Top Five Reasons to Use a Copywriter for Your Website

TOP 5 REASONS TO GET A COPYWRITER (AND WHY DIY DOESN’T WORK)

If saving time and money is important to you, if your English grades were below average, and if you don’t know how to market yourself, then DO NOT write your website copy! Here are five great ways you can benefit from hiring a copywriter.

1) Experience. Good copywriters not only know how to write perfect English, they also know how the web works, how to prepare a sales copy, the importance of keywords and how to use them. Choosing the right copywriter among the hundreds of “experts” on the Internet depends entirely on the expectations you have for your site. Just as websites range from high-tech, interactive multimedia games to simple informational brochures and basic e-commerce sites, copywriters come in all shapes and sizes. Your skill set will vary based on your experience, background, personal education, and knowledge, so do your research, ask to speak to recent clients, and don’t rely on their online testimonials or Google reviews.

2) Attention to details. When I started out as a website copywriter five years ago, I deliberately misspelled words into Google. Phrases included: “Stationery and Website Design”, “Hosting”, “Public Relations” and my favorite “Copywrite 2005”. Bingo, a business was born. No one is perfect, including myself, and it seemed cruel to me to make money off of people’s mistakes. But once I diplomatically pointed out the mistakes, I got back to work. From then on I had to rely solely on skill! A half-decent copywriter can spot a typo a block away and want to do something about it. Don’t risk alienating potential customers and customers by leaving errors or incomprehensible text on your website. While perfect spelling may not be high on your priority list for your website, poor grammar and spelling could be getting in the way of your messages.

3) Speed. Once you’ve decided to go online, you probably want to get everything done yesterday. This is where a professional copywriter can make all the difference in the time it takes to get up and running. A quick change in content preparation will allow you to connect with customers sooner than if you were trying to do it yourself. Don’t waste time fretting over sentence structure, going through the thesaurus, and reworking your copy.

4) Value for money. The price of copywriting varies wildly, from overhyped and overhyped writers to bargain bargains from developing countries. There’s a happy medium that doesn’t charge exorbitant fees for original, unique copy. Most editors belong to this category. We just want to make a decent living doing what we do best. Overly inflated prices for poor work will not lead to word of mouth recommendations, repeat jobs, or referrals. Going abroad might save a few bucks, but it’s unlikely to be original, will need serious editing by a professional, and won’t resonate with your target market because it wasn’t written by a local.

5) It is difficult to promote yourself. Unless you’re Donald Trump, talking about yourself isn’t easy for most people. Writing about yourself is even more challenging. A professional copywriter can take an outside view of your business, analyze your competition, and then create copy that positions your online presence in a positive and objective way. They will write about aspects of your business that you take for granted, including points of difference, unique selling propositions, customer service, and your personal commitment and passion. As a business owner, you intuitively know it’s all there, but a copywriter will expand on it, highlight the good parts, and minimize the negatives.

Taking shortcuts or a stingy approach to copywriting is similar to DIY graphic design and SEO. Sample. Getting it right the first time not only saves time and money, but the final product will look polished, professional, and perfect.