Poor copy sells nothing. Poor copy does not educate, entertain or engage. Great copy converts, by engaging, educating or entertaining and then converting. It can create trust or urgency or both.
The world is full of poor copy and poor copywriters, literally poor. And now with AI Artificial or rather Augumented Intelligence, we are seeing a flood of poor copy. AI is supposedly really bad for copywriters. I suspect it is bad for people who create poor copy, they have just been replaced. However, AI tools such as ChatGPT seem to generate mountains of poor copy. No doubt in the right hands AI tools can create good copy. But I suspect those ‘right’ hands are the good copywriters, who really know how to create ideal prompts to get the most from the AI tools. Below is a piece of original copy on the subject written by one such copywriter Stephen Church at Copy Writer Pro.
SEO Copywriting service
Where seamless design meets captivating copy
Creating a new website is exciting – just like opening a new shop in your local High Street. Your website is your way of showing off to the world –
what you can achieve
who you’ll achieve it for
how you’ll achieve it.
Working with us to build this website of yours is a creative adventure – where your vision meets our talent! Together we need to ensure that the written content includes great copy.
Ready to sign off your beautiful new website
Just imagine. A few short weeks following our first meeting, we present you with a beautifully structured new website. The look and feel are just what you were hoping for. The happy day arrives when you ‘signoff’ your bright and beautiful new baby, and you’re ready to launch.
But just a moment! Not so fast.
Isn’t there something missing?
Have we forgotten about those little squiggly things? The words? AKA your web copy?
‘Oh, it won’t take more than a couple of hours to cobble that together.’
Are you sure? Agreed, in your sector, you certainly know your onions – you’re a highly-skilled expert. But delivering your website copy? Is that your speciality too?
The words do the heavy lifting
Writing web copy that works – that persuades your website visitors to respond to your products or services – is a specialist craft. Yes, the design, look, feel, and functionality of your website are vital. But it’s the words that do the dirty work – the heavy lifting. Properly researched, structured and crafted, they’ll inspire your visitors into action – convincing them to pick up the phone or send you an email.
A good copywriter will find the words that –
Grab the attention of your website visitors
Engage them so they stick around and don’t wander off to your competitors’ sites.
Inspire them into action – to call you, email an enquiry, or, better still, place an order.
Give you the best chance of getting your web pages highly placed in the search engines.
Stephen Church Professional Copywriter at Copy Writer Pro.
The importance of hiring a professional writer for web copy or just writing good content.
We work with some great copywriters like Stephen – skilled content experts who will weave their wondrous word magic to furnish your website with words that are clear, concise and compelling.
You’ve trusted us to deliver for you a great new custom website design. Do you really want to spoil it with shoddy, amateurish copy? How much better would it be to round it off with polished, engaging content?
Leave the heavy lifting to us or rather our Copywriters. Find out more about how seamless design meets captivating copy.
Almost everyone purports to be an online copywriter these days, but are target audiences really content with the content? Any good digital strategist will tell you that simply vomiting a random pile of words into a virtual text box will not increase your sales leads. A website which greets visitors with poor grammar and bad spelling will not inspire confidence in potential customers. A ‘that’ll do rightly’ attitude is perilous for business when it comes to online presentation. Sloppy online content is damaging to brand reputation so it’s important to maintain high standards in all copywriting – from landing pages to blog posts.
Each time I log on to social media yet another virtual acquaintance proudly announces that they’ve arrived in the blogosphere. The items posted frequently fall into three categories.
More often than not an article – which is so proudly presented as the self-proclaimed writer’s Magnum Opus – looks more like someone filled a big bucket with a decent idea, a collection of superlatives and an ever so slight helping of punctuation then unceremoniously tipped them out on to the page.
On other occasions I’m left shaking my head upon the realisation that the so-called ‘new’ blog was one I’d read a few weeks, months or even years earlier on another website.
The first category – poorly written copy – we can forgive because at least an attempt at literary brilliance was valiantly if not disastrously attempted. As for the second category – plagiarised copy – well, nobody likes a thief. And lastly, poor or mediocre AI content generated using tools like ChapGPT.
It should go without saying: posting any of the above types of content on your website is bad for business. It could see you lose the reader or visitor to boredom or apathy.
Thankfully there are plenty of good content writers out there and hiring them can be very good for your business. Now is a great time to ‘stand out’.
When it’s done well, content really is king. Publishing good quality content is vital in both driving traffic to your website and converting online visitors into solid sales leads.
