Can Your Website’s Copy Make it in the 21st Century?
Over the next few posts, I’m going to focus on website copy and what it means in the 21st century. I spend a lot of my time reviewing websites - noting what works, what doesn’t work, and why today’s consumers are visiting your site with a different perspective.
First of all, visitors to your website today are not the same as they were five years ago. Heck, they probably aren’t even the same as they were five MONTHS ago. Today’s consumers are buried under the piles of information, they’ve got less time than they ever had, their nerves have been overstimulated by wars, natural disasters, politics and the like, and they’re feeling a financial strain that is apparently not getting any better.
Just the kind of customer you were looking for, right?
So what do you do with your copy to reach these people? Well, first of all you have to get to your point - fast. When we visit a website that goes on and on without giving us some kind of payback, some gem of information or an opportunity to meet one of our needs, we tend to get ’sleepy eyes’ and move on.
Long, useless copy like I’ve described comes from a number of sources:
- Some copywriters tend to ‘fall in love’ with their work. They churn out word after word to impress themselves, their bosses and, of course, you. Too bad you aren’t a copywriter. You might be more impressed.
- Some clients love themselves too much. “We need a company name density of 12%” is exactly what I was told by one client last year. As if their company name was a keyword and their entire SEO strategy depended on it.
- A copywriting budget that is too small. Truth be told, it takes longer to write a to-the-point, well crafted message than it does to ramble on and on. Get to the point. Hiring a junior copywriter may save you money, but you could end up with thousands of extra words that simply drive your prospects away.
Next up…why smaller is better. At least, in copywriting.