PART 2: 10 steps to create clickworthy website content that converts
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Have you read Part 1 of this blog post series yet? If not, you can find it here and then come back when you’re ready to move forward!
Part 1 covers:
Why it is so important to have a website (that *actually* converts)
The current trust recession we are operating in as business owners.
How to prepare a sturdy foundation of clarity from which you can build your website.
The first 3 steps to creating clickworthy website content that converts - planning out your UX journey, doing SEO keyword research and creating a badass brand identity.
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s jump into the next steps to create converting website content!
PART 2 - Creating & sourcing quality website content
STEP 4: Invest money/time/energy into your website’s visuals & fonts.
Let’s talk about your visuals first.
Your imagery and graphics will either MAKE OR BREAK your website so it is super important to have a good range of high quality visuals to use. (Buh-bye heavily pixelated headshots).
ACTION STEP: Ideally, if you can afford to invest in a professional brand shoot then I’d absolutely recommend this.
You’ll walk away with a tonne of high-quality, branded headshots and photos that will make your website really stand out. Plus, you can also use them on your social feeds and in your email marketing.
However, if you don’t have the budget for it right now that’s OK! I’d recommend doing your own photoshoot at home with your smart phone.
You can use a tripod or get someone you know to take some snaps of you in different poses and outfits in a couple of different locations with decent, natural lighting.
And let’s not forget about stock photos! These can be really great for horizontal banner images (these need to be super high-quality) and can help to provide a variety of quality images to use on your website.
Here are some really great places you can get good quality stock for your website for FREE:
Another great one for more edgy brands is: Death to Stock (but note they are not free, but well worth the subscription).
Bonus tip: Try to find stock images that match your brand tone words and those that closely match or compliment your colour palette.
Now let’s talk fonts…
There’s nothing that screams “diy amateur website” more than the basic default setting fonts.
Like your visuals, you want to intentionally choose a quality font/font duo that is a match for your brand words.
And you won’t regret it! Uploading a custom font will dramatically elevate your brand and website more than words can say.
The best part? You don’t have to spend a lot to get what you need & totally elevate your brand/website - yessss!
ACTION STEP: Go custom font shopping!
My favourite place to font shop is Creative Market but beware of falling down the font rabbithole…you may not come out alive!!
Here are some tips to help you out:
Let your brand words guide you in terms of font style - are you going for something bold & therefore more chunky in style? Or are you looking for something more romantic/whimsical with all the fancy swooshes? OR maybe you’re going for an elegant & refined serif that looks totally on point?
Don’t over think it!! Go with your gut. Narrow down your top 3-5 choices and…
Find free demo fonts to TEST on your website before you buy!! I generally just type into Google: “[font name] free demo font” & see what I can find.
PS: Do not skip that last step!! Fonts can look great in the shop but on a website…not so much. Test test test first.
STEP 5: Craft a clear & commanding homepage tagline:
FACT: it takes just 50 milliseconds for your website visitors to decide whether to keep scrolling or...bounce!
And you want them to keep scrolling so they can discover your amazing offers & services, but how do you grab their attention in 50 milliseconds or less?
The answer is a homepage clarity tagline!
Here’s the thing: Your viewers really only want to know one crucial thing - how you can help them solve their problem.
And to keep them interested, you need to communicate this as soon as they arrive on your homepage via a strategically crafted clarity tagline.
ACTION STEP: Add a clarity tagline to your homepage header that gives all the key info they need to know from the get-go.
Here’s a simple clarity tagline writing recipe that you can use:
👉🏻1 part what you do
👉🏻1 part who you serve
👉🏻1 part where you are (optional/if location is relevant)
👉🏻1 part how you’re different
👉🏻1 part Call To Action
For example, here is my clarity tagline on my homepage:
“Not-boring Squarespace web design & copywriting for online coaches & service-providers on a heart-led mission.” (how I’m different + the what + the who - I purposefully leave out my location because I work with people globally)
And last but not least...
“MAKEOVER YOUR WEBSITE” (the Call to Action button which links directly to my services page)
Try it out for yourself & let me know how you go!
STEP 6: Before you write your copy, conduct ‘Voice of Customer’ research:
As we covered in step 4 above, the visual brand style + imagery on your website is super important because this is what will instantly grab the attention of your viewers.
