Producing great web copy for your business is a non-negotiable these days. Well-written, human-centred copy is what’s going to convince your audience to like your brand, trust what you stand for and to buy what you’re selling.
That said, a lot of business owners still don’t see the benefit of hiring someone else to write this copy. After all, how hard can it be to knock up a couple of Instagram captions or some website content?
But there’s a big difference between copy that’s taken you 10 minutes, and copy that’s been crafted by a professional copywriter. A difference that will be glaringly obvious to your audience, your SEO ranking, and in your sales results.
If any of the following applies to you, it’s time to get yourself a copywriter!
1. You don’t have the time.
Time is money, especially when running your own business. Although writing engaging content for your website may not sound like a big task, writing something that will catch the attention of your audience is going to take time. Copywriters go through several drafts and edits, taking time to craft words that not only grab your audience, but sound like you wrote them. If you don’t have time to write the kind of content that is worth your audience’s time to read, a copywriter is your best bet.
2. You just hate writing.
Writing is definitely not a passion for everyone, and if you’re someone who’d rather eat rusty nails than have to pump out original social media posts everyday, you need a copywriter. If you’re not excited to be writing about your business, then your audience isn’t going to be excited to read about it either. We outsource other areas that we know aren’t our strengths, like accounting and legal services, so if writing isn’t a strength for you, outsource it!
3. Google SEO feels like a foreign language.
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is about improving your site’s visibility so that it’s more likely to pop up in search engines when people are looking for your services/products. Better visibility = more site traffic = more customers! However, Google SEO is constantly evolving and can be a real pain to get your head around. Copywriters are skilled in SEO writing, so you can be sure that any content they’re writing for your website is going to be sliding your website up those Google rankings, with no extra effort on your part.
4. Grammar/spelling is not your strong suit.
It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, typos and bad grammar happen to the best of us! But when it comes to your website content, excellent spelling and grammar are essential to coming across as professional and trustworthy. These mistakes can distract readers from your message, make your writing look sloppy and mess with your SEO, as search engines don’t recognise typos! Copywriters write for a living, so error-free copy is guaranteed.
5. You don’t know your brand voice.
Your brand voice is the unique personality that should come through with all of your business communications. Whether it’s an email or an Instagram post, your audience should be able to recognise your distinct voice. A consistent brand voice will be easily recognised by your customers, ensuring all of your content sounds like it’s coming from the same person. A copywriter will help you find this voice and maintain it throughout your content.
If any of these signs resonate with you, it’s time to hire a copywriter and start feeling confident in the content you’re putting out into the world.
At The Splendid Word we offer a load of different copywriting and branding services – be sure to check out our Services page for more info.
By Emma Beckenham
