So, you’re expanding your online empire – maybe adding a new service, targeting a new sector, or spicing up your “About Us” page.
You’re itching to get this show on the road, but hiring a copywriter feels like a luxury you can’t splurge on right now. We totally get it – depending on the level of quality you’re looking for, the price tags can be eye-watering.
Along with the expense, you might be too busy focusing on important business stuff to hire and coordinate with web content writers.
So hey, why not DIY? You know your business better than anyone, and while web copywriting is certainly a very niche and advanced skill, that doesn’t mean it can’t be taught.
That’s what we’re here to do. In this blog, we’ll take you through the A to Z of whipping up an additional web page that’s not just good, it’s “Where have you been all my life?” good.
Let’s do this thing!
Writing a web page: How to get the basics right
Okay, first things first. You’ve got to understand that web writing isn’t like other forms of writing. You’re not just slapping words on a page and hoping for the best.
Web writing is a fine balance between optimizing for search engines, crafting copy that engages your audience, and staying true to your branding. With attention spans dwindling faster than a TikTok reel, your web content needs to be clear, concise, and addictive.
So let’s get into the must-haves and the definitely-should-not-haves when it comes to web writing, so you can start stirring up some website magic.
Get clear on your goals
You’re not writing a new web page for “the craic”, as we say in Ireland.
You’re writing content to serve a particular purpose.
So, you need to know what the purpose is before you start writing.
Whether it’s showcasing a new product, reaching a new audience, or just sharing your brand story, knowing your ‘why’ makes all the difference – keeping you on track with every word you choose.
This is because each goal demands a different approach and content style. A sales-driven page will be more direct in showcasing benefits and features, while an informational page might focus on engaging content and providing advice.
Know your audience inside & out
Here’s the deal: Writing without knowing your audience is wasted time.
Before pen hits paper (or fingers hit keyboard), dig deep. Who are your target audience? What keeps them up at night? Understanding their needs, desires, and pains is your secret to crafting content that hits home.
Audience research to carry out:
- Demographics: Figure out their age, location, interests – you get the picture.
- Pain Points: What are they struggling with? What problems can you solve for them?
- End Goals: What does your target audience want to achieve? How can you help them achieve it?
- Language & Tone: Are your target audience professionals seeking expert advice, or are they casual browsers looking for easy-to-digest information? This will inform your page’s content, word choice, level of detail, etc.
Stay true to your brand
Your brand voice is your identity – it’s how you connect with your audience and how you “sound” to them. Keep it consistent across your website to avoid confusing your visitors. If your new page sounds like it’s written by someone else, you can blur your branding and lose trust.
How to keep your brand consistent:
- Tone Matching: Is your brand voice formal, friendly, quirky, or authoritative? Check out your other web pages and make sure the tone on your new page matches them.
- Style Guide Adherence: Use your established style guide as a reference for language, tone, and formatting. This guide should be your roadmap to maintaining brand consistency. Don’t have a style guide? Check other web pages for consistency.
- Brand Messaging: Keep your core brand messages and values consistent across all pages. Doing so will reinforce your brand’s identity and message.
- Voice Authenticity: Make sure your content reflects the unique character and values of your brand. This authenticity is what sets your brand apart and builds a deeper connection with your audience.
Carry out keyword research
Search engine optimization (SEO) is your strategy for getting noticed by Google and your audience. SEO writing always starts with keyword research – finding what phrases and terms your audience uses when they search for services or products like yours.
New to keyword research? Here are some tips:
- Explore Keywords: Use search engine optimization tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to figure out the most relevant keywords for your new web page.
- Understand Intent: Understand why users search for these keywords – are they looking to buy, learn, or find a service?
- Choose Wisely: Choose 2-3 main keywords per web page. Go for more specific keywords that accurately describe what your page is about, rather than broader, more competitive keywords. For example, “handmade leather wallets” is more specific and less competitive than “wallets”.
Optimize for SEO
Optimizing your web page for SEO is a combination of inserting keywords in your website content in a natural way, creating meta titles and descriptions, and writing helpful, engaging content.
But don’t get it twisted: You don’t just want to go ham, adding in keywords absolutely everywhere. That’s called “keyword stuffing” and it’ll really mess up your SEO efforts.
