The Ultimate Guide to Website Copywriting for Beginners In 2022

The Ultimate Guide to Website Copywriting for Beginners In 2022

The Ultimate Guide to Website Copywriting for Beginners In 2022

Are you struggling to turn your visitors into customers?

Your website copywriting might be the reason.

These days, a consumer's average attention span is 8 seconds. It means that you have 8 seconds to grab your visitors’ attention, hook their interest, and convince them to stay on your website for longer.

Your website visitors will only read 20% of your web content.

That’s why you need carefully crafted website copy to ensure the words you choose resonate with your audience, enticing them to learn more and engage with your brand.

 

What You’ll Learn in This Guide 

Wondering how website copywriting can drive customer engagement and increase your sales?  

In this ‘’copywriting for websites’’ guide, I’ll answer two questions: 

  • What is website copywriting?
  • Why is it so critical to any business? 

I’ll also provide you with 10 website copywriting best practices to help you optimize your site and improve your bottom line.  

What is Website Copywriting?

What is Website Copywriting?

What is Website Copywriting?

Website copywriting refers to the process of writing words that inspire people to take action online. More specifically, it’s a form of content marketing that involves writing optimized content for web pages to achieve a specific goal, such as converting visitors into customers. Other goals or KPIs include capturing email addresses or driving organic traffic and qualified leads to your website. 

A highly skilled web copywriter can craft compelling digital content for your various web pages, including:

  • Landing pages
  • Homepages
  • About Us pages
  • Product pages
  • Contact pages
  • Blog Posts
  • Registration pages
  • FAQ pages
  • Case studies
  • Press releases

Using professional website copywriting services will allow you to create high-converting online copy to increase leads, engagement, and sales.

Why Is Website Copywriting Important?

Writing high-quality website copy should be one of your main priorities as a business looking to grow.


Here are three main reasons why:


Improving your SEO

One of the main reasons you need to write compelling website copy is to help you rank higher in search engines and drive organic traffic to your website. 


What is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website with important elements like keywords to improve your search engine visibility. Using SEO best practices, such as selecting highly relevant keywords for your target audience, can help you drive qualified leads to your website and convert them into loyal customers. 

The more high-quality content you write and add to your website, the better your search engine rankings will be. You'll then experience higher organic traffic and leads. For instance, small businesses featuring a blog experience 126% more lead growth than small businesses without a blog.

A talented website copywriter will be able to identify the best keywords for your web pages. They’ll then incorporate them seamlessly into the copy to optimize these pages for SEO and boost your visibility and traffic.

What is SEO?

What is SEO?


Grabbing Your Target Audience’s Attention 

You know what they say: ‘’you only get one chance to make a good first impression.’’ You also have approximately 8 seconds to grab your visitors’ attention and convince them to stick around. 

The competition for consumers’ attention is fierce.

That’s why immediately hooking your leads and potential customers by sparking their interest is critical. Engaging website copy will allow you to craft compelling hooks that will capture their attention instantly, elicit emotions, and trigger engagement.

If you’re successful, your website visitors will want to:

  • Learn more about your brand and your products or services

  • Follow your social media pages

  • Sign up for your newsletter or special offer

  • Read and share your content 

  • Comment in your comment section or discussion threads

  • Take any other action you would like them to take

Grabbing Your Target Audience’s Attention

Grabbing Your Target Audience’s Attention

 

Converting Your Visitors

If you’ve ever wondered why some websites tend to have much higher conversion rates than others, the answer is simple: they’ve mastered the art of website copywriting. 

Writing high-quality content for your website is one of the most effective ways to stand out from your competition and turn browsers into buyers.  

Mastering the website copywriting process can help you:

  • Convey your brand personality and humanize your company, leading your visitors to connect with you and buy your products or services.

  • Explain your product or service value proposition clearly so that your potential customers know exactly how your solution can improve their lives. They’ll then be prompted to buy your products or services.

  • Create powerful CTAs (calls-to-action) to encourage visitors to take action.

  • Craft attention-grabbing headlines to immediately spark your visitors’ interest (80% of website visitors only read headlines) and move them to action.

