There are many things to consider when
building your online store, which is why we endeavor to take the stress out of
that. But how much thought have you given to the copy on your website?
Creating interesting content is important
for turning those visitors into customers so check out this post to find out if
you are making any of those killer mistakes…
1.Too many buzzwords
The key to creating the perfect copy is to
keep it simple. You may think that by adding loads of buzzwords, it’s going to
help you sell, but in reality it just turns people off. Too many times we’ve
heard the terms ‘innovative’, ‘groundbreaking’ or ‘market-leading’ and because
they are so frequently used, they have lost all meaning. It’s better to keep
your copy short and sweet rather than stuffing it full of corporate jargon that
no one really cares about.
- Keep it simple
- Cut down on buzzwords
- Be honest
2. There’s no personality
When you’re writing the copy for your
website you need to consider what personality your brand has. Even if you have
a serious product to sell, the last thing you want to do is to come across as
boring as this will only switch people off. Put yourself in your brands shoes
for just one second and now answer these questions: What drink would you order
at the bar? What TV show would you watch? What is your favorite joke? Think
about who your brand is and add your personality into your copy
- Engage with your customer
- Think about your brand
- Show off your personality
3.
You missed out the benefits
So yes you may want to shout to the world
about how many great features your product has but the truth is your customers
don’t care too much for features. They want to know what’s in it for them! Talk
about the benefits instead and use emotions to strike a chord. For example, a
32GB memory stick offers lots of space…but if you tell your customers that it
can fit 10,000 of their family photos or 8000 songs, you’ll find conversions
will be much higher because you’re associating it with what they care about. Always
show the value of your product by backing it up with facts.
- List benefits rather than
features
- Back up your product with facts
- Grab the customer using emotion
4. You’re too concerned with keywords
So everyone wants to create a page that’s
perfectly optimized, but too many businesses are getting it wrong when it comes
to keywords.
Overstuffing
your copy will not only make your content unreadable, but it may even get you
penalized by Google. If you have a subject in mind when you write your content,
you’ll find that keywords will naturally flow into the copy without needing to
fit them into every other line.
- Don’t overstuff your copy with
keywords
- Write natural copy that flows
- Write what you want to say
5. It's just one long block of text
Although you should always try and keep
your copy short and to the point, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it longer
if it’s done right. The problem with this however, is that people will feature
it as one long block of text! If you’re writing a longer piece of copy then try
and think about adding bullet points, catchy headlines and even images to space
it out and make it much more appealing on the eye.
- Sum up with bullet points
- Add images
- Include catchy headlines
throughout
6. You didn’t proofread
Ah yes this sounds so simple but it’s
surprising how many errors you see throughout website copy. You may be in a
rush to publish it but you’ll never be respected if you put copy live that is
littered with mistakes. If you find it difficult to spot mistakes try taking a
short break or print it out so you can read it on paper. Finally, make sure you
get another employee to check over it too – it always helps to get a fresh pair
of eyes looking at your work!
- Take a break before you
proofread
- Print it out and read it on
paper
- Ask a colleague to proofread
7. There’s no CTA
You won’t convert your visitors into
customers if you don’t tell them what to do. Every online store needs a
call
to action
(CTA) so that your visitors understand how to contact you or how
to buy your product. Make sure you end with a memorable sentence and tell them
what they need to do next. Prominent CTA buttons should be visible on each page
and make sure you think about the language you use. For example, ‘Add to Cart’
instead of ‘Buy Now’ has been found to be more successful because people don’t
feel like they have to fully commit to buy there and then.
- Make your CTA prominent
- Think about your choice of
language
- Tell the customer what to do
next
8. Your copy is too pushy
Although it’s important to close the sale,
there’s nothing worse than reading website content that is too sales
orientated. Let’s be honest, no-body likes a pushy salesperson so make sure
your copy doesn’t go over the top with trying to push for a sale. When it comes
to writing copy you need to be able to speak in their language. Put the
research in, find out what they like to read, check out the blogs they would
visit and start creating copy using their language. Remember, people want to
buy from a human so try and use a conversational tone rather than formal sales
copy.
- Don’t be pushy or brash
- Use a conversational tone
- Research your customers
language
9. You don’t test your copy
Testing the copy on your online store is a
great way to learn if you are getting it right. A/B testing is perfect for
this, as it can help you find out which headlines are better received, the
language that people prefer to read, the layout and style of the copy and even
how much copy you should use. You can never stop learning from your customers
so make sure you test early and often.
- A/B test to find out what works
best
- Never stop testing
- Always listen to your customer
10. You
didn’t consider the customer journey
Many customers like to see, hear, touch and
even smell the product before they commit to buy, so convincing people to order
from your online store can be difficult. This is where thinking about the
customer journey really comes into play. Make your buying process seamless for
your customers and quash their concerns using persuasive copy. Take the steps
yourself and consider what would make your customer feel better at every step
of the way. Give them a reason to trust you.
- Create a seamless customer
journey
- Use persuasive copy
- Quash concerns for better
conversions
So there you have it –10 copywriting
mistakes that could be costing you money. We advise that you always think
carefully when creating the copy for your online store because it really will
make a world of difference!
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