People have been skimming and skipping around websites pretty much since the dawn of internet history.

More than twenty years of eye-tracking research by Nielsen (and many other analytics companies) proves this definitively. And as far back as 2015, people were spending just 37 seconds on average on a webpage. In 2021, websites were among the top three channels a B2B company distributes its messaging organically—and we all know organic results in more genuine, committed customers. And in e-commerce, which is set to account for well over 20% of retail sales globally just a few years from now, responsive website design—of which copy is a crucial factor—is responsible for keeping those carts filled. So, let’s swing back to the start: What does all that mean for you, the business owner? If your website copywriting isn’t up to scratch, you won’t be able to take advantage of all these benefits of a rapidly transforming marketplace. Your customers won’t stay on your site long enough to understand who you are and what you do (or sell). Read on to find out how to write website copy that inspires—for minutes, not seconds.

Crafting Click-Worthy Web Copy: A Template

So what is website copywriting, actually? The short answer: Web copy takes many forms, but its primary aim is to help enterprises communicate their solutions to their target customers efficiently and persuasively. Learning to create such an essential part of your business’s sales and marketing strategy is not only smart—it’s necessary.

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

If you’re going to craft compelling web copy, you’ll need a hefty tech arsenal at your disposal. Thankfully, there’s an entire ecosystem of SaaS products developed with the copywriter in mind. And much of it’s still available for free or at low subscription rates. Some tools that we recommend bookmarking include:

• A web-based research tool: Answer the Public
• An SEO and ad analytics tool: SEMrush, Facebook Ads Library, Google Optimize
• An AI writing assistant: Jarvis
• Headline generator/analyzer: Capitalize My Title, Sharethrough
• A Grammar and spelling checker: Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway App
• A wordplay helper: RhymeZone, Thesaurus.com
• A plagiarism checker: Dupli Checker, CopyScape
• A word processor: Word, Pages, Google Docs

There are more tools, programs, and software services available than the ones we’ve listed. Do your research and take advantage of free trials to find what works best for you.

Step 2: Define Your Page Structure

Step away from the copy! First up, you actually need to take a step back from the nitty-gritty details of the copywriting process itself. You need to consider your pages. Most websites, whatever the industry, have two types of pages: commercial pages and content pages. The commercial pages connect the visitor to your source of revenue. These could include product pages for an e-comm company or the pricing plan page on a SaaS website. The content pages are educational, letting your customer know you understand—and can help them solve—their problems. You also need to approach the copywriting for these two types of pages differently. Commercial pages need compelling copy with clear CTAs. (Refreshing your knowledge in concepts like the AIDA model can help you in this process.) The copy on a content page should focus on building up a sense of who you are as a company.

Step 3: Get Writing (or Have Someone Do It For You)

By now, it may seem like copywriting is the easy part. In fact, it’s likely the most expensive and time-consuming portion of the project.

Who Should Write the Copy for My Website?

There are basically two ways to approach website copywriting: you do it in-house (yourself or working with an on-staff copywriter), or you outsource. Important things to consider when hiring or outsourcing a website copywriter include:

• Their experience with SEO and on-page analytics
• Their experience with website copywriting (not every content creator is a website copywriter)
• Their TATs (turn-around-times)
• Their rates

If you’ve found a copywriter that’s asking you, “How much to charge for website copywriting?” they’re probably not experienced enough for your needs. Keep looking.

How Long Can I Expect Website Copywriting to Take?

Well, as the adage goes: How long is a piece of string? In other words, it depends on what kind of website you’re creating, for which industry, and to sell which product or service… the list goes on.

At Viral Octopus, creating the copy for a basic corporate website takes our expert strategist-copywriter team two weeks or less. That’s accounting for a homepage and “about us” page of around 500 words each, a set of 800-word (or so) services/offers pages, and a contact page at about 200 words.

But remember, this is just a simple website. By comparison, a Viral Octopus landing page design gig—including UX strategy, design, and copywriting—runs for 15 days. So really, a benchmark timeframe for website content creation is difficult to define.

Step 4: Test and Refine the Content

Once the copy is written and live, you need to test, test, and test again. Some of the core content elements to include in your testing checklist are:

• Meta information: title tags and meta descriptions
• On-page content: headlines, sub-heads, benefits, features, and CTAs

That’s because these elements have the most significant effect on a visitor’s behavior, either when they’re actually on your website or when they’re searching (via a search engine) for solutions you offer. Run analytics on your site, A/B test your copy, and commit to regular content audits. Website copywriting isn’t a one-and-done job: you need to optimize your content continually.

Don’t Want to Write It All Yourself?

Honestly, there’s no definite right or wrong way to create copy for your website. The process we’ve outlined above explains how we do it here at Viral Octopus. Plus, website needs vary across industries. If you’re just starting out, however, it can be helpful to have a set of steps to guide you. You’ve probably worked out, too, that creating compelling website copywriting is something that takes time—a lot of time. And with the average person working 8.3 hours a day, that doesn’t leave much room in the week to dedicate to planning, writing, and testing your web copy. That’s where Viral Octopus can help. Book our Corporate Website Copywriting gig, and you’ll end up with a website that’s powerful, convincing, and persuades visitors to become customers. Let our expert strategist-copywriter team give your customers every possible reason to buy from you by communicating the unique value of your product or service. Let’s evolve together!