3 Secrets To Writing Copy That Converts
Do you want to know a secret?
Not everyone with a great product or service ends up being successful. In reality, it’s normally the people who know how to communicate well about their product that win.
That is why it really matters what you write on your website, blog posts, emails, and ads. Your writing communicates your message to potential customers.
It also plays a part in getting your content and website to rank high on Google–which is absolutely essential to your success. At LifeX Marketing we understand that better than anyone!
In this article, we will learn what copywriting is, why it is important, and discuss some tips for writing clear, compelling copy.
Ready to get started?
Let’s go!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is Copywriting?
You may be wondering:
What exactly is copywriting? Is it different from regular writing?
Before we go on, let’s explain.
“Copy” is any type of writing used to inform, inspire, or explain to readers. It is the written parts of any publication, not the graphics or visual elements.
Simple enough, right?
But don’t get confused. Not just anyone can write quality copy for your blog, website, or email campaign. You can’t simply throw a bunch of words together in a string and call it quality copy.
We will dive deeper into what makes quality copy and tips for writing quality copy later in this article.
Why Do You Need Quality Copy?
At LifeX, we have seen the effects of good copy firsthand. Many of our clients see an increase in qualified leads and revenue simply by clarifying their message. It all goes to say: To be successful, you need to communicate well.
Here are a few more specific reasons you need good copy on your website:
- Clear messaging - To keep people engaged, you have to be crystal clear. If your copy is confusing, people will drop it like a hot potato and go find something they can understand easily.
- Better Google rankings - This is a huge one. No matter how good your content is, nobody is going to read it if it doesn’t rank on Google’s first page. Thankfully, quality copy can help get you there!
- Lead conversion - Compelling copy raises your chance of converting qualified leads.
- Other improved marketing elements - Becoming a good copywriter helps you improve your overall communication skills, helping you create better video scripts, podcast descriptions, and other marketing elements.
- Better authority - Well-written copy instantly lends you more authority than poor copy with grammatical errors and extra words.
- More engagement, likes, and shares - Good copy engages readers and results in more likes and shares.
LifeX Marketing has years of experience with online marketing and SEO, and we invest a lot of time in the copy we write. From our experience, excellent copy literally pays!
3 Secrets To Quality Copywriting
Let’s recap: we know what copywriting is and why it’s important. But what exactly sets good copy apart from bad copy?
The answer to that question depends on what your copy is for. But in the world of SEO and online marketing, good SEO copy is optimized for both humans and search engines. In other words, it’s easy to understand, compelling, fun to read, and it also appeals to Google’s algorithms.
Maybe that sounds difficult to achieve.
However, in a lot of ways writing for Google improves the way you write for humans because Google knows what people like. Therefore, it wants to reward the content people appreciate by ranking it close to the top of search results.
There are some things you have to include for Google, such as using keywords and relevant terms, that you wouldn’t have to do if you were only writing for people. But writing for Google should never make your writing less appealing to people.
(To learn more about ranking on Google, read our introductory blog to SEO.
Now let’s go over a few tips you can use to write clear, compelling copy that both humans and Google like.
Here is #1.
#1 Make your long-form content skimmable
When is the last time you read an entire blog post from beginning to end?
If you are like most people, you probably never have. The truth is that online readers don’t read.
They skim.
When people open your blog post they want to be able to understand what it’s about and glean the info they want from it all in a matter of seconds.
And if it looks difficult to read, they won’t hesitate to click the back button.
It pays to make your content look fun and easy to read. You can do this by:
- Using lots of headers and subheaders
- Using bullet points whenever possible
- Writing in short sentences and paragraphs
- Avoiding big, intimidating chunks of text and small fonts
- Using “bucket brigades” (Here is what a bucket brigade is)
#2 Make your reader the hero
Do you want to know another secret?
Most people are insanely interested in themselves.
Everyone loves reading about themselves–much more than they like reading about you or your business.
When you write, focus on your reader like they are the hero in a story and you are a wise guide who can help them get what they want. Your readers are much more interested in what they can get out of your article than they are in hearing about how wonderful your business is.
Here are a few ways you can write customer-focused copy:
- Use the word “you.” You almost can’t use it too often.
- Write about benefits, not services. In other words, make sure your reader knows how they can benefit from investing their time in your content.
- Write with empathy. Show that you understand what the reader is going through.
- Write with authority. Show your reader you are someone who knows how to help them with their problems. Just don’t overdo it because they really want to hear about them, not you.
#3 Write like you talk
Jane Austen wrote good books. But if she wrote online content for today, nobody would read it.
Why?
Because reading a Jane Austen novel feels like trying to decipher a dictionary that got put through a blender. It’s hard to read!
If you want people to engage with your online content, write like you talk. That is much easier and less intimidating for the average online reader.
Here is how to write like you talk:
- Avoid long sentences and big words. Go for short, simple sentences and common words instead.
- Don’t make things too polished. Your content is more relatable when it doesn’t sound like a textbook, and most people don’t care about perfect grammar when they read online.
- Try reading your content out loud. If it sounds natural when spoken, you know you are on the right track.
- Try sifting through Reddit threads, Amazon reviews, or tweets to find language your customers may use to talk about your service or product.
- Avoid niche language that only experts in your industry understand.
The 3 factors we just shared with you are just the tip of the iceberg–there is a lot more that goes into quality copywriting. But even implementing just these 3 tips can dramatically improve your copywriting skills and SEO.
Conclusion
If you want to boost your online presence and effectively communicate about your product or service, you are going to need good copywriting.
Trust the LifeX team. Between us, we have 45+ years of experience with online marketing, and we invest a lot of our time and energy on our copy because we know how important it is.
If you would like to tap into those 45+ years of experience, contact us today! LifeX offers various online marketing services, which include:
We would love to help your business succeed!
Contact us today to get started. We look forward to hearing from you.