Converting Your Visitors

Converting Your Visitors


Website Landing Page Template

Adding a landing page to your website can boost your conversion rate by 23% on average. Here are ten tips on how to optimize your landing page for higher conversion and sales.

Website Landing Page Template

Website Landing Page Template

Web Copywriting Best Practices 

Web Copywriting Best Practices

Web Copywriting Best Practices

Now that we’ve defined what copywriting for websites entails and why it is crucial for your business, you might be wondering how to improve your website copy.

So, to help you nail the website copywriting process, we’ve highlighted below 10 website copywriting best practices.


1. Spend Time Crafting Your Meta Title & Meta Description

The meta description is an HTML tag that summarizes the content of a webpage. It’s the short snippet that appears underneath a specific page’s meta title and URL on Google search engine results page.

If well-optimized, it will allow your website content to come up in relevant search results when someone is running an online search.

Here are our best practices for writing a homepage meta title and meta description: 

  • Your meta title should be around 7 to 10 words long (under 60 characters)

  • Your meta description should be between 20 and 30 words long

  • It should summarize what your product/service is about while inviting readers to click and learn more 

  • Both should contain the primary keyword

Spend Time Crafting Your Meta Title & Meta Description

Spend Time Crafting Your Meta Title & Meta Description


2. Write a Compelling Headline

The headline is the most crucial element to your website’s homepage because it’s the first thing visitors will read. If the headline is weak or confusing, visitors are likely to leave the page and exit your website. 

Here are our best practices for writing a compelling homepage headline:

  • Clarity. The headline should be read and understood in about 5 seconds.

  • It should avoid hype (like ‘amazing miracle product’ or 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity').

  • It states the benefits the visitor can expect clearly.

  • Avoid confusing jargon (like ‘value-added interactions’) unless you’re explaining technical details to a specialized audience.

Write a Compelling Headline

Write a Compelling Headline


3. Include your Value Proposition in Your Sub-headline

The purpose of a sub-headline is to explain a headline further and encourage your visitors to stay engaged and to continue reading. But most importantly, your sub-headline should always convey your product or service value proposition and answer two questions:

  1. Why should I choose you over your competition?

  2. What benefits or results can I expect?

Providing a clear answer to these questions in your sub-headline will allow your ideal customers to instantly understand the value of your offer and how your solution can solve their problems.

Include your Value Proposition in Your Sub-headline

Include your Value Proposition in Your Sub-headline


4. Call-to-Action

A CTA (aka call-to-action) button is a visually attractive,action-orientated button that lets your website visitors know what to do next, prompting them to take action. You should place your CTA buttons strategically on your pages so they’re easy to locate and identify. A well-placed and optimized CTA can significantly increase your conversion rate.

Here are our best practices for writing a click-worthy CTA button:

  • Compelling CTA button copy informs visitors what will happen or what they get if they  click on the CTA button. Think action words.

  • Words like ‘submit’ or ‘register’ are too vague and are unlikely to inspire action.

  • The CTA button copy shouldn’t be more than four words long.

 Here are some great CTA button copy examples:

  •     Get Your Free Report Today

  •     Request a Quote

  •     Book A Meeting

  •     Try It For Free

  •     Get Started Now

Call-to-Action

Call-to-Action

 

5. Why Us?

The “Why choose us?” section should highlight your business’s competitive advantages and explain why your brand and products are so unique. It should also outline why your offer is superior to your competitor’s to convince visitors you have the best solution to their problems.

Here are our best practices for writing a ''Why Us'' section:

  • List some of your unique selling points, such as specific claims that your competition can’t use, and communicate them to your audience. 

  • Be clear and detailed in your copy. You can even use a bulleted list to make things even clearer.

  • Include one well-researched keyword if possible and ensure it seamlessly blends with the copy and sounds natural.

Why Us?

Why Us?

 

6. Lead Magnet

A lead magnet is a helpful piece of content you can give away for free to website visitors in exchange for contact information. Brands generally use lead magnets as an incentive to generate leads and collect precious data about their existing and potential customers.

If you want your lead magnet to succeed, make sure it provides your ideal customers with valuable information to help them solve a problem or achieve a specific goal.