From blogs to newsletters and landing pages to e-books, it’s important to provide high quality material that is both original and engaging. To achieve this it’s worth investing in a professional copywriter. There are many reasons why paying for content creation will be money well spent, here are five of them. Why not read what Google defines as Helpful Content here.
Five reasons to hire a professional content writer for Content creation for websites
1. Respect the reader
It’s vital that you show respect for your target audience/market by presenting original copy that is well written and free from grammatical and spelling errors. A golden rule of journalism is to never underestimate the reader and the same attitude should be taken when writing online content designed to generate sales leads.
2. Killing time
Sitting down to ‘pen’ your own copy from scratch can be daunting for many. In much the same manner as you wouldn’t ask your accountant to fix your car or your mechanic to, er, fix your accounts (only joking, by the way) – you shouldn’t expect excellent prose to simply flow onto the page if writing is not your profession. Hiring a good copywriter will ensure you are no longer killing the precious time that you should be spending doing what you’re actually good at.
3. Visitor conversions
High quality content that is both original and engaging is a key component of a good digital marketing strategy. The overall aim of digital marketing is to convert online traffic to sales leads and money in your pocket. Content that keeps visitors on your site, that impresses them enough to sign up to your regular blog, monthly newsletter or other offering and encourages them to bring their friends is the ultimate aim. The objective is to ensure your customer is not only content with your content but won over by it.
4. Not all content is king
Generating original content is what a professional writer does. Plagiarism is not only a dirty word for any self-respecting writer it’s actually against the law. Readers are not stupid and keen observers will notice stolen content and then tell the world. There are online tools available to check that your articles are original – so be warned. Duplication of content can also affect your website’s Google rankings; you can even be de-listed.
5. Writing to avoid writs
Hiring a professional writer – especially one with a journalistic background – will not only stave off the grammar police but also keep you out of the courts. Any professional writer worth their salt will have a good knowledge of defamation laws and ensure your company does not take any unnecessary libel risks when publishing material.
A simple guide to content creation for websites pages or blog post.
Identify the Issue Your Potential Client is Dealing With
Such as ‘Get your business found in Google search’
(Write like you’re talking to a person one-on-one and trying to build a rapport with them. Aim for 4-5 sentences that helps your potential client understand that you get where they are coming from.)
Deliverable: 4-5 sentences that show you get where you client is coming from
How do You Solve The Potential Client’s Problem
You know your business better than anyone, so prove it. Write about how you add value or solve problems, what are the benefits to your clients?
(Explain exactly what it is you do in layman’s terms to solve the problem your client is experiencing. Please provide 4-5 sentences of copy)
Deliverable: 4-5 sentences that explain what it is you do and how that will benefit your client
Prove to The Potential Client that They Can Trust You. Do you have any case studies, testimonials or reviews.
(Explain to the client the reasons that they can trust you. Please provide 4-5 sentences of copy.)
Deliverable: 4-5 sentences that explain what it is you do and how that will benefit your client
Testimonials (Don’t worry if you do not have any to hand, we’ll insert these from your Google Reviews – you do have Google Reviews, don’t you?)
What Does The Process of doing something specific Look Like
Such as how to get Google Reviews or How to create multiple locations for Google Business Profile
(…..)
Deliverable:
FAQs About A Specific Service
FAQ question 1 (use specific questions that are most asked about a particular topic)
(please provide answer)
FAQ question 2 (use specific questions that are most asked about a particular topic)
(please provide answer)
What to do with the new content created for websites
Record videos to answer each individual point.
Upload them to YouTube and transcribe them.
Then turn them in to blog posts.
Optimise them for search with keywords and photos.
Utilise your FAQs for products or services pages.
Share these snippets through any Social Media platforms where your target market hangs out.
One video recorded interview could be chopped up in to a dozen pieces of content for you to use across a number of platforms.
No AI tools were used in the creation of the above content. All content was created specifically for this page by people who create content for a living or part of their living. Some content creators or copywriters are better than others. Stephen Church should be better at this than me, because he put in the time to learn the trade, his trade. With an A level in English I can string some words together, maybe even too many, but that does not make me a good copywriter. The true greats such as Gary Halpert, Claude C. Hopkins and David Ogilvy, these guys could write concise, attention grabbing content that converted. Good copywriters today learn from the greats and use their knowledge to make you look good. Find one that is competent, who has a portfolio of work and a stable of happy clients.
