If you run an SEO agency or a design company, do you currently offer copywriting as part of your service? Do you get frustrated waiting for clients to write their own copy? Do you feel that your clients’ copy lets down your great website design? (more…)
Exhibitions, business fairs and networking events are superb ways to gain a sore throat and blisters but they can also mean new business, new ideas and plenty of new contacts. There seems to be loads of events focused on the online and creative industries this year so we’ve signed up to them all! See you there?
www.thebusinessgrowthshow.co.uk
Getting to the point and fast is the key to successful website copywriting and getting rid of anything that slows you down is a good way to make sure your writing is concise and easy to read. Adverbs are a good place to start.
The most common way to form an adverb is to add the letters ‘-ly’ to the adjective to add information to a verb, an adjective or an adverb. Adverbs are generally used to add description and in the world of online copywriting there is no time for long descriptions as your visitors will soon lose interest if your website is overloaded with unnecessary words.
Although the odd well placed adverb here and there can be a good thing, if you stuff your website copy with them then the point will be very hard to find. Read through your website and for every quickly, expertly, honestly, carefully, lovingly, rapidly etc. think if there’s a better way to write the sentence which removes the description and gets right to the point.
If this doesn’t convince you of the dangers of too many adverbs then take note from bestselling author Stephen King in his book ‘On Writing’…
“With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn’t expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture across…I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs…”
When you’re adding new pages to your website or updating your blog it can sometimes be difficult to keep your writing to the point. One really simple way to make sure your copy is concise and easy to read is to replace any word which stands out on the page as being long (and potentially confusing or even boring to visitors) with a shorter word.
Swap the following words the next time you’re website copywriting…
Inevitable – Certain
Definitely – Sure
Potential – Promise
Opportunity – Chance
Equivalent – Equal
Situation – State
For every long word there is a shorter, snappier option and all you need is a thesaurus to tighten up your website copywriting so your visitors read every word.
If you spent 2009 wondering why your competitors were managing to achieve higher profits than you then the New Year is the time to shake up your marketing plan. Online marketing is one of the most cost effective ways to market your products and services and if you’re not getting involved then you’re sure to lose out.
Website copywriting forms a major part of any successful online marketing plan as you need to be able to find the right words to hook people in. If your current website isn’t generating much interest for your business then it’s time you took a look at the content. Is your website well optimised for relevant keywords? Have you conveyed the true essence of what you can offer? Does the personality of your company shine through in the copy? If you can’t answer yes to all three then you need to enlist the help of a website copywriter.
A website copywriter will be able to transform your online content to make it work for the search engines and encourage browsing visitors to make an enquiry or purchase from you. Professional website copywriters have the skill to be able to capture the essence of a business and make your company attractive to potential customers.
Don’t spend another year trailing behind your competitors, talk to a website copywriter to see how you can work together to make 2010 a prosperous year.
How many times have you bought a magazine because of what was on the cover? 9 times out of 10 times probably. Newsagents and supermarkets stuff their shelves full of the latest magazines which promise the ultimate diet, world exclusive celebrity gossip, fashion to transform your lifestyle etc. but of course when you fork out £3 for the magazine and start to read it you know you’ve been sold a false promise as the articles in there are not the jaw dropping revelations or life changing features you thought they would be.
Imagine then how your clients feel if you a try a similar tactic with them? Email subject lines are the prime place for making false promises (check your junk folder and you’ll see what I mean) in a desperate attempt to get potential customers to open their emails. Instead of promising 85% off or claiming your product will make someone a millionaire, just tell the truth and keep things simple. It sounds scary but if you have a great product or service then you won’t need gimmicks or false promises to sell it.
Choosing to have professionally written content on your website is a massive step towards your business being successful online. But if you’ve never used a copywriter’s services before where do you start to find the right one? There’s load of us out there! Before you part with any money find out if the copywriter you’re talking to specialises in creating online copy. Many copywriters will say that they can certainly help you out and at this point ask them these questions…
Not all copywriting is the same so make sure you choose online copywriting specialists to create your website content.
If you’re unsure if website copywriting is the right area to spend your marketing budget on then try us out for free! We’re happy to create a sample article or product description for you to give you an idea of what we do and how this will have a positive impact on your website. Contact our website copywriters today for more information.
Emails are a great way of getting in touch with people – they are quick to write, easy to send and free. However, this ease of use can make it tempting to bombard potential customers with emails which have no relevance to them in an attempt to drum up some new business. As website copywriters we have created many emails over the years which have been designed to let potential clients know about our business. There has been one type of email above all others which has had the biggest impact in terms of response and that is a personal email.
Forget fancy graphics, uptight thirty second pitches or flash corporate photos – simply telling a company about what you do and then offering your help to them is just enough. Getting started can be tricky as you’ll be dying to click the urgent button or write in red to grab the recipients’ attention but be strong. Simply say ‘hello’, tell them who you are, what you do and how this will directly benefit them and their business then give them your contact details and say ‘goodbye’.
Give it a go, it’s worked for us and it feels good to be genuine in email marketing. If you need a hand putting an email together then let our website copywriters help out.
Shopping online is no doubt a good way to find cheap Christmas presents without the hassle of hitting the high street. However, before Christmas I nearly got stung when I was shopping online for a Links of London bracelet for a present. I found a website which was offering these bracelets with 60% off which seemed like a pretty good deal – until I read the small print. I checked out the About Us page, FAQ page and a number of product pages and they were all littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. After doing a little research into whether the website was legitimate or not I found this article on the Guardian website which states that 1,200 websites just like the one I nearly gave my cash to had been closed by the police after being exposed as scams.
The lesson here is that poor spelling and grammar on a website can lead customers to suspect the worst about your business and view your company as less than professional and potentially dangerous. Proofreading everything you create for your website or better still, getting professional website copywriters to create and proof the content for you, will ensure that your customers view you as a trustworthy company to do business with.
Don’t give your customers a reason to doubt your authenticity, ask the expert website copywriters to help you out with your website copy.