Lead magnets can come in different formats, including:

  • A video

  • A report

  • A spreadsheet

  • A webinar

  • A discovery call

  • A strategy session  

  • A discount

Here are our best practices for writing an effective lead magnet section:

  • Write a headline and include the word ‘‘free’’

  • Explain what they will learn if they use your lead magnet

  • Write a strong CTA button copy that uses action words

Lead Magnet

Lead Magnet


7. About Us

Nowadays, consumers crave authenticity and genuinely want to connect with brands. They want to get to know the team behind the company, interact with real people and understand the brand’s story.

As a result, the best way to humanize your brand and provide that authenticity is through telling your brand story on your ''About Us'' Page. It’s an opportunity for you to make a great first impression on your potential customers.

Here are our best practices for writing the About Us section:

  • Showcase your fantastic team and highlight their expertise and experience.

  • Even though you’re writing about your company and your brand, remember always to circle back to how your offer can benefit visitors. Your ‘’About Us’’ page should communicate your brand story and present your offer in a compelling way to help visitors connect with you and encourage them to take action.

  • Include one well-researched keyword if possible and make it sound natural in the copy.  

About Us

About Us


8. Products and Services

Depending on your website design, you might be listing all of your products or services on your homepage or have a dedicated product or service webpage. You might even have both, so visitors can see at a glance what your company offers when they land on your homepage. 

A product or service page needs effective copy to help boost your visibility in search engines for related product or service queries and drive traffic to your website.

Here are our best practices for writing the product or services section:

  • Write a heading that captures your visitors’ attention.

  • Write a subheading that mentions the main benefits of your products or services.

  • Explain the function of each product or service and detail their benefits for your target audience.

  • Include at least one keyword if possible and make it sound natural. 

Products and Services

Products and Services


9. Testimonials

Testimonials, such as customer feedback, are a highly effective way to develop social proof, increase your credibility and build trust with your customers. 

However, not all customer testimonials are created equal. To turn your customer testimonials into a powerful marketing weapon, you’ll need to ensure they’re punchy, short, and concise, and come across as authentic.

The best testimonials typically include:

  • Specific achievements or benefits your offer has provided your customers.

  • The person’s full name, photo, and specifics about who they are to enhance their credibility when vouching for your products or services. 

  • A clear and concise message 

Testimonials

Testimonials


10. Trust Elements

Trust elements are images that instantly show visitors why they should trust your company as experts in your niche. 

Here are some common trust elements you can use to establish your brand as an authority in your field:

  • Awards

  • Certifications

  • Associations 

  • Recognizable clients 

  • Media mentions

Here are our best practices for writing the trust elements section:

  • Write an attention-grabbing heading (e.g., ‘Trusted By Leading Companies’).

  • Write a subheading that briefly explains what the elements are.

  • Include names of the trust elements. For instance, don’t hesitate to mention the name of publications that feature your brand.

Trust Elements

Trust Elements

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Copywriting

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Copywriting

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Copywriting

Question: How much does website copywriting cost?

Answer: At Copywriting Crew, we pride ourselves on offering affordable website copywriting services. Our prices start from $195 for website copy. Don’t hesitate to browse our copywriting pricing page to see our different services and fees.


Question: Can I see some copywriting examples?

Answer: We’re busy bees and work with many clients across various industries. So, feel free to peruse our numerous website copywriting portfolio examples. You'll find examples organized by type of content and industry.

 

Want to Take Your Website Copy to the Next Level? 

Hire Top Copywriters

Hire Top Copywriters

We hope this blog post has shed some light on how critical online content and website copy are to your success as a business owner. Follow our ten best practices, and you should be on your way to increasing your engagement and sales.

Don’t have the time, resources or online copywriting skills to write an engaging and optimized website copy? 

One of our highly experienced professional copywriters can help! Based on your brief and needs, we’ll assign a dedicated industry expert as well as an editor to your project. They'll harness persuasive writing techniques to turn your brief into high-quality online content that converts, and offer a short delivery time.

At Copywriting Crew, we can assist you with anything from web copy to social media posts and blog posts and we always strive to exceed our customer expectations.

If you would like to use our website copywriting services, get in touch with our founder for a free 15 min discovery call to discuss your needs. Alternatively, you can place an order directly on the order page to get started.

