The Basics of Copywriting for Web Designers

Take a quick look around the Internet and you’ll quickly see, the problem with a lot of websites is the business owner or web designer slaps some words on the website and calls it done.
It seems even those who care the most about the success of their website, the business owners, don’t consider how the right words can drive website visitors to take a desired action, convince people to spend money on their products and make it nearly impossible for a visitor to leave the site without taking an action.
Truthfully, the right words can make or break the effectiveness of a website.
One type of copy is considered “content.” Content is the copy on a website that informs, but doesn’t convince the visitor to do anything. Examples are blog posts, status updates and about page copy.
Sales copy, on the other hand, is any copy that convinces visitors to take an action your client wants. Examples are asking the visitor to fill out a form, buy something or refer their friends to the site.
As a web designer you can advise your clients on how to write effective copy – or you can learn to write it for them and charge a higher fee. Either way, it’s important to learn how to write words that convince visitors to take action.
First you need to know the Two Rules Of Selling:
1) Visitors do not like the “idea” of being sold. Don’t get me wrong, people love to shop, they love to buy – as long as they are in control. If your website copy makes them feel like you’re helping them solve a problem or achieve their goals, they’ll be happy to buy.
2) Copy shouldn’t apply pressure, instead it should appeal to the visitor’s emotions and provide proof that the products are as good as they sound.
People buy things for emotional reasons, but they need to rationalize and back up their emotions with rational reasons.
For example, people buy alarm systems because they’re afraid. That’s the emotional reason. They know having an alarm will make them feel better about the safety of their home, but the extra key-fob, 24/7 monitoring or easy ordering process is what will seal the deal. That’s the rationalization that backed up their emotion-based buying decision.
7 Buying Emotions
Here are the 7 basic emotions that visitors respond to. Use one of these in your copy and your client’s website will convert far better than their competition’s website:

• Fear – This could be the fear of how their life will be if they don’t find a solution to their problem.
• Greed – This could focus on how the product or service will make them more money.
• Vanity – If the product or service is something everyone wants,you could talk about how great it will be to show it off to their friends and family.
• Lust – Everyone wants what someone else has. You could mention how many people have bought the product or use the service.
• Pride – You could talk about how having the product or service will make them feel worthy of respect.
• Envy – You could talk about how everyone else is doing it and how they’re missing out.
• Laziness – If your product or service saves them time or energy, you could focus on that. They won’t have to lift a finger.

Writing For Websites
Let’s piece this together for your client’s website. The first thing you want to do is grab the visitor’s attention within the first 5 seconds or you’ll lose them for good. The average visitor will quickly glance at your site and if nothing catches their attention, they will hit the back button.
The biggest thing you can do to make sure your website grabs attention is to use a great headline. Your headline is the most important element on the page because:

• Your headline is the first thing visitors see
• Your headline should immediately grab their attention
• Your headline should force them to keep reading
• 80% of your visitors will read your headline
• Your headline leads into the rest of your copy

A good headline is specific to only one company. If you can remove the headline from your client’s website, put it on other company’s website and it still makes sense – it’s not specific enough.
Here are 7 headline formulas to get you started:

State a benefit.

• “Managing Your Own Website? We Make It Easy…”

Offer a free special report, e-book, PDF, etc.

• “Our FREE Report Blows the Lid Off Big, Expensive Web Development Companies and Shows You How to Get Your Own Website Built For a Fraction Of the Cost.”

Tell your visitor a story.

• “The First Time I Designed A Website I Was Hooked- Now I Get My Kicks Designing Websites That Make My Clients Filthy Rich.”

Make a recommendation.

• “The 5 Things Your Website Must Have NOW.”

Use a testimonial.

• “After John Designed Our Website, Our Traffic, Visitors, and Sales Increased by 500%. We’d Recommend Him to Anyone.”

Compare Something.

• “Now You Can Have Your Own Custom Website – And Pay Half As Much As Your Friends Did.”

Use power words to help your visitor visualize.

• “How Some Websites ‘Drive” Visitors Away.”

By helping your clients create better headlines, you’ll increase the effectiveness of their website and look like a true expert.
To learn more about how to write amazing copy for your clients visit our website ZolamanDesign. You’ll also learn the fastest ways to build websites, how to find clients who will pay you what you’re worth and how you can make $125+ per hour, even if you’re just getting started.