Most business owners think that their most difficult problem is going to be finding the best web design firm for their new website. That’s definitely up there, but in reality their biggest problem is usually putting together the content for their new website.
Why is website content such an issue?
Most people are not wordsmiths, and they don’t really know how to write content that is specifically targeted to their customers. It’s fair to say that an Australian web design company that doesn’t recognise this problem will keep asking you for your website’s content, so they can complete your project on time — without being able to help you actually create that content.
This means that, unless you have your own copywriter, it’s best to find a website design and SEO company in Australia who understands this issue and automatically offers you the services of their copywriter. Handing this job over to a website consultant who specialises in writing online content dramatically reduces your stress levels and helps to push the project swiftly towards completion.
What does copywriting mean, and what do copywriters do?
The general term “copywriting” means writing text for the purposes of marketing, advertising or promotion. Professional website copywriters are experienced in writing readable and understandable text that effectively gives over all the necessary information, but in a highly engaging way. The ultimate aim of copywriting is to result in increased sales, leads, or customers.
Content writer vs copywriter
You may see the terms content writer and copywriter used interchangeably. On a technical level, content writers generally produce text that is aimed at informing an audience whereas copywriters are focused on marketing or advertising. Of course, both roles write content/copy so they are often used in the same context.
Website writers often find themselves producing both content writing and copywriting work, as many businesses and organisations will want a mix of informational and marketing content.
What is the role of a copywriter?
The role of a copywriter is to produce sales content that effectively markets your product or services. If the objective of your website is to sell more products or services, raise awareness around your brand, or persuade your target audience to take a specific action, your copywriter’s role is to ensure the text and copy works to that end.
SEO copywriters
Within the industry of copywriters, there are more specialised roles, such as SEO copywriters. SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the practice of using strategies to improve your website’s ranking in search engines like Google or Bing.
SEO copywriters employ various techniques, such as creating compelling headings and keywords, to ensure the content on your website helps your overall search engine ranking.
Professional, experienced SEO copywriters are also vital for ensuring you don’t engage in any “black hat” practices. For example, keyword stuffing is the practice of jamming an unnatural amount of a particular search term in a paragraph of copy. Nowadays, not only will that not help your SEO but it will actually hinder it.
Principles of professional copywriting
1. Be specific to boost credibility
When you’re looking at the professional services of a copywriter, check to see how specific they are in their writing. General statements using waffly language are less likely to instil credibility.
2. Develop a strategy to get people to take action
Don’t just think that all copywriters do is write copy. In order to craft compelling content, copywriters need to develop a strategy to effectively prompt the reader into taking a particular action. This might involve identifying readers’ objections and preemptively counteracting them, or focusing on the benefits of a product or service rather than merely the features.
3. Focus on your call to action
The call to action is the activity that you want your website reader to do. Whether it’s calling your office phone line or buying a new product online, when you hire a professional copywriter they should be focusing all of their writing on your desired call to action.
4. Use evidence in your copy
Experienced copywriters know the power of good evidence. Skin cream that’s advertised as being recommended by 9 out of 10 dermatologists is going to be a lot more enticing to customers than skin cream that’s just really good for smooth skin.
How professional copywriting helps you
If you’re still not convinced that a professional copywriter is the best move for your new website, here are 7 things to consider:
- Professionally written copy can help you to beat the competition by having content that engages with your customers, answers all of their questions and makes their buying decision very easy.
- Your content is written specifically to sell your products and services.
- Google likes to rank web pages that have lots of high quality content, and a copywriter will ensure that all of your pages are professionally written to a high standard.
- Each page on your website will be optimised for search engines with keywords, title tags and meta descriptions to help your site rank higher.
- Your website will be launched earlier, instead of being held up waiting for you to write the content (in amongst running your business).
- You save a lot of time and energy, and reduce your stress levels when you leave the copywriting to a professional.
- Ultimately, good copy can be the difference between customers buying your products or services, or leaving and going to the competition.
Generally, it’s only the best web design firms that will be able to offer you the services of a copywriter. So use this as one of your benchmarks when selecting an Australian web design company for your new business website.
GO Creative is one of the leading website design and SEO companies in Australia. If you want a high quality website for your business with professional copywriting, call us on 07 3333 2932 or get an instant quote online.
