Category Archives: Copywriting and Content Writing Tips

10 copywriting tips to boost your website conversion rate

Copywriting tips for better conversion rate

In this blog post you will read a few copywriting tips that will help you boost your website conversion rate.

Although I constantly promote myself as a website content writer, when I’m writing for a business website, especially the main pages like the homepage, the services page, the product features page or the about us section, I’m doing copywriting.

Content writing is educational and informative, copywriting is promotional and persuasive.

A long time back I published a web page explaining the difference between copywriting and content writing.

Content writing doesn’t always have to sell, but copywriting is all about selling and hence, conversion rate is very important when it comes to copywriting.

Aside from your main business website content, copywriting is also used for

Landing pages
Email marketing
PPC campaigns
Social media advertising
Brochures and flyers
Promotional video and audio scripts

When you hire a professional copywriter, you want to boost your website conversion rate. You want more people to buy from you or use your services or download your software or e-book or mobile app.

Basically, you want them to click the “call to action” link or button.

How do you make people do that?

This is where my copywriting tips can help you. Even if you yourself don’t want to use these tips, you will be able to glimpse them in the writings of your copywriter and you will feel empowered and involved.

There is nothing magical about copywriting. It is simply convincing and engaging writing, written in a manner that your target audience is impressed by your message and agrees to take the action you want it to take.

Here are 10 copywriting tips that will boost your website conversion rate.

Copywriting tip 1: Have a clear idea of what your audience is looking for

This is one of the most important copywriting tips and without knowing what your audience is looking for, you cannot improve your conversion rate.

Conversion happens when you are providing exactly what your prospective customers and clients are looking for.

Whether they want to update themselves regularly, or educate themselves about a certain product or service or want to make up their minds, you need to create your copy accordingly, and only then your conversion rate improves.

Good copywriting also involves using the language that your audience uses. If your language is totally alien, they don’t understand what you are saying and they leave your webpage or landing page, frustrated and confused.

So,

Write about what your audience is looking for.
Write in the language your audience uses.

Having a persona also helps you understand the expectations of your visitors. You cannot please everyone. So, decide in advance whom you’re going to please. Define a persona. A persona has

The gender of your target person.
His or her age.
His or her social status.
His or her job title and industry.
Marital status.
Location.
Whether he or she has kids are not.

These are general traits.

If you are writing copy for a fashion accessory, then it will help you to know the fashion preferences of your persona.

Copywriting tip 2: Use conversational language

Stiff, official-sounding language doesn’t sell well. Use a conversational style when copywriting. Preferably, use first person. Use lots of “you” and “your”.

Talk like a person. Talk as if the other person is sitting in front of you and you are convincing him or her to do something. Use imaginary body language because it reflects through your copy and make sure copy sound natural. You can also imagine a scene from a movie where two characters are talking to each other.

Copywriting tip 3: Come to the point, don’t beat around the bush

Tell straight up what you have to offer.

If you are offering an SEO package, tell the person immediately how you’re going to improve his or her search engine rankings.

Mention the problem, then mention the solution.

Life is full of distractions these days. Even small things can distract people away from your landing page or website.

Hence, deliver your important message as early in the copy as possible.

Copywriting tip 4: Respond to common objections in advance

Frankly, there can be thousands of objections your target audience may have and hence, it is important to define a persona, as described above, and then stick to that persona. This way, you will know the common objections the person may have when going through your copy.

For my target audience, for example, I’m not looking for people who are more interested in getting cheap copywriting services and less interested in improving their conversion rate.

Although cost matters, I’m targeting people for whom cost is not the deciding factor but how well my copy converts.

So, people belonging to my target segment may have a question like, “But, is your copywriting service really effective and will it help me improve my website conversion rate?”

I need to convince them. I need to provide proof. I need to provide testimonials. Through the copy, I need to convince them that I’m the copywriter they are looking for.

Copywriting tip 5: Use numbers instead of claims

“I can double your conversion rate in 8 weeks” is far convincing than “I can improve your conversion rate fast”.

“My clients have experienced 300% improvement in their conversion rate after using my copywriting services for 5 months” is better than “Improve your conversion rate with my copywriting services”.

Numbers give your target audience a clear idea. Whether you are mentioning a price of a product or service or the amount of improvement it can bring in, use numbers to give them a clear idea of what they will get.

Copywriting tip 6: Use shorter, crisper sentences

Shorter sentences are easier to read and easier to understand. They focus on a single thought and that’s it. After being exposed to that single thought, the person can move on.

