Why Your Website Copy Sucks!

Writing effective website copy is a hugely misunderstood occupation. When looking to reduce costs on a project, one of the first expenses to be cut - if it was even considered in the first place - is often the copywriter. After all, if you run a business, you should know how to string a sentence together, right? Microsoft Word has a spellchecker, right? We all knew how to read and write when we left school, so shouldn't we be suitably skilled to write the copy for our websites without having to pay someone else?

I may know how to hold a paintbrush and open a tin of paint, but I still open the Yellow Pages and pay for the services of someone in reassuringly splattered overalls when the front of my house starts to flake off in the sun.

Copywriting as a Skill

The problem is that many people do not see effective copywriting as a skill in the same way they may see house painting, or car maintenance, or even chainsaw juggling. Strong copywriting is less tangible to the outsider than seeing a new colour on the front of a house or actually getting a rundown wreck of a car to start. Words are words and the impact of those words on customers and readers isn't always immediately apparent to the unskilled eye.

This misunderstanding results in poorly written websites with bad spelling and worse grammar and, most importantly of all, the ability to turn off potential customers. Nothing says 'unprofessional' like a misspelled product catalogue.

If grammar doesn't seem that important to you, and you've never felt the urge to punch someone for putting an apostrophe in the wrong spot, then you need someone else to write your copy.

Copywriting as an Art

But it is about more than just the correct usage of the tools of the trade. Leonardo Da Vinci used many of the same tools as the aforementioned house painter, but no one will be talking about Bill's Decorating Service in centuries to come. Remember, the copy on a website is more than just filler for search engines to read; it is the main communication between you and your potential customer as you attempt to sell your product. It is about engaging your customer's interest, exciting their desires, helping their imaginations to soar. Well, that may be overstating it just slightly, but the point is that strong writing is not only spelled correctly and grammatically laid out, but also informative and pleasurable to read. And a pleasurable experience is more likely to encourage the customer to take a positive action.

Know Your Limitations and Strengths, and Those of Your Staff

Before you embark on building a website, it is wise to know your own limitations when it comes to writing. This becomes doubly true if your website is going to rely on regularly changing content in order to attract a high search engine position - what is often called 'link-bait' content. Failed blogs litter the online marketplace like so many Pop Idol hopefuls - convinced of their own unique talent and voice until the harsh reality of the judges send them back to serving burgers. No one wants to end up as the guy with the really bad voice and worse outfit ridiculed by the advertisers to suck in the viewers.

You may already have someone within your business who can write extremely well - there are lots of frustrated writers working in other industries. It could be beneficial to discover the literary abilities of your staff when it comes to planning how you are going to achieve the best copy.

If you aren't lucky enough to have the skills and experience yourself, and don't already employ a budding Hemmingway, it may be worth discussing the issue with your web designer. Usually they have contacts within the copywriting world who are experienced in exactly this process.

What's that? You were hoping to build the website in-house as well with that copy of HTML For Dummies your wife bought you for Christmas? Web design is a skill just like any other. You may know how to hold a paintbrush but... ah, never mind.