you can make their life easier in a way no other company can. And you have to do all that as succinctly as possible.
It’s a tall order, but if you get it right you’ll have a very powerful sales tool on your hands.