Every website needs to say something. What makes website communication unique is that rich media (images, graphics, videos, links etc.) can beautify your pages and speak much louder than a plain text document.
However, the copy (text/words) on a web page still needs to be written first, and the media is then fashioned around it. We often say: "the design follows the text." Design merely complements and highlights.
If you are looking for a copywriter to do the heavy lifting for you, look no further! Pathfind Media can write up a storm.
Read more about our copywriting service.
Here is how to write your own website copy:
- Start with deciding how many separate pages there will be by giving each a title. This is called your "site plan (or sitemap)."
An example of this would be:
- Home: The first page people see when landing on your website
- About: Where your audience can read more about you
- Services: Explaining the solutions you offer
- Contact: Information on communicating with you
- After you've titled the separate pages of your website, you can consider these pre-writing questions:
- Whom am I writing to?
- What is the goal of this page?
- What keywords and phrases do I need to include for this page to rank on Google?
- Start writing content for each page like you would write an email to your audience.
Give the page a heading (something catchy and clear, which includes your primary keyword/phrase if possible)
The first paragraph to follow should be the ONE thing you want the reader to know. This ONE thing should be a summary of the rest of the page.
Then your sub-headings can list various other points, each having its own paragraph (and keywords/phrases within). You can use bulleted or numbered lists to make the content more palatable.
Each page should also include a call-to-action instructing, e.g., "Call Us", "Buy Now", or "Read More".
- Lastly, go through the post-writing checklist and make sure you've ticked these boxes:
- Is the page content between 250 - 500 words?
- Are the headings clear and catchy?
- Is the information relevant to your target audience/customer? Does it address at least one of their problems and provoke them to take the next step (call-to-action)?
- Did you use short sentences and paragraphs? Did you break up pages into sub-groupings with their various sub-headings?
- Did you state your main point in the first paragraph?
- Did you dumb down the content to remove any difficult jargon your audience might not understand?
- Is the content conversational – e.g., are you addressing the reader as "you"?
- Is the content engaging?
- Is the text free of typos and grammatical errors? (Pro-tip: change the font type and size when you check for this – it reactivates your brain to pick up errors. Also, let someone else read it.)
- Are there clear calls to action?
Now you know how to prepare your website copy.