Your dream customer is on a mission to solve a specific problem, and they land on your website. Does this prospect fill you with excitement…. or panic? First impressions count, and the words you use to represent your business play a major role in that. Does your website copy reflect you and your offering, or are they stuck the past?
If it’s the latter, it’s time to refresh your website copy.
Here are some clear signs that it’s time for shiny new web copy.
1. Your website copy sounds like a past version of you
Many of my clients say their website copy worked well at the time, but hasn’t evolved with their business.
Your brand is ever-changing, and you’ve probably launched new services and products since that site first went live several years ago.
Chances are you’ve also grown as a person and perhaps even shifted your audience to target new people.
If your website is stuck in the past, it’s not doing its job in representing you to the outside world, so it’s time for new copy.
2. Your website copy was cobbled together or felt like an afterthought
At the time, you didn’t realise the importance of copywriting to capture your brand, connect with your target audience, and set you apart from competitors.
Running a business is a sharp learning curve, so you’ve probably gained a lot of insight over the years into the value of doing things properly.
If you wrote your website copy yourself or let someone else have a go, there’s likely to be huge potential to improve it now with a professional touch.
3. You’ve outgrown your brand voice
How does your website copy feel when you read it from a customer perspective?
Too formal? Overly corporate? Maybe a bit too casual and over-friendly?
If the words don’t match where your brand is today, your copy will always feel slightly “off.”
When I work with clients on their website copy, we have the option to add on a tone of voice workshop to bottle your voice and make it easier for everyone to embody. And even if we don’t do this, I’ll still ask a lot of questions about how you want to sound and observe how you communicate closely to ensure your web copy represents your business accurately (and sounds different to your competitors).
4. It’s giving main character
Red flag website copy for me is all about the business and not about the audience.
“We pride ourselves on…”
“We have 20 years of experience…”
I know it’s your website, but your site should centre on what your audience wants to hear, and not necessarily what you feel like you want to say.
A good copywriter is a great investment if you feel too close to your business and struggle to pull out the key things your audience needs to know.
5. You’re not getting enquiries (or the right ones)
Does your website generate any clicks or enquiries?
If not, your web copy could do with an update so it’s geared around conversion, rather than just generic information about your brand.
Professional copywriting combines so many elements – audience insights, psychology, SEO, creativity, brand voice, and calls to action – to ensure your website doesn’t just read well, but generates results too.
Similarly, if you’re getting enquiries through but they’re from all the wrong people, good copy will fix that problem too by attracting and repelling the right eyeballs in equal measure.
6. Your site isn’t optimised for search
Have you ever Googled what you do and wished your site showed up?
Your web content might sound nice, but Google doesn’t rank websites based on them sounding nice.
It ranks clear, relevant content that uses the words your customers are searching for. So, learning how to write website copy isn’t just about honing your writing skills, but also about picking up new knowledge around how to do keyword research and use the results naturally.
If SEO wasn’t part of your last refresh, you’re missing opportunities to be seen on search engine results page and attract new customers who are searching online.
7. It just feels tired
Trust your gut – you know yourself if your web pages sound outdated, chaotic, or just a bit stale and tired.
A refresh will reignite your excitement for your business and usher in a new era of attracting quality enquiries with less effort than other lead gen tactics (like networking and social media).
Good website copy is the silent salesperson working while you sleep
When your website copy is on point, you feel proud of your website and see genuine results come from it.
I’m Ali, a freelancer copywriter specialising in website copy for businesses, monthly SEO blog articles, and LinkedIn content writing for individuals and company pages.
Refreshing your copy is one of the quickest ways to boost your visibility and start attracting the right people – book a chat with me or drop me an email to discuss updating yours.