Three reasons your web copy is hurting your conversions

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5 Feb

If content is king, is your website facing a republican uprising?

Whenever and whatever we’re selling online – be it a service or a physical product – your website’s copy can have a huge impact on the click throughs and conversions we command.

Beyond the standard SEO and keyword plays, what are the factors within your website copy that could be negatively impacting its performance? What changes can you make to ensure you’re always writing to consciously optimise your outcomes?

1. No consistent tone of voice

Each page of your website has a job to do, and as a result, each page will convey a slightly different message. The thread that ties your brand’s online presence together, keeping all those hardworking pages singing from the same hymn sheet, is tone of voice. Without a brand tone of voice that speaks distinctly and dependably to your audience, consumer trust starts to erode.

Typically, it's web copy that suffers the most when it comes to inconsistencies in tone. Quick tweaks here and there, new pages added, multiple writers contributing to a project over an extended period of time, or copy that’s needed now as a page goes live. Even an over dependence on increasingly generic Ai copy. There are so many opportunities for tone of voice to creep away from the default and it’s amazing how quickly things can start to drift.

The fix – ensure you have a well-defined brand tone of voice, clearly laid out in documentation and readily available to all your writers (including any agencies who might be drafted in to help.) Copy checks should go beyond typos, grammar and content – include consistent brand tone of voice as an essential part of any sign off.

2. No regular review

When it comes to copy for a new website, for many brands it’s a case of “set it and forget it.” With an emphasis on UX and functionality, copy can often play second fiddle in the hierarchy of laser focus. This can mean that once copy has been written and uploaded, it’s ticked off the list and forgotten about until the next big revamp rolls around.

This is problematic for a few reasons. Stale copy falls flat, selling a dynamic, ambitious brand short. It’s very easy to become copy-blind to a page you see on a frequent basis, failing to realise how far your evolving business has drifted from this original messaging. Even small tweaks can have a measurable impact on conversion. Pay particular attention to micro-copy and CTAs – A/B testing to see where a little more uplift can be unlocked.

The fix – schedule in quarterly web copy reviews and include all stakeholders. Not only will these sessions help to keep your web copy relevant and fresh, they’ll also serve as an important opportunity to dig into your current goals, offer and messaging, examining how they’ve evolved and how they can be better communicated.

3. You’re putting your business first

Finally – one of the biggest issues we see. A website is your shop window on the world, and you have important information to share with potential customers… But so many brands keep the focus of their web copy turned firmly inward, without pausing to truly consider messaging from their customers’ perspective.

Your website should communicate one message above all others – the problem you solve and what that means for the people who engage with you. Think “Speak French like a local!” versus “Introducing our new conversational French app.” Customers should be able to instantly identify with this, seeing themselves and their experience reflected in your web copy. Writing from this point of view is a game changer, and is especially important for copy viewed online, as you’ve only got seconds to get your message across.

The fix – At your next web copy review (the one you just scheduled…) see if you’re putting your business first. Don’t tell people what your business does – tell them what they’ll gain.