Let’s face it. Most consumers prefer a lazy scroll on Instagram to the latest opinion piece in the local highbrow newspaper. We’ve turned into lazier readers since the arrival of the internet and content needs to keep up with the changing demands from audiences. Information overload has us decide on the spot whether it’s worth sticking around. Readers give you less than 15 seconds before it’s either thumbs up or down for your business website. That’s why learning how to write website copy that makes visitors hang around is more important than ever.
Let’s not panic, though. Don’t curl up in a ball, thinking you have to start from scratch and rewrite your entire website. Sometimes a simple audit and copy revamp is all it takes.
Time to dive into online behaviour patterns and what makes writing for the web a challenging beast to wrangle. A handy list of action points guides you along the way so you can turn your website into an actual sales driver in no time.
The skim-reader of today
With endless supplies of content thrown at us every second of the day, we’ve learned to skim-read and make up our minds within the first few moments of hitting a website. Full-cream reading habits are so yesterday, I am afraid. Long-form copy doesn’t have a space on your site (other than your blog) and drilling down to your core message is a must.
Action Point: Audit your website copy and cull anything that doesn’t add value or serve a legitimate purpose. The chances are that you’ll be able to cut your website copy by 50% and still get your message across.
The slow reader of today
Did you know that we read the on-screen version 30% slower than the printed version of a text? Incredible, right? That’s why you need to spill the beans from the get-go. Waffling on before finally revealing what you’re trying to achieve guarantees one thing only: A massive drop-off rate because your readers can’t be bothered to stick around. They either switch off or leave your website hopping over to your competitor’s optimised site.
Action Point: Get to the point – quickly! Remove the fluff and cull, cull, cull. Focus on meaningful copy with hints of personality condensed to the key points.
The click-lazy reader of today
Avoid a website structure that needs ten clicks before you get to the juicy bits. Nothing worse than having to click five different buttons on a website to eventually find out that the services you offer are a dud. Focus on user-friendly navigation making all content accessible in 3 clicks or less. Research shows that with every click you lose 30% of visitors to your site. Can you afford that?
Action Point: Map out the structure of your website and look at the complexity. Is your navigation easy to understand, or are we looking at obscure page titles? Could you combine content into one page to reduce the number of clicks?
The scroll-averse reader of today
Readers hardly get past the initially visible part of a website’s landing page. Locate any links and the easy-to-understand navigation to essential elements of your website, such as your shop, services and contact page, within the top part of your website. For long-form website copy such as blog posts, where vital information follows towards the bottom of your page, let the reader know that it’s worth scrolling or reading to the end.
Action Point: Review your visible landing page section. Are we looking at a pretty picture without any text? Let’s get cracking on a juicy tagline and a call-to-action button that will spice up this crucial part of your website and engage your visitors as soon as they touch down.
I’ve got a gut feeling that you are a DIY copy person, so why don’t you check out my Website Masterclass. It sets you up with the 3 steps to map, create and write your website copy.
Successful copywriting begins well before you type your first word. Work out your ideal customer, what makes you their dream product or service and how want to nurture your audience.
