On your site, it is your copy that sells, not your logo. A clean design catches the eye, but it is the words that trigger action. Copywriting is the art of writing to convince. And it can be learned from a few simple principles.
Speak to the problem, not to the solution
Most small companies describe what they do. Good copywriting describes what that changes for the client. Before writing anything, ask yourself one question: what problem is my client trying to solve right now? The answer is the first word of your page.
The benefits rule: for every feature you mention ('responsive site'), translate it into a concrete benefit ('your customers can contact you from their phone without friction'). The client buys the result, not the technique.
The AIDA structure for organising your copy
- Attention: a headline that catches in under 3 seconds
- Interest: you identify your reader's exact problem
- Desire: you show the concrete result they can obtain
- Action: one clear call to action, with no ambiguity
Writing headlines that catch
Your headline is the most-read element on your page. On average, 8 people out of 10 read the headline, but only 2 out of 10 read what follows. To test how strong your headlines are before publishing, use CoSchedule's Headline Analyzer (free). It analyses the emotional balance, the power and the clarity of your headline. To go further on headline technique, Copyblogger remains the English-language reference with practical guides you can apply directly.
Use your clients' own words
The most powerful source of copy is your clients themselves. Reread the emails they sent you, the Google reviews they left, the questions they ask in meetings. The exact phrasing they use is far more persuasive than anything you invent alone in front of a screen.
Free tool: copy the reviews from your 5 best clients into a document. Highlight the words they repeat. Those are your selling words. Put them, word for word, on your homepage and in your main call to action.
The tools for improving your copy
To smooth your prose and eliminate over-long sentences, Hemingway App (free online) scores your text's readability and highlights the passages that are hard to read. To master the advanced principles of conversion-focused copywriting, CXL publishes very thorough guides based on real case studies. And for day-to-day spelling and grammar, Grammarly integrates directly into your browser.
Measuring the impact of your copy
Rewriting copy without data is navigating blind. Install Microsoft Clarity (free) to see how far your visitors scroll and where they click. If 80% of your visitors do not go below your headline, that is where the problem is. To go further on the impact of words on readability, Nielsen Norman Group publishes user research confirming that short, clear copy converts better on every device. HubSpot also collects concrete before-and-after examples of rewritten pages, with the resulting figures.
Where to start today
Open your homepage. Read your main headline aloud. Does someone who does not know you immediately understand what you do and for whom? If the answer is no, that is your first piece of work. Rewrite that headline in under 10 words, with a concrete benefit.
Good copy alone is not enough: the structure of your page also has to guide people towards action. Read why your landing page does not convert to check that the frame around your words is as effective as the words themselves.