However, the words on your website are just as important (if not more so!) because this is what will actually get your viewers to take action and will *actually* sell your services.
The ultimate secret to writing copy that actually converts is to conduct ‘voice of customer’ research & use their words in your copy.
You want to think about the specific words that your ideal client uses to describe their problem/struggles, their desired outcome and also their thoughts/fears/doubts etc about your industry/service, and then intentionally weave those key words & phrases into your website copy.
Why is this so important and effective?
It all comes down to CONNECTION. When your ideal client reads your words and sees the exact same words that she uses to describe her problems, desires and fears…then she will instantly connect with what you are saying because it is emotionally resonating.
This also means that she will be far more likely to keep reading and want to take the next step A.K.A booking a call and paying for your help - boom!
ACTION STEP: Conduct your VOC research - you can do this in a couple of different ways:
The easy/fast (or lazy girl!) way is to ask ChatGPT. Use these prompts:
“Act as a [insert egoic label that describes your ideal client] struggling with [insert their problem]. What are you experiencing physically and emotionally? What is the desired outcome you’re longing for? Use descriptive and emotional language to describe how you’re feeling.”
“What objections, doubts or fears do you have when it comes to investing in [insert your service]?”
2. Take the time to sit down and talk to your people - conduct voice of customer research interviews or survey your audience via a Google form:
Take note of the specific words they are using to describe their desires, current problems, fears, doubts, objections and their thoughts/beliefs about the service you offer.
Incorporate these into your copy and speak directly to the fears/doubts/objections/limiting beliefs they hold.
Source: These ChatGPT VoC prompts are from Marisa at Dirty Copy.
STEP 7: Write copy that sells the big transformation & speaks to specific ideal client pain points and the benefits of your service:
A) Highlight the big transformation you are selling.
Keep this in mind when writing your copy:
The job of the copy on your website is to communicate to the viewer that YOU are the best solution to their problem. Once they understand that, ding ding ding! Sales will be made.
In order to do this, you need to clearly & confidently sell the big transformation that they will experience from investing in your services/offerings, via your words.
Why does this work?
The transformation taps into a deep desire of your viewers & potential clients. It shifts the focus away from yourself, to THEM and what they can get out of it - which is all they really care about at the end of the day!
ACTION STEP: Be sure to highlight the following in your copy:
a) What your viewer is currently experiencing BEFORE they invest in your solution/services
b)Then paint the picture of what they will experience AFTER they have worked with you.
B) Connect with your website viewer’s desire to either avoid pain or gain pleasure.
FACT: We buy for two reasons only - to avoid/move away from pain or to gain/move towards pleasure.
We buy based on the emotions and we justify with logic which comes second. It is our FEELINGS that move us first, not the statistics & facts.
Therefore, in order to write awesome copy that sells & converts, your words need to connect to your website viewer’s desire to avoid pain OR gain pleasure.
There are a couple of ways which we can do this in our copy: highlighting benefits over features and agitating pain points.
ACTION STEP: highlight the specific benefits your solution/service brings to your viewer (not features)
The key difference between benefits and features:
Features are what makes your solution/service different.
Benefits are the tangible results that your viewer will experience & get from your solution/service
The benefits are directly linked to the desires of your viewer & therefore, will be more effective in moving them to purchase.
ACTION STEP: Agitate the specific pain points & struggles of your viewer (that you can help them solve).
FYI: Pain points are anything that your viewer finds frustrating, hates or finds annoying.
Why do they work? Because us humans are more motivated to avoid pain than anything else! The closer your viewer is to the pain, the more motivated they will be to solve it.
Use the ‘PEAS’ method to address the specific pain points of your viewer.
Pain point - Address the specific struggle/problem.
Empathy - Empathise with your viewer through an “I get it” or “I’ve been there” moment.
Agitate - Elaborate on the consequences & frustrations of continuing to deal with the struggle.
Solution - Then offer your solution to their struggle/problem.
>>> FREE DOWNLOAD <<<
Grab your free Badass Homepage Copy Planner here!
Writing copy (that *actually* converts) for your website can be a super hard and overwhelming task that can keep you stuck & spinning your wheels for a loooong ass time!
I learned this lesson the hard way, but luckily for you - you don’t have to!
Download the Badass Homepage Copy Planner to strategically plan the copy for one of the most important pages of your website: your homepage!
Your website (and your bank account) will thank you!
