Episode 39: Writing Website Copy that Converts
Build a website that works for you and connects with your audience!
Hey BRILLIANT Mompreneurs! Today’s guest is Kathleen Fordyce, a conversion copywriter who harnesses the power of storytelling. Your website is your home on the internet! When you are first getting started, just building a whole website and writing about what you do can be very overwhelming. In this episode Kathleen walks us through some tips for creating the compelling copy can be the difference between someone staying on your website or immediately clicking out!
"When you land on a website, the first thing you want to know is am I in the right place? Can this person help me and solve, you know, the problem that I have? Your copy must explicitly and clearly state what you do and who you do it for. Because in order to get somebody to stay, you first have to let them know that they're in the right spot."
Discussed in this Episode...
What are some tips for immediately compelling website copy?
Your website is like it’s your welcome mat. It’s your home on the internet! When you’re first getting started, just building a whole website and writing about what you do and getting it in words and on paper can be very overwhelming. I think everybody has that feeling in some way.
Compelling copy can be the difference between someone staying on your website or immediately clicking out. There are a few key areas that you can really focus you efforts, and it will pay off and take your copy to the next level and really connect with the right people and build confidence and trust.
What is "Hero Copy" and why is it important?
That big headline, what people see immediately when they land on your website. Your hero copy is what people see without scrolling anywhere else on your website. There’s a lot of talk about how long somebody is going to stay on your website and few seconds they’ll spend reading. But aside from just grabbing somebody’s attention, that copy is really important for a lot of reasons.
First and foremost, think about your own web surfing, and your searching and buying habits when you’re looking for something that you need. When you land on a website, the first thing you want to know is “am I in the right place? Can this person help me and solve the problem that I have?” So you want that hero copy to very explicitly and clearly state what you do and who you do it for. Because you first and foremost, in order to get somebody to stay, you have to let them know that they’re in the right spot.
Give them a clear Call To Action!
Let’s say that someone is on your website and says, “Okay, this is somebody who can help me with a problem that I am having”. What do you want them to do?
A lot of times going to someone’s website you’ll see that they have “book a call” buttons, and they’ll have a contact form, and they’ll have more different buttons. It could be really confusing. You don’t want someone to be sitting there, wondering, “if I’m interested in working with this person, what do I need to do?”
You want to make it really explicit! For instance: “to book a discovery call, click here” or “for more information sent to your inbox, fill out this form” or “interested in being a guest on my podcast, email me here with this information”. Take all the guesswork out of it. When you are very clear, and showing somebody what you need them to do, it’s going to also build their confidence in you. You’re building trust along the way.
Clear over clever!
We sometimes think that in copywriting and writing, we have to sound the best or to be the funniest. And you can do a very good job of showing your personality on your copy, but you really want it to be clear above everything else. Clear wins over clever every day of the week! Because if it’s too clever, or some people don’t get it, then it leaves them wondering and guessing what to do. Then what happens? Then they’re sitting there thinking and not taking action, and not quickly following through.
What else is often missing from a website?
One very big common thing is as people are gaining testimonials, and they’re getting great social proof, but then they put them all on one page of their site. One single page on their website where they’re kind of like tucked away, and somebody might go back and take a look at them and scroll through them, but they’re really not reading them.
A really great way to use these testimonials is to pull out quotes from people that back up what you’re saying, and using them where you’re talking about that subject on your website. So let’s say for example that you are a coach helping moms manage their time, and you have a great one liner or a great quote from a mom saying “the accountability made all the difference, knowing that I was gonna be showing up on a call with this person, they were gonna be asking about it. This made me take action.” If you insert that testimonial right where you’re talking about the accountability in your program, it really beefs up the value and it just gives it so much more weight.
A few more things we discuss:
- – How you website copy should evolve with your business
- – The value of a CEO day (and what exactly it is)
- – What are some ways we can entice people to stay on our website?
About Kathleen Fordyce:
Kathleen Fordyce is a conversion copywriter who harnesses the power of storytelling to help health, wellness, and creative small business owners level-up their websites and marketing so they can grow their business and make an impact in the lives of those they serve. She’s also a book addict, wife, and mom of two living in New York.
More about Lani Jackson:
Lani is a mom to 6 kids, and wife to her husband of 15 years. She survives on caffeine, laughing with her kids, cooking in the kitchen, hiding in the pantry eating chocolate, and helping other women know they are not alone in the chaos of motherhood & their entrepreneur journey.
She is a Clarity & Strategy Coach for mom entrepreneurs! Helping them to create flexible strategies that adjust and move with the chaos of mom life, but still bring consistent monthly income. Her mission is to help mompreneurs get out of survival mode, release the mom guilt, and create a clear plan of action that will help them reach their dreams of consistent monthly income, flexibility, and freedom.
