As creative entrepreneurs and small online business owners wearing “all the hats,” a complete website copy overhaul can feel like a luxury in terms of time and effort. And while you know the benefits of revisiting your copy include improved search engine optimization and better conversion rates, revising your copy always ends up on the back burner.
The good news is, you don’t have to tear it all down in order to start seeing better stats and higher conversion rates.
Here are six ways to refresh your website copy that won’t sideline your business for weeks.
1) Check in with your audience
Go into Google Analytics and look at the pages and blog posts that are performing well. Check out which keywords people are searching for that are driving them to your site. Are there any terms, products, or services your visitors seem really keen on that you can try to weave into your copy or content more often?
When I started my business, I had no idea how many people were interested in figuring out their brand personality. When I saw how many people had searched for this term and downloaded my workbook, I suddenly had a hot topic I could draw upon to create more keyword-friendly content and copy that nurtured this subset of visitors.
2) Revisit your core message
Go through each page of your site and determine the purpose of each page and the singular action you want your visitors to take by the time they get to the bottom. Look at your voice, tone, and how you’re positioning your unique promise. As you read through ask yourself, “does this copy support this page’s goal?
This segue ways perfectly into my next tip…
3) Remove unnecessary content
Don’t let unorganized copy or copy that drones on, and on muddle your message. The same goes for copy that is overly clever but not really clear.
Nix copy elements that seem more decorative than functional. Is a slogan or tagline still not sitting right with you? Get rid of it. See if it has any effect on your business prospects over the next few weeks. If the MIA copy leaves nothing to be desired, leave it out and move on to revising the less-than-perfect copy elements (like your positioning statement) that *do* matter.
4) Add some “Truth Bombs”
When making a decision about whether to purchase a product or service, we decide with our emotions first and then come up with a rationale to justify the action. Do the work for your visitors by making the rationale plain as day. Highlight a compelling stat or make a bold statement that continues to make the argument as to why they should book your services or buy your product. Make it so logical they can’t help but pick up what you’re putting out there.
5) Update your portfolio and testimonials
The direction your work takes changes over time and your portfolio and testimonials should accurately reflect this. This is also a great moment to follow up with clients and ask them if they’ve noticed any long-term effects as a result of your work together. Where are they now, thanks to you?
6) Add video to your site
Okay, so this is more content than copy, but platforms everywhere are turning to video content to engage their audience and you should too. Video content improves time on site, which in turn signals to Google that people are liking what they see and you are a positive search result for others who resemble their profile. No need to hire a professional videographer — start small by adding a short welcome message or make a gif of you waving/working/dancing/etc. You can host private and unlisted videos on YouTube for free and then embed the video onto your site.
(TIP: An easy hack for making your own gif is to create an Instagram boomerang video and save it to your phone. Transfer it to your desktop (Airdrop it if you’re a Mac user) and then use a free service like Cloud Convert to convert the file type into a .GIF. Et, voila!)
Pick one of these tips to implement per week over the next month and save the copy overhaul for when you’ve got the time and the resources to roll up your sleeves and really get in there with the ‘ol red pen.
Small incremental changes can add up to big results and are certainly better than waiting for “the right time” to take big action.
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