How to Add Copywriting to Your Web Design Services
When it comes to engaging visitors and informing customers about a business’s purpose, strong website copy is essential. It supplements your client’s branding, tells their story, and establishes their website’s tone. In addition to supplementing beautiful design, it’s also an important factor in search engine optimization (SEO) and the discoverability of your client’s website.
As a creative professional, you may find that having copywriting skills in your back pocket has the potential to level up your offering and income. This guide breaks down the how-to on copywriting and the basics that enable you to write compelling copy for any website you create.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is the act of writing text for marketing materials, including websites, email campaigns, ads, brochures, flyers, and more. In addition to telling a business’s story, well-written copy is intended to appeal to visitors’ emotions and make them feel motivated to take action, such as purchasing a product or service. It can also create a better user experience by providing clear messaging and can supplement your client’s SEO strategy.
Having a firm grasp on best practices for writing website copy can turn you into a sought-after partner to any client. It can also add tremendous value by providing a service your clients may need.
Benefits of copywriting skills
Strong website copy matters. When you know how to write copy for your client, you can help them sharpen how they communicate the purpose of their business.
Adding copywriting to your list of services can support your design work by enhancing your offerings. Other benefits include:
Ensuring your client’s website sends the intended message.
Charging premium pricing for a more comprehensive service package.
Supplementing your beautiful site design with copy that encourages users to take action.
Improving your client’s SEO ranking by pairing compelling language with keyword research.
Saving your client time and effort by offering design and copywriting as a packaged deal.
Copywriting basics
These six copywriting best practices are the foundation to becoming an effective copywriter who produces high-quality content for your clients’ websites.
1. Define the purpose
For every website you build, ensure you understand your client’s perspective on what they want to share with the world, including who they are, what they offer, and what they believe and value. This will help you define their purpose, clarify their message, and convey their voice through their website copy.
From there, come up with one primary message for the entire site, such as converting customers or leading visitors to contact your client. If the website has more than one clear purpose, it may confuse visitors and drive them to leave. Rather, craft a simple message that can be reinforced across the site.
To help you define the purpose, answer this question: When a visitor lands on this site, what is the one action they should take? From there, everything you write throughout the website should support this primary call-to-action.
2. Get inspired
If you don’t feel inspired by what you write, you can’t expect website visitors to feel connected or encouraged to act based on the content you’ve produced.
Before you start writing, find ways to draw inspiration into your creative process. Some ways to do this include the following:
Find what motivates you about your client’s offerings.
Note any copy on other websites or advertisements that persuades you to make a purchase. Try emulating that language as you write for your client.
Challenge yourself to present solutions—rather than problems—to your client’s customers.
If it helps with your process, listen to inspiring music.
Or, eliminate all distractions so you can focus on writing great copy.
3. Focus on connection
You become a more impactful copywriter when you learn how to connect with readers. You can do so by focusing on visitors’ problems, lifestyles, needs and wishes, urgency, demographics, and curiosities.
For example, if your client sells lotion, list all of the benefits this product offers. These may include hydrated skin in drier climates (e.g., demographics), relief from itchiness (e.g., problems), safe for sensitive skin (e.g., needs and wants), and fast product shipping (e.g., urgency).
Once you figure out how to make a connection with site visitors, try to include these points throughout the copy.
4. Understand brand voice
As you sharpen your copywriting skills, you’ll want to understand how to best exemplify a brand’s voice. Circle member and website copywriter Sara Noel provided an in-depth overview on creating a brand voice at Circle Day 2022, where she led a session titled: “Write Copy That Actually Sounds Human.” This introduction to copywriting is an excellent resource for anyone looking to offer the service and encapsulates what it takes to become a writer who can quickly adapt to any brand voice. Key takeaways from this presentation include:
Websites are like first dates: reciting facts and boasting about accomplishments doesn’t build a relationship. Rather, try connecting with visitors by being human and authentic in your copy.
The copy you write should sound like your client and convey their true personality. Take time to get to know your client and really understand their goals. This can help you as you assume their voice.
Always re-read what you write and ask, “Would I (or my client) actually say this out loud?” With the above suggestion in mind, ensure you have a deep understanding of your client’s business, mission, and voice. Doing so can benefit you as you design and write copy for their website.
Learn more about how to achieve a compelling brand message.
5. Address hesitations
It’s fair to assume that your client does not want potential buyers to land on their website and leave without making a purchase or taking action. Your key role as a copywriter is to remove any barriers so that visitors feel empowered to schedule a demo, sign up for a newsletter, buy a product, or take whatever action is intended by your client.
Visitors often hesitate to take action for a variety of reasons, some of which include:
Possible fears
Previous bad experiences
Distrust
Insecurities
Unaddressed questions
The best way to identify visitor doubts is to put yourself in their shoes: What questions, concerns, or guarantees are you looking for as the consumer?
When you write copy, build trust with visitors by addressing these doubts clearly and positively. Learn more about writing great product descriptions to help turn hesitant visitors into confident buyers.
6. Draft quickly
The more you write, you may find that the biggest hurdle isn’t clever writing skills. It’s speed. Work toward peak efficiency by challenging yourself to write copy in a set time frame. For instance, try writing 4–6 sections of copy for any page on your client’s site in about one hour.
It’s worth noting that initial drafts are rarely great. Seasoned copywriters typically get their ideas down first and then make revisions to incorporate clarity, emotional appeal, and sense of urgency. The more you write, the less challenging the process becomes. In time, you’ll learn how to use storytelling to engage audiences and improve your first drafts.
As you begin, focus on writing and writing quickly. Once the ideas are written down, polish up the writing to make it shine.
How to offer copywriting services
Let your clients know you offer copywriting services from the start of your relationship during the client consultation phase.
While meeting with your prospective client, ask specific questions about content to discover their needs. If they already have their copy written—and they’re happy with it—you may decide to not bring up copywriting. But if you determine that they’re looking for writing help, or they’re not sure about their current branding, let them know how you can help.
Be aware that many new businesses don’t have copy yet and existing businesses may need to have their copy updated, so don’t be shy about mentioning your copywriting skills.
Follow these steps to get the ball rolling:
Understand the size of the problem you’re solving for your client. The copy you write establishes a positive customer relationship and directs visitors to the next step.
To price copywriting services fairly for both you and your client, get an idea of how many pages you’ll write. Then define a set price. Charge more for longer pages, such as the home, sales, about, and services. Charge less for shorter pages, such as the contact page. You’ll also want pricing to reflect your skillset. If you’re already a seasoned writer, consider incorporating that into the price of the service.
As you gain practice as a web developer and copywriter, you can start to increase what you charge per page. You may not charge “enough” the first time, but at the very least you will learn how much time it takes you and what’s involved with revisions. Before you know it, you’ll be confident in your skills, offering, and pricing.
While the process of copywriting may feel overwhelming at first, it's important to just get started. The sooner you begin, the more comfortable you'll become with the process and offering the service to clients.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from all across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