“A $105 flat fee, no hidden cost.”

“Buy it once, you don’t have to buy it again.”

Life these days is full of distractions. People don’t get distracted when they read short sentences. Short sentences are also powerful and make a big impact.

Most powerful statements have fewer words. Take for example what Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – simple, to the point, says what it means to say.

Copywriting tip 7: Hit the emotional chords

By the end of the day, selling is emotional. We buy less for utility value, more for emotions. As the insane success of the iPhone tells you, people buy for experience and not just for the utility value (provided, they can afford).

This Harvard Business School research says that 95% of purchase decisions are made in the subconscious mind.

You can hit the emotional chords many ways.

Take for example, “Join the elite club of billionaires who make millions every month using these copywriting tips.”

Although, the line talks about making money, it reaches out to people who would like to join the elite club of billionaires.

Another one, “Never worry about putting food on the table – the sure shot way of making money.”

Everybody wants to make money, but, the need to put food on the table can move anyone.

“Make your ex regret the moment he decided to leave you,” can be a great weight loss slogan if making your ex feel bad is more important than being fit.

Emotions are great motivators.

Copywriting tip 8: Sell the benefits, not the product

What is the benefit of good copywriting? It gets you more customers and clients. So, what is the benefit? Getting more customers and clients.

People don’t want to buy your product or subscribe to your service just because you are providing it.

Something is troubling them. Something is missing in their lives. Something is holding them back from achieving their best. Something doesn’t let them sleep.

Take for example a to-do list.

“This is one to-do list that never lets you miss the important things you need to do.”

“The mobile phone app that lets you get your life back on track.”

Nifty features are great to have, and they certainly help people, and this is why you have incorporated them in the first place, but people aren’t really bothered about them unless they have started using your mobile app.

What is the greatest, irresistible benefit of downloading and installing your app? Begin your copy with that.

Copywriting tip 9: Never underestimate the importance of a headline

Headline is what that catches your fancy.

When you come across a headline on Facebook or Twitter, how it beckons you decides whether you are going to click it or not. This is the power of headlines.

A headline is bigger. It attracts the attention of your visitors immediately because the headline is not just bigger, it is also at the top. The size and place says, “Look at me before you look at something else.”

Most people will stay or leave your landing page based on what you have written in your headline.

If you want to make a promise, if you want to highlight the most important benefit of your product, if you want to deliver the most hard-hitting USP, use it in your headline.

Copywriting tip 10: Become your reader’s advocate

Become your customer’s or client’s advocate through your copy.

Although deep within you want them to spend money on your business, basically, what you have is their good in your heart.

Your product or service has the ability to transform their lives.

Your product or service can herald a positive change.

Your prospective customer or client has a problem, and you have got the right solution.

You have totally understood his or her problem and now you want to offer a solution.

Throughout your copy, you fight for the benefit of your customers and clients. This is how you write effective copy.

Conclusion

There is no hard and fast rule in copywriting: you just need to put the interest of your customers and clients first before your own. You need to connect. You need to tell them a story they can relate to. You talk in their language. You become one of them.

How to write a high-impact sales copy without sounding salesy

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The image shows a greedy salesman prompting you to buy from him immediately

Avoid being salesy while writing your sales copy

When you are convincing people, you are basically selling. Whether you are promoting a political idea, or urging people to adopt a social change, or prompting them to hire your content writing and copywriting services, for example, you need to convince them, and when you convince them, you are selling. Whenever you are convincing, through writing, you are writing sales copy.

When you are writing sales copy for business, the convincing part takes a totally different level because you are not just telling people to change their behavior, you are also asking them to spend money, and spend money on you – the hardest thing to achieve.

The “hardest” part is actually a misconception, and this is why people begin to indulge in a salesy sales copy instead of actually making a point. They simply want people to buy, instead of offering them something that can transform their lives.

Selling is not difficult if you have something worth buying.

You need two things to sell:

A good product or service that is of great use.
Your ability to convince people that you have got a great product or service that is of great use.

Sales copy comes into the picture during the convincing part. When you overdo the convincing, it becomes salesy.

This Forbes article advises you how to avoid being salesy while promoting your business, I’m writing my post in terms of content writing and copywriting without sounding salesy. Here are a few points we can take from the article itself:

Make a connection with your sales copy instead of immediately starting to sell

Selling is no longer impersonal. We live in a social world. We have always lived in a social world, but now we can socially connect like never before. According to the latest Mary Meeker report on Internet trends, by 2018, 3.8 billion people were connected to the Internet.

