5 Reasons Your Website Needs a Copywriter
Hiring a copywriter who understands how to write persuasive and strategic copy will help you build credibility and grow leads for your business.
Does your website live up to the expectations of your visitors?
By Robin Stephenson
Everyone needs a website.
Like it or not, we live in a digital age. Every day, google processes over 8.5 billion searches.
If you don't have an online presence, you are invisible. Marketing guru Seth Godin says, "Not being online is the new version of not having a phone, not having a business card, not having a store sign."
Even if your business is primarily brick and mortar, the first place a person will likely meet you is online. Over 80 percent of consumers look at your website before visiting your store. And if the only place you do business is online, a seamless customer journey from contact to action determines if people will do business with you at all.
A well-written and well-designed website impacts your credibility and ability to grow your business. Hiring a copywriter who understands how to write persuasive and strategic copy will pay for itself in growth.
Can you tell which website used a copywriter?
Above are two headlines I recreated from real fitness gym homepages. Both try to entice users in, but only one does it well.
Research would suggest that first headline would engage your interest because it is about your needs. The copywriter understands that user is looking for ways to better themselves but experiences guilt about not going to the gym. Purchasing but not using is a factor in decision-making. This one headline says so much: I understand you, I understand your problem, and I have a solution.
The second gym misses the mark. The reason that people go to a gym is to be motivated by others, not a building. The headline focuses on the business and not the user. A user may question the favoritism claim (no evidence) but more importantly, they don't see how this business is trying to solve a problem (getting fit) for them.
5 reasons a copywriter will help you build leads instead of leavers.
Reason #1: Keep visitors on your site longer
First impressions count—at least for 15 seconds, which is how long the average customer will stay on your site before they either go deeper or bounce over to your competitor.
A copywriter knows how to craft a headline and subhead to draw the reader in and keep them on your site.
Reason #2: Increase fans through benefits-based marketing
The hard truth is that people don’t care what you do or make unless it is clear that there is something in it for them. You must explain how what you do solves a problem they have.
When Apple shifted to benefit-based marketing in 2001, it increased its revenue (5000 percent between 2001 and 2020). They understood that growth depended on explaining how their products satisfy the deeper needs of their users.
Before even typing a word, copywriters spend time developing a deep understanding of your ideal customer and how your business can satisfy their deep needs.
Reason #3: Make finding relevant information easier for users
People don’t read your website, They scan it until they find the content they want or need. Less than 30 percent of what is written is read.
Copywriters chunk text in hierarchies and highlight key points, making it easier for users to find what they want.
Reason #4: Move visitors from leads to action-takers
Although many factors impact whether a person clicks your action link, complexity is often the culprit. People want predictable and clear instructions that don’t require them to figure it out or guess what is next.
A copywriter makes the customer journey easy. Concise and clear language guides a user’s steps.
Reason #5: Build credibility and trust
Trust is a key factor when a consumer decides which products and brands to support. Your website shows you are a professional or predicts consumer frustration. In fact, 66 percent of customers say that a frustrating website experience hurts their opinion of a brand overall.
Copywriters use consistent tone in their copy so that a reader experiences a professional brand.
The bottom line is that if today’s digital-first consumer checks you out online and they can’t tell what you do or why it helps them, they leave. If it’s hard to read and navigate your site, they leave. If they can’t find what they are looking for quickly, they leave.
Instead of them leaving, invest in a copywriter and turn them into leads.
