Should you hire a website copywriter?

Key factors to consider before you decide to DIY your web copy.

So, you’ve started an online business. Heck yes.

You’ve been kicking around the idea for some time now, and you finally, finally have pulled the metaphorical trigger.  Love that for you.

You’ve set in motion the process of taking that idea from a vague desire to share something with the world to something tangible. Impactful.

You’ve established your business name and registered your LLC. 

You’ve opened a business account at your bank. 

You mean business. 

 First of all, congratulations! Now that that decision has been made and you’ve got the ball rolling, a couple of questions need to be answered moving forward.

 Question numero uno: Will your business need a website? (Hint: the answer is yes, probably.) 

Next question: Should you outsource your website copy to a copywriter, or do it yourself?  

Hold up, what the heck is website copywriting, anyway?

Copywriting is the promotional messaging that compels a reader to act.  Your website copy is the writing that will introduce your website visitors to your business, your offers, and your personality in the digital space.

In general, copywriting has to engage, connect, and inspire your ideal clients to take whatever action you are asking them to take. Like, make a purchase. Or book a call. So, it plays a pretty important role. This brings us back to the original question and the purpose of this blog: Should you hire a website copywriter?

Every business owner needs to answer this for themselves, but here are some factors to consider when arriving at that decision.

 Let’s dive in.

Are you comfortable with your copywriting? (Like, is it good?)

If that blank Google doc and thoughts of your high school English classes make you nauseous, then the answer is easy.  

But if you’re still on the fence, consider this: your website is the very first impression that potential customers have of your business. You have 7 seconds to make an impact on your readers. 

 Nothing drives people away faster than a site that looks thrown together or is littered with spelling errors and missing punctuation. 

Engaging, error-free website copy is going to demonstrate your professionalism and hold the attention of your readers.

We’ve all been in this position:  arriving at a business website, hoping it holds the answers to questions that we have, but we can’t get through the “About” page before we’re turned off by the errors. 

Hiring a professional website copywriter is an investment that limits this occurrence. When you outsource the writing to an expert, the writing that you purchase is proofread, edited, and formatted to ensure the finished product is squeaky clean and error-free.

Do you have a budget for an expert website copywriter?

Building an online business has its upfront costs. Sure, you may not be leasing a building, or taking out massive business loans, but there are budgets to consider. It’s true – expert website copywriting is an investment. Often a hefty one for a multi-page website.

Depending on where you’re at in your online business journey, it may not be a worthwhile investment. If you’re at the very early startup stage and spending thousands of dollars on outsourcing your copy just isn’t in the cards right now, don’t.

BUT…. if you’re at a stage where you’re ready to uplevel your business, increase your impact online, boost your website traffic, know the value of a good marketing strategy, and have budgeted for one… hiring a website copywriter is a boss move.

Do you have enough time to write your website copy?

This is when as an entrepreneur or fledgling business, you tend to push the limits of your energy stores. 

You grind away at the day-to-day duties of just running your business, and at the end of the day, you spend far too much time staring at the blinking cursor on a blank Google doc because you’re so exhausted from the workday.

 Real talk: Quality writing takes time. Market research takes time. Search Engine Optimization takes time. 

And as an online business owner, you understand all too well that time is money. You may not have time to waste trying to squeeze the remaining creative juices you have at the end of the day into content for a solid website or copywriting training to learn to DIY. 

When you take on a copywriter for your website, you essentially free up time to do what you set out to do when you created your business: delivering the quality product or service that your customers deserve.

What is your time worth?

Have you defined your target audience?

Defining your target audience is a biggie. In fact, it might just be the most important step when crafting your website copy.

Why? Because the type of writing style and language used will change significantly with the type of person your product or service is meant for. This goes beyond general demographics.  And being super specific is key.

If you haven’t dug in and painted that picture, your website copy could miss the mark on engaging your ideal client. 

A good copywriter will work with you to clearly identify your target audience, learn your business and product inside and out, and craft copy that will hook your ideal client, build trust, establish your authority, and maintain consistency with your brand. 

Sometimes, when you write your own copy, the tendency is to revert to writing that is stuffy and technical. Writing that is familiar to you, but full of jargon for your readers.  

The goal is to establish your business as having the solutions to your client’s problems without putting them to sleep or using language that is confusing. 

The copywriting is more conversational and gently guides the reader through the process of:

• learning what your business is
• learning who YOU are
• what it has in common with the reader
• how it helps solve the readers’ problems

…with a call-to-action that doesn’t sound super boastful or sales pitch-y.

Good copy informs, inspires, and compels browsers to become customers, authentically.

Are you familiar with website SEO best practices?

We’re living in the digital age, my friend and Google is king.

 Businesses need to have a presence online. And with nearly everyone walking around with little computers in their back pockets, and pins, pokes (RIP), likes, tweets, hashtags, and snaps, the internet is a chaotic and distracting place. 

So, when people turn to Google with a question, they want the right answers to their questions, ASAP.

Google’s mission is to deliver a quality customer experience. This means delivering the best possible answer to the specific question that the specific searcher is asking — preferably within the first couple of pages of the search engine results (SERP = search engine results page).

 So Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how your site ranks on those first pages. 

Having a professional website copywriter means having someone who learns your business and offers and understands how to strategically and eloquently implement the keywords and formatting that trigger Google’s ‘radar’ as the content most appropriate to put in front of your target audience.

Are you too close to your business to effectively write your website copy?

This one seems counterintuitive at first glance, but hear this out— you may be so entwined in the running of your business that you can’t see the big-picture strategy that your website copy should use. 

Or you might be stuck in ‘analysis paralysis’ when it comes to fleshing that strategy out on a website builder. 

Working with a professional copywriter can offer that degree of separation that allows a fresh set of eyes to look at your wonderful offers and craft the copy that uses all that’s required to grow your business. Website copywriters are not just wordsmiths— they’re brand strategists. Their job is to conduct market research, brand voice development, and website strategy and wireframes that make a frictionless customer journey.

Creating the online space for your business can be challenging. Finding the right website copywriter who understands your business and can effectively communicate your message is important. They should be enthusiastic about your business and know how to reach your target audience. Their words should inspire action.

Ready to invest in your online business’ bright future?

With your webpage being your business’s biggest marketing tool, and the first impression your potential customers have of it, it is critical that your web copy is dialed in. Having a professional copywriter on your team is a smart investment to boost your returns on that investment. Your success is her success.

Want to learn more about how this website copywriter can help your business grow? Check out Saltwater Heart Creative or Click here to schedule a free discovery call.