Basically, SEO is about making your page so good, easy-to-read, and valuable that people can’t help but stick around.
Some tips to optimise your web page for SEO:
- Keyword Placement: Scatter your keywords throughout your content, especially in headings, subheadings, and the first paragraph.
- Avoid Keyword Stuffing: When writing for the web, get your keywords in there, but don’t overdo it. Mix in your keywords like they’re part of the conversation. They should feel natural, not like you’re trying too hard to drop them in.
- Tackle Questions & Answers: Addressing common questions within your content can make it more useful and relatable to your audience, and improve your chances for featured snippets and Google’s “People also ask” boxes.
- Internal Linking: Link to other relevant pages on your site to keep visitors engaged and help search engines understand the structure of your site. This also increases the chances that visitors will explore more of your content.
Get your meta details right
Meta titles and descriptions act kinda like labels that tell both search engines and people what your page is about.
Not sure where they show up? Meta tags are actually the little page descriptions you see on the Google results pages before you actually click onto a page.
Here’s how to write great meta tags:
Meta Titles: Imagine you’re telling someone the title of a great movie; your meta titles should grab attention and give a sneak peek of what’s inside. Keep them clear, concise, and include your main keyword. Aim for a length between 55-65 characters to ensure they display properly in search results.
Meta Descriptions: Think of these as the short blurbs on the movie poster. They should provide a brief summary of what readers can expect. Make it engaging, informative, and don’t forget to include your keyword naturally. Aim for a length of around 150-160 characters to ensure they fit neatly in search results.
Create awesome headings
Think of headings as the chapter titles of your page; they’ve got to grab attention and make a promise about what’s to follow.
A bland heading? Instant snoozefest. But a compelling heading? It hooks your readers and tells Google, “Hey, this is important stuff!” It’s a double whammy of reader engagement and SEO goodness.
Our heading hacks:
- Be Clear and Catchy: Leave no room for confusion or boredom.
- Use Power Words: Try to evoke emotion and curiosity.
- Benefit-Focused: What’s in it for the reader? Spell it out.
- SEO-Friendly: Weave in those keywords.
- Active Voice: Never write in a passive voice.
- Vary Your Headers: Keep it interesting with different styles.
Write for real-life humans
Ever read something so stuffed with keywords it felt robotic and stiff? Yeah, don’t do that. Your page should sound like it was written by a human, for humans. Avoid copy/pasting from ChatGPT.
If you do decide to use an AI writer, make sure you refine the copy, add your own stamp, and please, for the love of God, fact check.
Use anecdotes, address your audience’s pain points directly, and explain things using simple language and short sentences. Be engaging, relatable, and above all, human. Your readers will love you for it, and so will Google.
How to write for humans first:
- Conversational Tone: Write as if you’re speaking to someone directly. This makes your content more relatable and engaging.
- Storytelling: People love stories. Use anecdotes or examples to illustrate your points and make your content more memorable.
- Problem-Solving Focus: Address the challenges and questions your audience might have directly. Offer solutions and advice that they can apply.
- Jargon-Free Language: Unless you’re writing for a specialist audience, keep technical terms and industry jargon to a minimum. Your content should be accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
- Emotional Engagement: Tap into the emotions, pain points, and desires of your audience. This creates a deeper connection and makes your content more persuasive.
Apply the StoryBrand framework
Ever heard of StoryBrand? This website copywriting framework turns your customer into the hero of the story, with your brand as the wise guide.
When you “StoryBrand” your page, you’re not just selling – you’re taking your customer on a journey from the land of sad to the land of happy, with your product or service positioned as the very thing that’ll make their life better.
How to implement the StoryBrand framework:
- Customer as Hero: Frame your audience as the main character of your story.
- Problem & Solution: Clearly identify the challenges your audience faces and how your brand solves them.
- Clear Journey: Outline a clear path from the problem to your solution.
- Emotional Connection: Create content that taps into the emotional state of your audience.
- Call to Action: Guide your audience on what to do next – make it clear and compelling.
Make sure the layout makes sense
Ever walked into a store where everything’s all over the place? Frustrating, isn’t it? You just want a croissant, and you want it NOW.
To avoid annoying your audience, your web page layout needs a logical flow. Guide your readers on a smooth journey from the moment they land to the moment they leave.
