Without a doubt, one the hardest parts of building a new website is writing the text that will go on each page. That’s why I thought I’d start a collection of my favourite articles and guides that can shed a little light on this difficult task.
Below, there are 10 articles.
“10,” I hear you exclaim! “Isn’t that information overload?”
Yes, it is. I know you’re busy so feel free to pick and choose the resources that you think would be most beneficial for your website. Some relate to a specific page (for example, the “About Us” page). Others relate to a specific element on the page (for example, the headline). Others just have great general information.
Why is this so important?
Now, before you tell me that you don’t possibly have time to read all this, hear me out. It’s really tempting to just throw some words on a page and call it day. However, the content on each page is one of the most important elements of your website. It’s what encourages visitors to call you, visit you or buy from you (whatever your end goal may be). It can set you apart from your competitors or portray you as an expert in your industry.
Some people will even hire a copywriter (a person who writes website content, sales letters and blogs for a living) to do this job for them. If this option is available to you, it’s definitely worth considering. However, if your budget doesn’t extend that far, the articles below will help you create your own website content.
General Advice:
Tips for Writing Content
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least one article that we wrote ourselves. (Ok, three articles. There’s more below).
A few years ago, we sat down to write an article with all our tips for writing great website content. The list got so long, we decided to follow it up with a “part 2”. You can read them both here:
(Even More!) Web Content Writing Tips
What I love about this article is that it recognises that it’s important to use keywords when writing the content for your website (words that potential clients and customers might use when searching Google). However, the author also balances this with the importance of not overdoing it. User experience and readability should be your prime focus.
The article talks a lot about writing blog posts for your website, but the same tips apply for general page content.
9 Simple Tips for Writing Persuasive Web Content
The #1 message that you should take away from this article is that very few people read a website word for word. Instead, a visitor might scan the page and scroll through the headings. If a headline catches their attention, they might stop to read more. When writing the content for your website, keep this point in mind. You want to persuade your web visitors to take action, even if they only skim read the page.
A Guide to Writing Text for Your Website
This blog has great general advice that could be used on any page of your website. If you’re only going to read one of these articles (apart from ours, of course), make it this one. There’s a great breakdown on the difference of writing for humans and writing for search engines.
Specific Advice:
9 Steps to writing your ultimate home page headline
When visitors come to your website for the first time, it’s likely that they will start on the homepage. You’ve only got a short time to convince them that they’ve come to the right place and perhaps your business can help them with what they’re looking for. This is why the first line of text on your homepage is the most important piece of copy you will write.
4 Tips on Writing a Website Homepage
Often a website homepage will include more than just the headline. Here are more general tips for writing copy that will grab people’s attention.
Tips for Writing Your About Us Page
One of the most important pages on your website is your “About Us” page. This is your opportunity to tell visitors a bit about yourself and all going well, also make them like you.
Here’s our tips on how to make the most out of this page:
Writing Headlines that Get Results
When done well, a headline not only grabs the reader’s attention but also lures them into the content and encourages them to read more. As pointed out in the article below, 80% of people will read the headline on a page, but only 20% will continue reading.
The article is written for blog writers, but the logic behind the tips applies equally for content on your website pages.
12 of the Best ‘Contact Us’ Page Examples You’ll want to Copy in 2017
Many people leave their ‘Contact Us’ page to last and don’t spend too much time or effort on it. But when it’s done right, it can be a great way to encourage visitors to get in contact with your business.
In this article HubSpot has 12 great examples of a Contact Us page done well:
Have you heard any other tips for writing attention grabbing website content? Let us know!
