Copywriting for Your Website: Begin Here
For many entrepreneurs or community-initiative founders, the process of writing your own website copy can be daunting. If you aren’t a natural writer, you may not even know where to start. If you picked up insecurities about your writing ability along your journey, your lack of writing confidence could be holding you back, too. There might be a chasm between your desire to present your business in its most polished light, and what you believe you can do. You’re not alone: many professionals feel the same.
But you’ve got this, and I’ve got you.
Start by remembering your purpose and your passion.
Close your eyes, take a breath and remember why you started your business. What was it about your product or cause that made you feel so enthusiastic about sharing it with the world? Creatives, what inspires you to create your art? (I am referring to all creatively made products, from photographs to bedframes.) Community leaders, what kind of difference did you want your organisation to make in the world? Open your eyes and write this down. You don’t need to do this perfectly; this isn’t your copy, yet.
Then, think about who you want to serve, or who your current dream clients are. What do they look like? How old are they? What are they passionate about? Which opportunities do they come to you to find: food in their bellies, shelter, help to tell their story, or furniture to make their house a home?
What makes you and your offer unique?
By this I mean, partially, what makes you uniquely qualified to do what you do? And the other piece: what’s your unique selling point (USP)? Kate Gordon, owner of Posy Drop, knows how to build a beautiful bouquet, and the smiles on the faces of the people she delivers to makes the early morning flower runs worth it. Her flowers are purchased seasonally and fresh, and she offers free delivery between Bertram and Golden Bay.
I spent 16 years working in the Community Services sector, and even though proofreading for others wasn’t part of my job description (copywriting and content creation were), I was often sought out by the managers to do just that. I also had a 6 year career as a burlesque dancer on the side; I have always loved being creative and meeting other Creatives.
Once you know the answers to these questions, you have your content for an About section, as well as key points to include in a Products or Services page and on your Home Page. More about your Home Page in my next Instagram post.
Why start with your About and Products pages? Often, when we first start our businesses, we are more attuned to our own motivations than others, we know ourselves better than we know our clients, and it’s easier to tap into this first. You aren’t publishing yet; you are just getting into the flow of writing. Your Homepage is your website’s main attraction, so you want to be polished before you begin.
Reading back through your notes, sift out the values that stand out to you. Do they align with the brand of your business? Add any values to this list that you know you already promote. If you need help recognising a value, I like this definition:
‘Something (such as a principle or quality) intrinsically valuable or desirable.’
You are almost ready to write!
Go back to basics.
And by this, I mean: who, where, what, how and when.
This will make sure that you include the necessary information for each section you create. You might not need to include all of these, but reviewing this list will help you to answer any questions that your dream clients might have.
Don’t forget to also review your spelling, grammar and punctuation. (Also known as mechanical editing.) There are several apps out there that can help you and this article by Scribe Media will point you in the right direction. For a human touch, send me an email — even if it’s just to book a free 15 minute check-in for a little help from a friend.
You are ready to write!
Here’s a little bit of a basic guideline.
In your About section, include who you are, why you began your business/organisation and what makes you uniquely qualified to do what you do. You don’t have to be obvious about this last bit: just weave it into the conversation. You can make it stand out if you want to, though! Remember to also include why you do what you do.
When writing the descriptions for your services or products, make sure to include a sprinkle of your USP for each, as well as including all the basic information: what is your product/service, how will it help your dream client, how much does it cost or how to get a quote, your call to action (more on this another time), when is it available, etc.
And there you have it. If this post inspired you to work on your website copy, I’d love for you to email or DM me on Insta, and share your experiences and web pages. Happy writing!
