If there’s one thing I know in life, it’s this:
You don’t know what you don’t know!
And there was a point in life when I didn’t know what website copy was, either – and the explanations I found when I Googled “What is website copy” were severely lacking, so hold onto your hats and allow me to answer:
What is website copy?
Broadly speaking, copy is just writing that sells. So when we talk about website copy, we’re talking about sales writing that’s built specifically for how people move through a website (a very different beast than writing a blog post, an Instagram caption, or an ad).
Its core purpose is to provide a narrative that meets your reader where they are, and takes them where you want them to go – whether that’s to your inbox, your cart, or your list.
What’s the purpose of website copy?
The *main* goal of website copy is to support your goals for your business.
Want more subscribers on your email list? Copy can do that.
Want to make more sales of products, courses, and memberships? Yep, also copy.
Want to get more inquiries from aligned-AF potential clients? COPY that (not sorry).
Here’s how it does that:
Website Structure & User Experience
Your copy provides a framework for the structure of your entire website, by outlining which sections will go on your website and what they’ll say.
Website copy takes into account how people *actually* read websites (hint: very differently from books, where we read blocks of paragraphs, left to right, in order, and all of it at once).
On websites, we scan. We skim. We’re half-distracted and deciding in seconds whether we’re in the right place.
From a purely structural perspective, your website copy needs to:
- Have large, interesting headings for the skimmers (to catch their eye as they scroll).
- Use varying sentence lengths (some long, some short) to keep attention.
- *Correctly* leverage tools like lists, bullet points, and italics to make everything feel more conversational and skimmable.
Info & Details
Your copy needs to tell readers what you do, who you do it for (or with), what problem it solves, and why they need you – and it needs to do it in a way that doesn’t feel overbearing or forceful.
No one – I repeat, NO ONE – likes to feel pushed into a decision or cornered, so my goal for writing website copy is always to create something that feels charming and compelling without feeling like a cold pitch.
Before I ever start a draft, I’m considering:
- How much your ideal clients know about the problem they have (that you help solve) and the options for a solution.
- What questions they’ll have for you, and at what point on your website they’ll start asking, so I can provide all of the information before they even want it.
- What hesitations or objections might pop up, and how to address them naturally, like part of the conversation.
- What details build trust and credibility without overwhelming or distracting them.
Trust Building
Your website copy isn’t just there to inform — it’s there to connect. The right words help your readers feel seen, understood, and confident that you’re the one who can help them. This part has as much to do with how you say things as what you say!
I’m always thinking about:
- How you speak (in your website copy workbook, in our discovery call, on your socials, IRL).
- The words your ideal clients would use to describe their situation.
- The ways in which you can relate to your ideal clients, and how we can weave that in to build their trust.
- Where we can build credibility without making your website into a bland copy of your résumé.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you’re serious about SEO, you need to get serious about copy – because while researching and selecting the *right* keywords is the core of any good SEO strategy, the quality of your content (and how much actual humans like reading it) is ultimately what’s going to make or break those rankings.
If you work with an SEO-only strategist, they will be recommending changes to your copy to get your pages to rank higher – but the changes they recommend may actually hurt your conversion (if people are booking or buying once they get to your site) if they’re not aligned with what your ideal clients want.
Website traffic DOES NOT MATTER if alllll the people on your website aren’t doing anything once they get there, which is why I optimize all of my website copy projects for SEO while *also* focusing on how I can write copy that actually keeps people engaged, guides them through your site, and gets them to take the next step.
Your website design can’t work until your website copy does.
Your website design is responsible for:
- Setting the tone in a wordless way (the vibes for your entire brand and how it feels)
- Making your copy more readable and skimmable (with headings, accent text styling, buttons, etc)
- Creating a smooth, intuitive user experience — so visitors know exactly where to go next without having to think too hard (it should feel incredibly natural)
But your copy comes before design, so it can:
- Make sure your website says enough, and in the right places
- Guide the structure of each page, so your design has something intentional to support
- Communicate your value clearly (and early), so people don’t bounce before they understand what you do
- Speak directly to your ideal clients in a way that feels natural, helpful, and like you
- Drive action — whether that’s booking a call, filling out a form, or sticking around long enough to care
Now that you know what website copy is, here’s how I can help you with yours.
>> Download my free guide to the essential pages and sections you need on your website to get started!
>> Stop by the shop and grab a website copywriting template that simplifies the process of writing your website.
>> Skip all the DIY and hire me to write your copy (and optimize it for SEO) for you!
