Sometimes when I start my online experience with a website, I ponder and think to myself about how much business the owners must be losing, for one reason only – the copy, or “general text” on the site is …. well, crap. Yes, it may be a great design, but that’s not going to entice me into working with this company. I want to know what the site is about and what is in it for me.

I think one of the most important parts of a website is the copy, or text. Not the look of the website, but the copy of the website. If someone is going to read something that is compelling and puts across the message, I am sure that in 90% of the cases they will look past a poor design.

This is why I don’t understand why the general text is neglected in so many cases when it comes to the website creation process. You have about 3 seconds to lure a prospect into reading and learning more about what you have to offer. Do you really think someone is going to want to dig deeper into your website if you’ve got boring and utterly non-engaging copy? The answer is obviously and simply no – remember, the exit button is only at the top of the screen and a prospect can quite easily click on it.

Let’s take the text below for an example:

            “Offering Weekly, Monthly and Yearly Rentals of this beachside property in Dromana.”

            “Beaches, local wineries, horse riding and the Dromana Drive In are at your fingertips.”

Although this is simple and lets the prospect know what they need to know, it’s definitely not engaging and interesting; imagine if this was on a real estate website, placed against this example:

            “‘Escape is set in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula and is an easy 10 minute walk to local shops and the renowned Dromana Forshaw.”

            “Enjoy candlelit dinners with million dollar views and great lunches with friends in your very own beach box.”

            “Come home to relax in a three bedroom, fully equipment house, packed with entertainment for all your family and friends.”

            “Or enjoy all the peninsula has to offer with trips to Portsea, local wineries, horse riding and the famous Dromana Drive In.”

We have included all the information in the first example in the second example, plus more.

If we make some simple yet easy changes to the text, it gives us a much better chance to keep our prospect engaged and wanting to learn more. We’ve added more detail and information, added some great descriptive words and we’ve got the message across to our prospect – all they have to do now is click on the better option out of the two to learn more.

It may sound very easy, but it is in reality very hard. People go to great lengths to get that perfect mixture of compelling, interesting, detailed and “keyword – rich” text.

For the small business owners out there who are having a tough time getting there copy together, here are a few points to help you out:

1. Each paragraph should have one main point. Keep that point the main focus for that paragraph. Say it loud and say it clear.
2. Don’t make your message too complicated. Prospects want something easy and simple to understand. If they don’t get it, they’ll click on that dreaded exit button.
3. Short paragraphs get the message across. People will get scared away if they're confronted with a large block of text – why not break it up into separate paragraphs?
4. Write for the prospect, not the search engine. I mentioned keyword rich content before--that doesn’t mean you chuck your keywords everywhere. Weave them in so the text makes sense.
5. Bold key points and words that you want your prospects to remember and take notice of the most. This doesn’t mean bold a point or a word in every sentence--be selective in your “boldness” selection. Emphasize words that you want your prospects to remember and take notice of the most.

What do you think of these points, what ones would you add or get rid of?

 
For some, writing about their own business is very hard; that’s why there are professionals out there who can write it for you. If you’re not a writer, you should definitely consider employing the services of a copywriter. Copy is really the main reason why a prospect turns into a conversion; that’s why the copy has to be “A grade.”

My name is Kyle, and I'm still advancing my learning into the wide and interesting world of search marketing.