Further reading 

To help you get your creative juices flowing, here are two blog posts that should provide some inspiration:

How much does website copywriting cost in 2022?

How much does website copywriting cost in 2022?

How much does website copywriting cost in 2022?

Are You Paying The Right Amount For Content?

When you’re working on projects like blog posts, emails, and landing page content for your business, finding the right freelance copywriters for the job helps you save time and energy that you can direct towards other areas of your business. 

That being said, it’s crucial to understand whether or not you’re paying a fair price and getting quality content for any outsourced copywriting services. Are you paying the right amount for content? 

To better understand the project fees associated with professional copywriters, let’s dive into this topic to learn more about website copywriting rates, what factors determine these costs, and how you can get started finding the right writers for your website. 

How Much Does Website Copywriting Cost?

The topic of copywriting pricing is difficult to cover. Why? Generally speaking, there is a range of prices you may encounter when you’re looking for freelancers to develop your content marketing strategy. 

Pricing can vary wildly when searching for decent copywriters, especially when you’re choosing between writers who charge per word, per hour, or per a flat rate for their services. 

Like any service, understanding the cost of content begins with understanding the factors that lie behind these rates (which ultimately helps you find the right person for your copywriting project). Some of the factors that determine pricing include:

 

  • The writer’s level of experience: New content writers are generally looking to build their portfolio and land as many jobs as they can, which means that they’ll often charge lower prices than individuals who have years of experience working on a wide variety of online content.

     

  • Where they are located: Location plays a significant role in how much a writer decides to charge. You’ll find that the cheapest rates are offered by writers who live where the cost of living is much lower. The most important thing to remember is that cost is not always indicative of quality. It’s a common misconception that lower rates result in poor quality content. Pay attention to their experience and portfolio to see whether or not they can offer you the right results.

     

  • What industry they operate in: The more technical and difficult content is to tackle, the more copywriters are going to charge in order to take on that type of work. If you work in an industry where your writers will need to develop comprehensive content that most professionals may not be able to produce, chances are you can expect to see higher rates. 

     

  • The type of work they’re doing: Different types of work will often be accompanied by different rates. For example, if you enlist the help of a freelance writer to tackle a basic article with minimal SEO strategy requirements, you may be billed a lower rate as it takes less time to complete. If, on the other hand, you’re hiring an SEO website copywriter to tackle content copywriting projects replete with keywords, this form of content may take lots of time to complete, resulting in an extensive process where the writer charges more (you may even see additional fees like a rush fee for a rush job). 

So, how much does copywriting cost? The answer isn’t always cut-and-dried. However, understanding these factors and how they play into cost will make it easier for you to understand if the price you’re paying is worth the final result. 

Should You Pay Per Word Or Per Hour?

Copywriting is essential, as it allows you to bring traffic to your website and produce written media that converts your leads and engages your audience. That being said, paying for your content can be tricky when there are different types of rates charged by copywriters of varying experience levels. 

One of the most common questions asked by businesses is whether they should hire a freelancer that charges by word or by the hour. 

Although you will ultimately know which is right for you, paying per word is the most attractive option. This allows you to limit your expenses to the exact amount of words that are featured in the final copy. Meanwhile, paying per hour can become a problem if the writer exceeds your anticipated time frame and charges you more for the project. 

How Do I Choose The Right Copywriter? 

How do I choose the right copywriter?
How do I choose the right copywriter?

With so many different professional website copywriters out there, finding the right one may not be just a matter of money. To help you find the right copywriter for your job, let’s look at some questions you should ask yourself during the search for writing support. 

  • Have they worked for your industry before? If so, what types of projects have they covered in the past, and are these in line with what you’re looking to create for your business? 

 

  • Do they have experience working with the type of content you need to produce? For example, if you need help with email marketing campaigns, can they produce compelling content that boosts conversions? 

 

  • How much do copywriters charge and does this tie into the value they’ve provided for others? Do they have public testimonials or reviews that you can review? 

 

  • What does their turnaround time look like? Will they be able to provide you with content quickly rather than taking extra time such as a matter of weeks to complete a basic project? 