Start with an engaging introduction that hooks your reader, followed by sections that logically flow from one to the next. You’ve got to make sure your web page’s navigation is intuitive, so your visitors are encouraged to explore more, rather than get lost.
How to lay out your web pages:
- Clear Introduction: Start with an introduction that grabs attention and sets the tone for what follows. Your intro section should act as a hook that encourages further reading.
- Organised Sections: Each section should logically lead to the next, making the information easy to digest.
- Visual Breaks: Use images, videos, or infographics to keep your page visually interesting and give your readers a break from the text. Eye candy, people!
- Intuitive Navigation: Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for with clear menus and links.
- Consistent Formatting: Use the same fonts, colours, and styles for a cohesive look.
Add enough detail, but not too much
Size matters, friends. Too short, and your page might miss crucial info. Too long, and hello, Yawn City.
The golden length for a web page? It depends. But, for the most part, you want to aim for at least 600 words per page. Just make sure to factor in your topic, audience, and purpose. Sometimes a quick piece of content is enough; other times, you need to add more detailed information.
Tips for choosing the right word count:
- Purpose-Driven: Tailor the length of your content to its purpose. Informative and educational content might need more depth, while promotional content can be snappier.
- Audience Attention: Consider your audience’s attention span and how they consume content. Busy professionals might prefer concise, to-the-point information.
- Quality Over Quantity: Focus on providing value in every sentence. If it doesn’t add to the reader’s understanding or interest, cut it out.
- Break It Up: Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make the content more digestible. Long walls of text can be overwhelming to read.
Come up with compelling CTAs
Your CTA (call to action) is your “Hey, don’t leave yet!” moment. Whether you want your visitors to contact you, make a purchase, or just explore more, your CTA needs to be clear, compelling, and hard to resist.
Place it where it naturally fits into the flow of your content, and make sure it stands out. A great CTA can transform a passive reader into an active participant in your brand’s story.
CTA Crafting Secrets:
- Action-Oriented: Use verbs that inspire action – “Discover”, “Learn”, “Get”, “Start”, etc.
- Benefit Highlight: Make it clear what the reader gains by clicking – “Get Your Free Guide”, “Start Saving Today”.
- Placement Perfection: Place your CTA where it feels like a natural next step, like right after a compelling piece of content gearing the user up to take action.
Include the right sections
A well-structured web page is like a well-told story – it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, each serving its purpose.
Your introduction sets the scene, your body goes into the details, and your conclusion wraps it up with a compelling CTA. Choose the sections you want to add to your web page wisely to give your readers a full, satisfying picture of what you’re all about.
Types of sections you can add to web pages include:
- Engaging Introduction: Set the tone and draw the audience in with a compelling introduction section.
- Detailed Services or Products: Clearly describe what you offer and the benefits of your services or products.
- Trust-Building Testimonials: Let others sing your praises with a testimonials section to boost credibility.
- FAQs: Answer those burning questions upfront with a comprehensive FAQs section. It’s like mind-reading, but less creepy.
- “Why Us?”: Here’s where you toot your own horn – describe why your brand is the bee’s knees.
- Case Studies: Add success stories that make readers go, “Wow, I want in on that!”
- Resource Hub: Have any helpful guides, blogs, or downloadables? Maybe add one here if it’s relevant.
- CTAs: Don’t just end with a whimper. A strong CTA can be that final nudge your audience needs to take action.
Visualise your new web page
Before you start writing, sketch out your page. This is what “wireframing” is – a visual map of where images, buttons, icons, and text will go on your page.
Wireframing your web content will help you avoid a cluttered mess, allowing you to experiment with different arrangements before settling on the most effective and visually appealing design.
How to wireframe your web page:
- Draft a Wireframe: Start with a basic layout. Where will your text, images, and CTAs go?
- Balance Your Elements: Find the right balance between text, visuals, and white space to create a page that’s easy on the eyes.
- Visual Flow: Consider the visual journey. Lead the reader’s eye naturally from one element to the next.
- Mockups: Use design tools to create mockups of your page. This gives you a realistic preview of the final look.
- Fresh eyes: Show your draft to colleagues or friends. Fresh perspectives can offer valuable insights.
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Whew! That was a lot, but hey, you made it!
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