Even though you may say that the amount of information available on the Internet is overwhelming and ends up confounding people instead of making them feel more aware, personal recommendations generate more business than conventional advertising and marketing.

Making a personal connection means, talking to the person as if he or she is actually sitting in front of you, through your copywriting.

For example, while writing copy to promote my content writing and copywriting services, instead of constantly harping about how great a copywriter I am, I should address your concerns such as your need to improve your conversion rate and have better search engine rankings.

You want your visitors to come across highly professional and convincing copy on your website. You don’t want to sound unprofessional. You don’t want to sound someone like who doesn’t know how to communicate through writing.

Through helpful content writing and copywriting, you also want to make your visitors aware and educate them on the benefits of doing business with you. Only after that you make a pitch for your product or service.

My preferred way of making a connection is publishing lots of helpful blog posts such as this one. Most of my clients have read my blog posts. They like what I write. By the time they contact me to hire me as their content writer or a copywriter, they are already convinced that they want me to write for them.

Constantly obtain feedback from your prospective customers and clients and update your copy accordingly

The first version of your copy doesn’t have to be your last version. Though, when you are paying for content writer or a copywriter it becomes kind of a hassle, but even if it is a hassle, it is a necessary hassle.

What are the problems faced by the people for whom you are writing your copy? What are the things that trouble them? What are their apprehensions when they want to use your product or service? What sort of language do they use when they are searching for information on your product or service?

The way they talk about your product or service constantly changes according to the rapidly changing cultural and social nuances. Even what they want from you may change over the months. Keep making changes to your copy accordingly.

Offer transformation instead of your product or service

What is the biggest benefit of doing business with you? Make that the central point of your copy instead of your product or service.

I will again take an example from my own content writing and copywriting services. I write great, but so what? You are not looking for a Donna Tartt or a Martin Amis. You are looking for a content writer who can improve your conversion rate and give you better SEO.

You want a copy that converts maximum number of people who come to your landing page. You want the maximum number of people to download your e-book. You want to engage people on social networking websites. You want to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

These are the transformative things I should offer you instead of constantly telling you how great my content writing services are and how prodigal my copy is going to be once I write for you.

Is being salesy totally bad and counter-productive?

I wouldn’t say always. It depends. If you totally ignore selling your product or service, your prospective customer or client may miss the point. He or she may end up thinking that you are simply educating and informing, and you don’t intend to sell your product or service.

So, yes, if I want you to hire me as your content writer or a copywriter, I need to convey to you that I offer these services. I also need to talk about why it makes sense to hire me instead of another content writer or copywriter or another content writing a copywriting service.

But before I can do that, I should establish a connection with you. You should appreciate my writing. You should understand what advantages I bring to the table by going through the information available on my website and blog. After that, even if I sound salesy, you will be more receptive.

Why it is important to solve problems with your content writing

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Solving problems with content writing

When I continuously talk about solving problems with your content writing I don’t mean you turn into a Messiah and relinquish all thoughts of making money and just focus on helping people.

There are many business models that solely revolve around helping people and this in itself generates good money, but there’s a reason why, when you solve problems, especially through content writing, you generate more business.

This Copyblogger blog post says that every audience has these three subgroups:

People who read your content.
People who don’t just read but also share your content on their timelines.
People who take action on the advice that you publish through your content.

The last subgroup is very important.

People who take action obviously read your writing.

People who take action obviously agree with you, like what you’re saying, and consequently, they may also be sharing your content.

People who take your advice are also most likely to buy from you because since you are already solving their problems, they trust you with solving more problems.

Even if they don’t buy from you, they become your advocates and help you reach people who may buy from you.

Remember that on the Internet, it isn’t just important to reach your customers and clients, it is also very important to create a tribe of people who help you promote your business, preferably by word-of-mouth.

Someone sharing your content on his or her timeline may be more valuable than someone buying from you and then forgetting about you.

So, the next time you’re planning to publish a blog post simply to cover a topic, make sure you solve a central problem in such a manner that people can, at least some of them, use the solution to better their lives.

Something that I have observed in most budding content writers

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Become a writer before becoming a content writer

This is again one of those times when I try to expand my business by trying to partner with multiple content writers.

Mostly I write content on my own but now I feel if I want to grow my business beyond what it is now, I will need to start collaborating with other content writers so that I can focus more on expanding my reach and getting more work. Most of my time is spent doing work rather than getting work.

Right now, my main problem is that most of my clients hire my services thinking that I will write for them. They read what I have written on my website. They read my blog. They read my articles and blog posts on other websites. They like what I have written. Hence, I am the reason they contact Credible Content. Which is natural.