 

There are many considerations to make when you begin looking for effective content writers. Make sure to focus on these vital factors so you select a writer with not only experience writing content but the talent to produce content that performs and boosts organic traffic. 

Achieving Your Marketing Goals With Copywriting Crew

Now that we’ve tackled the question, ‘how much does website copywriting cost?’, let’s dive into how much Copywriting Crew charges and how we can help you meet your SEO copywriting needs with our team of copywriters. 

Need support with website copywriting to produce engaging content that pulls in your readers and guides them along the buyer’s journey? We offer website copywriting services starting at rates of $195 to help you reach your marketing goals. 

Looking for help developing high-quality, informative content for your blog that boosts search engine traffic? Take a closer look at our blog post writing services to help you plan engaging articles. Prices for our blog writing services start at $120 a month for a 500-word blog post. You can even take advantage of our special offer to save money on your first order!

Get Access To Better Content Today!

Hire Top Copywriters
Hire Top Copywriters

If you need high-quality SEO copy but can’t or don’t want to write it yourself, Copywriting Crew is dedicated to helping you improve your content marketing strategy with our done-for-you content and SEO copywriting services. 

Simply place your order and then answer a short questionnaire and our SEO copywriters will go to work to create an original and exceptional blog post article for you. 

SEO Copywriting: The Complete Guide For Writing Content In 2022

SEO Copywriting: The Complete Guide For Writing Content In 2022

SEO Copywriting: The Complete Guide For Writing Content In 2022

SEO Copywriting: Your Guide To Effective Content

Whether you plan on launching a new website or want to drive more traffic to an existing one, an important area to focus on to improve your rankings is SEO copywriting. 

That said, getting greater online visibility can be more difficult than it looks. Fortunately, we’re here to help! If better content is your focus in 2022, here’s your complete guide to SEO copywriting that will give you all the insight you need to thrive!

 

What Is SEO Copywriting?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting is the practice of producing content that is optimised for search engines like Google. One of the most common misconceptions among business owners is that great writing will be enough to draw in high traffic. 

Unfortunately, no matter how appealing your information may be, this alone won’t get the job done. 

Why? 

Google crawls web pages and indexes them using a specific algorithm. While great content is absolutely a key aspect of ranking and growing your business, you have to meet a specific set of criteria to rank higher on Google’s search results. 

We’ll dive deeper into these requirements later in this guide. 

Content versus copy: Is there a difference?

When researching, you may see the terms “copy” and “content” used interchangeably. But is there a difference? There is!

Copy is content written with the goal of creating awareness or spurring action in readers who are learning more about a new brand. Think ad campaigns. 

Meanwhile, content typically refers to information designed to educate readers about a certain topic and can extend beyond the written word (take videos or podcasts, for example). 

But in SEO copywriting, copy holds a different meaning. SEO copy is done to help you organically market your business (through natural Google search results rankings) and to encourage others to share the information as your traffic grows. 

Put simply, SEO copywriting is content writing, but with a greater focus on ranking and marketing.

 

What Is An SEO Copywriter?

An SEO copywriter is someone who is knowledgeable about content creation as well as SEO and can seamlessly blend the two to produce posts that attract the right audience and rank on Google. 

Because SEO is a vital aspect of your digital marketing strategy, you’ll need an SEO copywriter who understands best practices in both areas for the best results. 

 

Why Is SEO Important?

Consider the last time you used Google to look for information or a product or service.  

Chances are you only clicked through the first few entries on the first page of the search results to find what you were looking for. 

SEO content is important because it helps you connect with the individuals who are using specific search terms. When you correctly incorporate these terms into your posts with the goal of ranking on the first page, you can become visible to those who search using those terms. 

Without the proper optimisation, the pages that you’re working tirelessly to produce won’t rank, nor will you be able to tap into the organic traffic Google has to offer. 

 

What Are The Elements Of Effective SEO Copywriting?

What Are The Elements Of Effective SEO Copywriting?
What Are The Elements Of Effective SEO Copywriting?

As we mentioned previously, there are many aspects to develop information that’s both appealing and optimised for Google. Let’s walk through these key elements and learn how you can produce better posts for your audience. 

