5 Ways Professional Copywriting Elevates Your Website and Your Bottom Line Your brand image is unique. Make sure it has a voice to match.
By Dan Antonelli Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Imagine you're trying to choose a company you can trust to provide a service in your home. You do a web search and check a few sites, but the information each business provides is no different than any other: It's generic and bland. You struggle to choose. If one stood out with personality, detail, emotion and usefulness, wouldn't you be eager to call?
This scenario is a testament to the importance of investing in professional copywriting on your own company website. It's often a prospective customer's first interaction with your brand, so it needs to impress. It's no place to cut corners with boilerplate material.
Every web page is an opportunity to capture a customer. But writing high-quality content requires time and skill. Furthermore, web copy needs to satisfy two audiences: your customers and search engines. Rely on experts who have a way with words, and you'll see these professionals create content that adds value in multiple ways.
Related: One Thing Coca-Cola, Geico and Under Armour Are Doing That Every Company Should Do Today
1. It showcases your unique brand.
Express your personality, and you'll engage your audience. Your website's writing should promote your strengths, specialties and value proposition. At the same time, you can address your market's specific conditions to show you understand the consumer perspective. Talk about their needs and how you can help. Customized information will make sure your brand is memorable and distinct from all your ho-hum competitors.
2. It connects with customers.
Thoughtfully written content will convey genuine care and concern for customer satisfaction. This will establish your trustworthiness, reducing skepticism and easing anxiety. Content that empathizes with prospective customers' emotions can guide them through their journey as a buyer. Strong writing can help them articulate a real awareness of their problem or need, evaluate their options and make a decision or purchase. Be just as helpful as you'd be in person or over the phone, and you'll close the deal.
Related: Emotional Connectivity: The Secret to Million-Dollar Marketing Success
3. It implements a customized SEO strategy.
Web pages must contain a minimum number of words, feature targeted keywords and highlight local modifiers to ensure they appear prominently in relevant, organic search results. The on-page strategy and metadata should be customized for a company's goals and its market. Copywriters with search-engine optimization (SEO) expertise can craft reader-friendly content that still follows a formula proven to increase website traffic.
4. It avoids the dangers of duplicate content.
Some website vendors use identical -- or very similar -- content on multiple companies' sites. Unfortunately, search engines don't like familiar or generic content. For example, Google filters the results it displays to avoid showing multiple versions of the same information. As a result, web pages containing matching verbiage will have lower visibility in searches. Google may even penalize a website for using duplicate content, making it invisible among organic search results. That directly impacts the volume of leads you're able to capture online.
Related: The 10 Commandments of Great Copywriting
5. It converts leads.
Strategically written website copy includes well-thought-out internal links and calls to action. These not only improve the user experience but also make it easy for customers to contact your company. Provide a clear pathway so your audience can get answers to frequently asked questions, read related information and perform the next logical step in the conversion process. Your website should make it easy to do business with you.
Related: If You're Not Converting Visitors to Customers, Blame These Common Landing Page Copywriting Mistakes