But then, as I have written above, I need to grow my business. Over the years I have observed that I am good at getting work. Right now, just 5-10% of my time is spent on marketing my services, communicating with prospective clients and getting work. Sometimes weeks go by without any sort of marketing and promotion. Even with such little effort, I get regular work (which is not enough, of course).

I’m also good at writing and I enjoy writing a lot (the point I’m trying to make through this blog post, which is the central point), but in terms of business, if I keep on writing I am less able to focus on getting more work.

Anyway, these days I’m trying to find some good content writers with whom I can partner. As a result, I am interacting with a few content writers and there is one thing that I have observed: most of the “content writers” just want to make some quick money and then get on with their lives.

Writing is not their passion.

They will write because they are getting money and that’s it.

I don’t mean to preach, but content writing doesn’t work this way, and in fact, any type of writing doesn’t work this way.

Just because you can write sentences and paragraphs without committing spelling and grammar mistakes doesn’t make you a writer.

When you’re trying to promote a business through your writing, you need to make an emotional connection and, call it something bordering to metaphysical, your real message, your real communication exists between the lines, and not in the words, sentences and paragraphs that you write.

When budding content writers send samples to me, within a couple of paragraphs I can make out whether the person is a passionate writer or not.

The disinterest is too obvious. And the writing invokes the same disinterest in readers.

It’s your passion for writing that makes you a good and effective content writer

“Do something that you would love to do even without getting paid, be good in that, and you will be never out of work.”

This is not a lofty ideal. I have actually seen it materializing right in front of my eyes, right in my own life, in multiple ways. Of course, you need to promote yourself, you need to market your skill so that people who can benefit from your skill can contact you.

I’m not a published writer in the conventional sense. I mean, I don’t have books in my name.

But, before I became a professional content writer, I had already written a lot. I have written without getting paid, without even expecting to be paid.

I just wrote for exposure. I liked it when people read what I had written and then praised it. It was very thrilling. I always wanted to show off my writing skills. I was proud of the way I wrote. Although I’m not a Pulitzer-prize-level writer, I’m confident about my ability to communicate.

During my school and college days, my friends used to tease me that I never read books and novels for enjoyment, I read them to polish my language (whether it was English or Hindi) and then later, show off. I did enjoy, though. Still do.

I’m not saying that it is bad to expect to be paid for your writing, I’m just telling you about how I evolved as a content writer – your story may be totally different.

So, I was published a few times in the city newspaper. I had my articles published in local magazines

When the Internet came up and when the concept of publishing helpful content began to materialize, I started publishing tutorials on various websites to promote my web design business.

I have used practically every blogging platform that was started in the 2000’s and this meant lots of writing. I wrote on various forums. I participated in email discussion threads.

The point I’m trying to make is, I wrote a lot.

So, by the time I started receiving professional content writing assignments, writing came to me naturally. Yes, I may have done badly in some cases and I may have done well, but the fundamental skill required to get good content writing assignments was there. The ground had been prepared.

The problem with the content writers that I come across is that without having honed their skills, they want good content writing assignments.

Believe me, this doesn’t work.

Of course, there are many clients who are not looking for quality writing or, they are not aware what quality writing is (lack of knowledge, lack of desire, or both).

You may get work from those clients, but this work is not going to sustain you as a content writer. There are hundreds of thousands of mediocre writers and if you are a mediocre writer, you are constantly competing with them.

You will have to work very hard, put in long hours, and you won’t earn much, eventually giving up.

Enjoy writing to become a successful content writer

Again, this is not a pep talk, this is reality.

Writing is not a skill, as many mistakenly think. Writing is an art, preferably, a performing art.

You are performing through your words and people are watching you perform when they are reading your words.

When it comes to being a good performing artist, you have to lose yourself in your performance. If you’re cautious of what you are doing, you become stiff and instead of performing, you are simply displaying yourself.

Compare it with walking. Do you have to constantly think when you walk? Are you thinking of every step?

No, if you think of every step, very soon you will get tired and you may even fall.

To be able to walk long distances, you need to be able to walk without thinking of walking, without thinking of every step. The same happens with writing. You shouldn’t have to think.

You shouldn’t have to think about writing – you only need to think about the subject, the thing that you want to say, the message you want to communicate.

How can you lose yourself in your work, you may ask, when you’re writing for a business?

By not counting every penny, or every paisa. By not constantly doing clock watching. By not being conscious of much effort you need to put or not.