 

Headlines

The headline of your content is the hook. It’s what encourages the reader to click and probe further. 

Developing headlines that will rank and draw attention begins with: 

  • Putting your target keyword at the front of the headline
  • Following popular formats and using attention-grabbing buzzwords (without resorting to clickbait titles)
  • Describing exactly what your readers will gain from the post

Writing high-quality headlines takes practice. You can start by using a high-quality tool like the free headline analyzer offered by CoSchedule. 

Valuable and original content

When you write content for your business, your main goal should be to provide the most value possible for your readers. 

But what does it mean to create valuable and original work? 

A few questions to ask yourself when creating or reviewing include: 

  1. Is this content providing my readers with the information they’re looking for? 
  2. Is it well-researched and knowledgeable? 
  3. Is it actionable? Can readers seamlessly apply the information they learn here to the real world? 
  4. Is it formatted in a way that encourages the reader to stay on my site? Is it easy to navigate and scan so they can find the information they need?
  5. Does my information offer greater value than other authoritative sources on the web?
  6. Is it written in a way that my readers can understand?

Even though you’re writing with the intent of ranking, it’s important to remember that real people will be reading it as well. Make sure that the finished product is informative, actionable, and digestible before you publish. 

Keywords 

The right keywords can determine the success of your content marketing strategy. However, you must balance optimisation with high-quality information to get the best results. 

You can accomplish this by inserting the keyword into your content a sufficient number of times without saturating it. But how exactly do you know what the right amount is? 

Another great free tool for SEO copywriting is Yoast’s real-time content analysis tool. This tool is designed to help you analyse your use of the focus keyword within your writing and understand what changes you should make to rank more effectively on Google. 

Although it won’t provide you with comprehensive optimisation support, it can give you a better idea of what you’ll need to do to write more effectively now and in the future. 

Domain authority

Incorporating keywords into your writing is easy. Conducting keyword research to discover what you should be ranking for? That’s a bit more difficult. 

What many businesses may not realise is that your ability to rank for certain keywords depends upon your domain authority (DA). When conducting keyword research on major platforms like Moz or Ahrefs, you’ll notice that there’s something known as the keyword difficulty score. 

Keyword difficulty summarises how hard it can be to rank for a certain keyword, often with the domain authority being a central player in this score. The higher the keyword difficulty score, the more domain authority you’ll need to gain visibility. 

This brings us to our next topic: short versus long tail keywords. 

Short vs long tail keywords

Short tail keywords generally consist of one or two words. These are much harder to rank for as there are often quite a few high-authority websites already ranking with these terms, and you’ll likely only focus on these once you’ve become more established as a business. 

Long tail phrases, on the other hand, are hyper focused and easier to rank for. These will typically have three to five words or more and are far friendlier for businesses with lower DA. Regardless of the industry you operate in, there are always plenty of long-tail ideas you can use to build out your content strategy. 

When you’re looking for keywords to incorporate into your post, seek out those with a lower keyword difficulty score and place a greater emphasis on long tail options. Once you have a higher DA, you can use shorter suggestions in your SEO copywriting. 

Meta descriptions

The meta description is the summary of a page’s information that you find below the headline on Google’s search results pages. This meta description should be optimised and written in such a way that encourages users to click on your page. 

As with headlines, writing high-quality meta descriptions is something that you’ll get better at with time. However, you should optimise this summary to include your main keyword (as well as secondary, if possible) and limit its length to between 150 and 160 characters (not words). 

 

Boost Your Content Marketing Strategy Today for 50% Off

Boost Your Content Marketing Strategy Today

The guide above provides a clear overview of how to produce high-quality posts that rank on Google. However, developing the skills you need to successfully tackle these elements can be difficult. That’s where we come in!

If you need high-quality SEO content but can’t or don’t want to write it yourself, Copywriting Crew is dedicated to helping you improve your content marketing strategy with our done-for-you content and SEO copywriting services. 

For a limited time, you can get a 50% discount on your first blog post article by visiting our special offer page here. Simply place your order and then answer a short questionnaire and our SEO copywriters will go to work to create an original and exceptional blog post article for you. 

Get 50% Off Your First SEO Blog Post