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Fact: No one wants to read shit copy. There! I said it. We all THINK it, don't we? We've all been there, clicking through to someone's website, and then finding there's a load of words on a page that don't actually tell you anything.
Are you a guilty perpetrator of crappy copy? So many websites are lacking in several ways and losing potential clients or customers because their copy is not engaging. Don't let your website be one...
So how are you going to make your copy better AND get a better ranking for SEO? It's pretty simple really. You just follow these five steps to awesomeness...
1. Make your content useful
Think about your ideal client and the pain points they have. How are you going to help them and where on your website does it tell them how you'll do that? For example, if you're a wedding planner, your ideal client might be a bride who's short on time and you need to explain how you're an organisational ninja who'll help keep on top of their wedding schedule.
Make your landing pages useful, where they can find lots of information they need and also calls to action: "Need help getting organised? Get in touch". Write a blog post on, "Ways to save time when you're planning your wedding" or "Wedding planning shortcuts that don't make cuts to your big day"; give them content that they can use and share.
2. Add a sense of urgency
This mostly applies to catchy headlines, but adding a time frame to your content is a great call to action and is likely to encourage your audience to read on and click through. Urgency within your content allows your readers to apply the usefulness you've given them, meaning they'll solve their problems or reach their goals much faster. Simple phrases such as, "Send me an email now" or "Solve this issue today" can give your reader a reason to keep reading or even encourage them to sign up to your service or buy your products.
3. Be super specific
Specificity is absolutely key for your content. What are you trying to tell your ideal client? What do you want them to do? Be attention grabbing with the headline and then keep the specifics up throughout. It makes for compelling reading and your readers are more likely to keep scrolling down to the end! With our attention spans deteriorating all the time, you need to captivate your reader and speak directly to them. Don't turn them off with pointless additional words and jargon; stick to the point and keep it short and sweet. And once you've got their attention, they're more likely to buy from you.
4. You are unique, sprinkle that shit everywhere!
Your uniqueness is what makes you different. It sets you apart from the rest of the people in this cramped and crowded online space. It's what will draw in your tribe and sing to their souls.
How can you find out what your ideal clients are searching for? You just have to do a little analysis of key word searches. Find out more here.
WTF, you've not even mentioned SEO in this blog!
Well the 4 above points (the "4 U's" as they're often referred to) are bloody brilliant, and will make your copy much less crappy and waaaaaay more WOW, but you're right, I also mentioned SEO and haven't covered it at all...yet! Here comes the fifth point:
The word on the proverbial street (and from the dark horses themselves at Google HQ) is that Google want their users to have a wonderful experience during their searches, and to do that they really need you to be useful. If people are typing something into a search engine, they want to find you and they want to find the most useful information possible on your site.
Your homework: Go and look at your website. Are you being useful? Do you solve problems? Are you engaging and giving your readers a unique experience? Does your web copy send you to sleep or ignite the passion to get shit done?
Let me know how you've done with your copy audit. If you need a hand from a copy expert, give me a shout or leave a comment below. I'd love to hear where you've made changes.