Who do you want to talk to at a party? The person who is constantly bragging about themselves, or the person who is interested in YOU and what you have to say? If you said the latter, then you’re correct!
Nobody likes to hear a person ramble on about themselves endlessly, and the same is true about your website. So stop bragging, because your website is not really about you.
Your website should be about your potential client/customer.
Dos and Don’ts of Great Website Copy
The term “copy” refers to any text that’s published digitally or printed for an audience to consume. Website copy is the words and text displayed on your website for visitors to read.
The key to writing good website copy is this. DON’T write about yourself. DO paint a picture for your visitors of how your product or service will improve their lives. Engage their imagination!
Writing great website copy doesn’t have to be hard. DON’T tout off your accomplishments and business achievements. It won’t capture the visitor’s attention. Your prospect doesn’t want to hear you bragging about how great you are. DO let them know how your product or service will help them.
Why Bragging is Boring
Have you heard of “WIIFM”? It stands for “What’s In It For Me?”. It’s an acronym to remind us what interests potential customers. They want to know – what do I get if I buy this product or service?
When you’re writing website copy, your reader should be at the forefront of your mind. Write it from the “WIIFM” perspective, because this is what the reader is thinking while they read your copy. Your readers are full of doubt and skepticism. They’re not going to be impressed with all of your awards and accomplishments. They want to know what they’re going to gain by paying attention to YOU.
Video on WHY People Like to Brag:
Watch this video to learn why we like talking about ourselves!
Appeal to Your Audience from an Emotional Level
In order to write engaging copy for your website, you need to understand your reader’s emotions and talk to them at an emotional level. Sure, facts and data are nice to have, but you really need to speak to the reader’s desires, dreams, feelings, and fears.
Your website copy shouldn’t tell your reader that you’re the best in your field. It should tell the reader that you can help them with their biggest problems. Or that they can attain their dreams only through the solution you offer.
Your copy should focus on your reader’s problems or dreams. And how your product or service can meet those needs and desires.
Focus on the Benefits, Not on the Features
Whenever you mention the features of your product or service, always discuss how it makes a positive change in your reader’s life or business. Put your focus on the benefit to your potential clients, rather than on the actual feature of the product or service.
Feature = an attribute or description of your product or service
Benefit = how that attribute can help solve a problem or fulfill a desire
A Few Examples
Here are a few examples of how we connect the features of a product to a benefit for the customer.
A gas station is open 24 hours a day (feature). The benefit is you can go in the middle of the night and get gas or a snack if you’re hungry at 2 am.
One of WordPress’s many features is that it’s cloud-based. The benefit is that you can work on the same article from your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. Wherever it’s most convenient for you at the time.
In my Website Creation Workshop, one of the features is that you get 8 live coaching webinars where you can ask your website questions. The benefit is that you get coaching that is personalized for your situation, allowing you to move forward easily when stumped, and get your website up and running faster.
When you SHOULD Brag About Yourself
There is an appropriate place to talk about yourself. It’s your About page. This is your opportunity to share all your business accomplishments and successes.
The About page is a very important part of your website. When a visitor clicks on ‘About Us’ or ‘About Me’, they are expecting to learn more about you. They want to know about your experience, track record, and why they should trust you.
Studies show that the About page is the second most visited page on a website, behind the Home page. Read my article here on 5 Things Your ‘About Us’ Page Should Have.
If you’d like to share a few brief tidbits about yourself on your blog posts, use an Author Box. This helps readers learn a little about you in case they’ve landed on your site through a search engine. Click here to learn more about What is an “Author Box” in WordPress.
Closing Thoughts
What is your website telling your visitor? Is it telling the visitor all about you, your work, and your accomplishments? Or, is it speaking to them? Is it telling them how you can help him or her?
Remember, when a visitor comes to your site, he/she is thinking “What’s in it for me?”. Your website copy should answer that question. Make it about them and why your product or service is the best solution to solve their needs.
The next Website Creation Workshop is coming up this Spring! Get on the list to be notified when it opens here: https://websitecreationworkshop.com/blog/next-workshop/
