How to make your ideas shine with the right mix of copywriting and design
It’s the classic chicken-or-the-egg question - which comes first, writing the copy and content for your website, or diving into the process of designing (or redesigning) your website.
You’ve got great ideas sprinkling down like fairy dust of how you can help your niche (or as we like to call them - your dream clients!). But you’re wondering how you can get these ideas out to your audience, helping them understand the value of what you have to offer and having them sitting up saying, heck-yes, I need this in my life.
If you’re investing in some help getting your website up and running, you might be wondering if your web designer writes your copy, or if your copywriter can help you design what your words will look like on your website.
When it comes to successfully writing the content that will shine the spotlight on your products, services and offers, combining design and copywriting is the key to capturing your dream clients attention and keeping them glued to the screen, wanting to know more.
Strap yourself in, because we’re about to share our ultimate website copywriting tips, showing you how designing your copy in a graphically beautiful way can easily be done. We’ll share our best-practises for great design of your website copy and some examples to inspire you along the way.
With just a little extra attention, your design and copywriting can make your ideas appealing, engaging and more impactful. Let’s explore how.
Less is more.
Let’s address the elephant on the screen first: having too much in too little a space can leave your audience confused and overwhelmed. You might be asking yourself ‘how much content do I need to write for my website?’ and start typing up a few-thousand word essay on everything you do.
But the secret to successful writing for design is to focus on the main point you’re trying to get across. Although it can be tempting to want to tell your future customers and clients everything they need to know, keep things simple and to-the-point.
Our tip: Use images and headlines to break up large sections of text. This allows your reader to easily see the most important parts that are relevant to them. If you need to dive deeper into the topic, consider using a call-to-action button that takes them to more content like a blog post, or service page that dives deeper into the topic.
Try it out and see the results.
It's all in the words
When it comes to writing great website content, it’s important to remember the three Cs of copywriting: be crisp, be concise, and be consistent. You don’t need to write long paragraphs or go overboard with the wordplay to make your audience love you.
Speak with your heart; be fun and engaging and let your audience feel like they are your best friends. The right words can be the best call of action for any business. Be professional yet also authentic and real.
Our tip: If you need to share a lot of detail, consider breaking it up into smaller bite-sized pieces of content, use dot-points or create a drop-down accordion so people explore just the most relevant info for themselves and easily grasp concepts.
Showcase your brand’s personality
When it comes to writing great copy for your website, it’s important to let your brand’s unique voice shine.
Just like you wish to provide clients the best products or services, your website and social media platforms also need to have a strong yet unique visual identity.
Our tip: Jot down some of your favourite ways of describing what you do, how do you explain it to people that have never heard of you before? Or what’s your unique take on your industry? Throw in some of your all-time favourite words, quirky quotes or unique oh-so-you sayings, and voila - your website copy just got a whole lot more interesting (and your audience are starting to get a glimpse of who you are!).
Create some visual magic
Great design, catchy colours and beautiful photographs don’t just highlight your business but they also help attract people who share the same aesthetic interests. Show the world how you have both skill and style! Play around with colours and fonts that reflect your business’ brand vibe. Again, remember that less is more - there’s no need to overdo it on the colours and multitude of fonts. Keep it inline with your brand style guide, to make the real magic happen.
Our tip: If your brand is fun and adventurous, then showcase this through your website content and design - experiment with fonts that highlight key sentences, or create graphics that include your copy within them. If you’re more of a straighty-180 professional type, you’ll want to keep your copy clean and simple.
Show the results
Sometimes people have to see it to believe it. Real-life examples hold more power than vague promises and whilst many brands promise to deliver, the best way for your audience to understand the results you offer is through photos, real reviews and testimonials from your clients.
Our Tip: Share before and after photos, and let people know what services they are for. Share your portfolio pics to showcase your individual style. Use testimonials, with branded pictures of past clients, to help future clients know the results you offer and remind them that these are real people too and inspire them to get in touch with you.
When it comes down to it, great copy and great design work hand-in-hand to create the ultimate experience for your website visitors, drawing them in, helping them get to know you and getting them to take that all-important action on creating change in their life.
The goal of great design is to highlight your copy. The goal of your copy is to educate and inspire your audience. One cannot exist without the other.
Let’s recap our top-tips for great website copywriting design:
Keep your copy simple and to the point, breaking up large paragraphs of text
Share your personality and unique brand vibes through both copy and design elements
Showcase your results - the ultimate way to help your ideas shine and share what it’s really like to work with you.
Ready to stop staring at that blank page, waiting for inspiration for your amazing website copy to strike you with a lightning bolt of inspiration? We thought so! Snag our Creating Copy that Converts Guide - the ultimate toolkit for entrepreneurs who want to inspire their audience, establish themselves as a trustworthy brand and convert website visitors into customers and cheerleaders for your brand!
