11 tips for writing websites to increase conversions in 2022

A SEMrush Report on Content Marketing for 2022 revealed that 40% of brands surveyed say they outsource text writing. If you are in the 60% and want to improve your writing skills, we are here to help.

An online copy can make a difference between a visitor and a potential customer. It plays an important role for consumers at all stages of the buying cycle, from awareness-raising to decision-making and advocacy.

Below you will find tips on how to write a compelling copy.

Most marketers can recognize a bad online copy when they see it. why Because a bad online copy does not read smoothly, does not upset emotions, does not affect behavior, or does not explicitly call for action.

It seems pointless – and this is the exact opposite of what marketing is supposed to achieve.

However, web writing is a strategy that sometimes falls apart and is often overlooked due to other elements of the site such as SEO, design and functionality.

1. Know your audience.

The number one tip for writing websites is to know who will be reading it. If you don’t have a reader in mind, how will you know which words and tone will resonate with them the most?

As a writer, I am constantly aware of users and their needs. When I write posts, she is my northerner. How did I meet them? Through personalities and user data.

Users will tell you who the average reader who lands on my article is, what their pains and challenges are, and what their goals are. The data will give you an insight into which strategies worked well for this audience and which ones to avoid.

With both, you will have a deeper understanding of your audience, which will allow you to write a copy that will engage and compel your user to take action.

2. Find out why.

You were tasked with writing a specific copy on the company’s website.

When you understand your audience, one HubSpot marketer recommends that you ask yourself, “Who cares?”

“If I can’t answer that, then I can’t expect anyone to read it,” he said. Curtis del Principe, SEO content writer at HubSpot. “When I have an idea of ​​who cares (and why), then I have an angle and through the line that guides my writing.”

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Too often we write without delving into the purpose of the content. What will the reader gain by reading this? What should they do when they read this? Why should they care about this content?

Answering these questions is crucial to writing valuable content.

3. Complexity kills readability.

SEMrush recently analyzed more than 23,561 texts ranking in the top 10 Google results. They found that the texts with the lowest score had two things in common: they were too long or too complicated.

In fact, 41% of low-grade texts used words that were too complex.

Take this as a sign to skip jargon and buzzwords – go straight to the point. Here are some examples:

• Useful vs useful
• Use versus use
• It happens against Appear
• Test vs. Overview

When in doubt, keep it simple.

4. Be concise.

Nobel laureate and writer William Faulkner put it best: Kill your loved ones.

As writers, it’s so easy to get carried away with our words. In marketing, the use of an exaggerated word can have just the opposite effect.

AJ Beltis, the senior marketing manager at HubSpot, who is responsible for blogging, is called a word writer. So he focuses on brevity.

“When I first write something, I write down all my thoughts in writing. Then I look at it again and ask myself, ‘How do I say this more succinctly?'” He says.

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Madison Z. Vettorino This resonates by encouraging brands to maintain their “size” copy without sacrificing accuracy and authenticity.

“Every word and sentence should be linked to this central idea. If not, it is unnecessary and should be deleted,” he says. “When it comes to writing lyrics, the ability to stay short but influential is great power.”

5. Write how you speak.

This one seems obvious, but it can be the biggest hurdle for songwriters.

We often think that our readers use a language that is more advanced and sublime than ours. But the truth is that many readers want us to talk to them like a friend.

“It’s more connectable and conversational, and the reader will get a little taste of your personality,” says HubSpot’s personal writer. Alana Chinn. “Besides, it’s much easier to write about complex topics if you think about how to explain them to a friend or family member in real life.”

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6. Take breaks during drafts.

When you work on something for a while, it becomes hard to spot mistakes.

Take a lot of time between edits to combat this, says personal writer HubSpot Madhu Murali.

“It gives me a new perspective on the work every time I read it and get a better idea of ​​the reader’s POV,” he says.

You will probably find it easier to notice awkward sentences, awkward phrases and grammatical errors when re-reading. This approach can turn a good copy into a great copy.

7. Break the copy.

No matter how good your copy is, if it is long and voluminous, you are likely to lose the reader’s attention.

Eye-monitoring studies reveal that site visitors often skim through articles instead of reading each sentence. This is how you break down your paragraphs – especially if your traffic is mostly from mobile devices.

You can also do this with subtitles, sequence points, and images, as shown in the example below.

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8. Avoid excessive use of buzzwords.

I once landed on a website and read so many words that I had no idea what they were saying. I read the sentences again for a few minutes to understand them, but I didn’t get anywhere.

I gave up a little and left the site.

When using fashion words, the goal is usually to use words that readers are most likely to stand out. Sometimes people get a little overwhelmed and end up getting a complicated sentence with no content.

In this case, less is more. So keep your copy simple and jargon-free – unless you have data to prove it works for your audience.

9. Focus on benefits.

Although this may seem simple, many companies do not apply this principle to their online copy.

They focus on what their company does and what products it offers, rather than writing from a reader’s perspective. What can they gain from using your software? Start from there.

So instead of saying “We do inbound marketing,” try something like “Increase your online traffic and potential customers with engaging content,” which immediately describes the benefits.

10. Don’t ignore microcopying.

A microcopy refers to short text on a website, such as a call to action and a tag in a form field.

text that doesn’t seem to appear very often in a conversation, but there are small details like these that can improve or spoil the user experience on your site.

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Easier said than done, right? We know.

There are some reliable ways to write an attractive CTA:

• Use action verbs – Instead of general phrases like “Click here” and “Learn more”, use terms like “discover”, “join”, instead of general phrases like “click here”.
• Complain to their wishes – If you know your audience is looking for a community, you can highlight this with a CTA like “Join a community of 1000+ marketers”.
• Arouse urgency and scarcity – Terms such as ‘limited’, ‘take action now’ and ‘while it lasts’ can encourage consumers to take action.

11. Check the competition.

It’s always helpful to see what your competitors are doing, as this can deliver your own strategy. There is nothing different with writing lyrics.

Browse the websites of your direct competitors and see a copy of them. What is their tone? How do you present your products and services to consumers? Which CTAs do they use (and on which pages) to direct traffic to the bottom of the stream?

I’m not suggesting that you should adopt their approach to writing texts, but it doesn’t hurt if you know their opinion.

Now that you have all these tips, you can increase your writing game even more and increase these conversions.

Editor’s Note: This publication was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for completeness.