When you manipulate your writing according to the money you are getting, you are not doing justice to your art.

I’m not saying people should exploit you and you should spend hours on work you are not being paid much for, but once you start writing, focus on your writing.

This is exactly what I do.

Although, I quote my writing work per word, per page or per hour, once I’m writing, I don’t hold myself if I have more to say. When I’m writing, at that time, my writing is important, not how much I am being paid. If you have a problem with the payment, don’t take up the assignment, but once you have taken it up, give your 100%.

It is great that you want to become a content writer, but don’t approach me if you are between jobs and you are looking for something to do in the meantime, if you are a student trying to make side income or if you are a housewife looking for “opportunity on Internet”.

Being a student, being between jobs and being a housewife isn’t something bad, what is bad is, you want to be a content writer just because you are in these situations otherwise, you would be doing something else.

You have to be a writer first. Writing must be one of the priorities of your life. Only then you can become a good content writer.

How to write a sales message with great conversion rate

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Writing a sales message with great conversion rate

In this blog post you’re going to learn how to plan and write a sales message or a sales letter with great conversion rate.

Point-wise, this is how to write a great sales letter:

Write from the customer’s point of view.
Have a well-defined flow to lead your reader through the entire sales process.
Make it easy to read.
Use call-to-action words and expressions to prompt your readers to take a decision.
Keep your readers interested so that they want to read more and know more about your business.
Cater to their sense of urgency.
Remain truthful.
Always sell the benefits, not the features.

No matter what you publish on your website, on your blog, or even elsewhere, ultimately what matters is your conversion rate: how many people become your paying customers and clients?

A big part of business writing or online writing is writing sales messages or copy that intends to sell.

Although, the entire essence of content marketing is not selling and simply providing useful information to people so that they can make up their minds about whether they want to do business with you or not, selling is a part of everything.

Selling doesn’t mean “come, come do business with me because I’m great!” but somewhere, you need to tell your customers and clients that you are open for business and you are a professional.

If all the time you’re educating your prospective customers and clients, they may end up thinking that you are an educational website and you’re not interested in getting paid assignments or selling stuff.

Here is an interesting take on how to write killer sales messages to improve your conversion rate. The gist of this blog post is:

Write your sales message or your sales copy the way you talk.
Cut the hype and tell the truth.
Write in a language people understand, avoiding jargon as much as possible.
Stick to the point.
Get to the main point as quickly as possible.

Let’s now expand the points mentioned above quickly.

Write your sales message or your sales copy the way you talk

When you write the way you talk, people feel as if you’re talking to them. They get a sense of engagement.

How do you talk normally?

You don’t use difficult words. You don’t go on and on. Your sentences are shorter, crisper, and to the point.

Don’t manipulate words.

Cut the hype and tell the truth

There is reason why most of the “money making” email messages go to the spam folder automatically.

This is because they make big, unrealistic claims. Spam filters can read such messages.

Stick to the truth.

I’m not talking about lazy and greedy people, but everybody is a realistic person. They can see through your tall claims.

Write in a language people understand

Every target audience has a different way of talking and writing. You will know that people in the fashion industry talk differently. Doctors talk differently. Scientists talk differently. Writers talk differently.

Although in most of the writing advises you are advised to avoid jargon, I’m not averse to using jargon. Just make sure people are comfortable when reading your sales message and they don’t have to refer to a dictionary.

Stick to the point

This is very important when you are writing a sales message. No scope for rambling or for making irrelevant points or references.

Remember that anything can distract your reader. There are already so many distractions around him or her. There are also distractions within the device and you don’t want to add to those distractions by including information that is not needed or that distracts.

Get to the main point as quickly as possible

The same as above. An average reader is in a great state of distraction so say your thing as quickly as possible.

It is recommended that your reader should be able to understand the gist of your sales message above the fold – he or she shouldn’t have to scroll to understand what you’re trying to promote.

Concluding remarks on writing sales messages with great conversion rate

This is standard advice – the points mentioned above.

A sales message – a message that you use on a landing page or in a promotional email, or anywhere you need to sell a product, a service, or an idea – is a mode of convincing.

It is rightly said that one of the most difficult tasks in the world is making someone give you money for your product or service.

On the Internet it is more difficult because when people come to your website, you are not directly talking to them. It is your text. It is your sales message that needs to convince them.

This is why it is very important to appear truthful.

Spell out the benefits of doing business with you in as plain a language as possible. By “plain” I don’t mean using very bland, uninspiring language, what I mean is, don’t mince your words and don’t ramble.