You’ve probably heard of a copywriter (sometimes misspelled as copy writer). If youâve seen at least one episode of Mad Men, you know that historically, copywriting is the skill of writing text that promotes, sells, or explains goods and services. Traditionally, these were print, television, and radio ads. Now, in the âdigital ageâ, copywriting can take many different paths and forms.
For example, a website copywriter specializes in writing the words that appear on your website. Not blog posts. Not email sequences. The actual pages people land on when they’re deciding whether to work with you, buy from you, or engage in some way. This post breaks down what a web copywriter (not web copy writer) does, what makes them different from other types of writers, what separates a good one from a mediocre one, and how to figure out if you’re ready to bring one in.
What Is a Website Copywriter?
A website copywriter writes the text on your website. This can include headlines, subheads, body copy, calls to action (e.g., button copy), product descriptions, and services pages. But that definition only scratches the surface.
The real job of a website copywriter is to help visitors understand what you offer, whether it meets their needs, whether they can trust you or your product, and what they should do next. This requires a different skill set than other types of writing because we use websites differently from other media. Websites have their own set of rules and best practices.
Website Copywriter vs. Content Writer
A content writer typically creates blog posts, articles, thought leadership pieces, and educational material. Their focus is usually on providing information or driving organic traffic through longer-form content. (This post is the perfect example of a long-form piece of writing that aims to educate you, versus my websiteâs Copywriting Services page, which aims to sell my offers.)
A website copywriter focuses on the core pages of your site. Typically, this includes your Homepage, About page, Services pages, Sales pages, and Contact page.
Each page has a different job:
- Homepage – Orients visitors quickly and helps them self-select where to go next.
- About Page – Builds trust and connection by showing the human(s) or ethos behind the brand.
- Services Pages – Explains what you offer, who it’s for, and why it works.
- Sales Page – Makes the case for a product or a time-sensitive offer and drives an immediate purchase decision.
- Contact Page – A direct invitation that makes it easy to take the next step.
None of these pages are meant to educate you in depth. A website copywriter is sales-conversion focused and thinks more about structure, user flow, and clarity at a glance. They’re optimizing for people who skim, people with 12 tabs open, and people who will leave if they can’t figure out what you do in 3 seconds.
Skilled website copywriters are fluent in behavioral psychology, UX best practices, conversion principles, SEO, and messaging strategy. They are also innate storytellers because storytelling is the key to making you care enough to pay for a promise.
Website Copywriter vs. SEO Writer
An SEO writer focuses on improving content’s ranking in search results. They’re keyword-savvy and know how to structure content so Google understands it. Most SEO writers work on blog posts, landing pages designed to capture specific search traffic, and yes, website pages. (Stay with me, Iâll explain the overlap.)
A website copywriter may incorporate SEO principles into their work, particularly in headers. They will naturally integrate your keywords into your text and write your SEO metadata page titles and descriptions. But their primary focus is clarity and conversion, not traffic acquisition. Your homepage needs to convert the people who already found you. Your services page needs to explain your offer so it resonates with your audience clearly. Ranking is secondary to those goals.
Some writers do both well. But the priorities are different, and it’s worth understanding the distinction before you hire.
Why Websites Need a Different Approach To Writing
Websites are nonlinear. Visitors don’t start at page one and read all the way to the end. They bounce around, scroll halfway, and then make the decision to explore another page or leave your site entirely. They might return days later on a different device after clicking a link in your newsletter or ad.
Writing web copy for these behavioral patterns requires understanding how people use websites today versus how they used them two years ago. It means knowing how eyes and brains scan on-screen text, crafting headlines that do the heavy lifting, and perfecting body copy that earns your attention and pulls you down the page, paragraph by paragraph, and ensuring each section flows into the next.
That’s why copywriting for the web has become a specialized path.
What Does a Website Copywriter Actually Work On?
If you’ve never hired a website copywriter, you might assume their job is to “write compelling wordsâ. But the work is more layered and much, much more strategic than that.
Decision-Making Criteria For Specific Audience Personas
Good website copy is decision-focused. Every sentence should move visitors closer to understanding your offer and deciding if it’s right for them. That doesn’t mean being pushy. It means being clear about what you do, who you do it for, what makes your approach different, or making a compelling case for why youâre the best option for your ideal buyer.
Every reader comes to a website with different needs, wants, and problem awareness. A skilled website copywriter thinks about the reader’s problems, internal motivations, worldview, and objections. Things like “Is this for someone like me?” or “Can I trust this person?” or “Is this product going to make my life easier?” or âIs this the best use of my time/money, right now?â The copy should answer those questions before the reader consciously asks them.
Which Is Why Page Structure, Hierarchy, And Flow MatterâŚA Lot.
Writing web copy isn’t only about choosing brand words that evoke a particular perception of a brand (although that is important); it’s also about how to create a logical narrative or flow of ideas on a page to keep the readerâs attention and guide them toward the next step in their decision-making journey.
A good website copywriter thinks about visual hierarchy. Headlines need to highlight the big ideas, subheads need to guide the eye, and supplement the headers. Body copy needs to be scannable and compelling.
This is where web copywriting overlaps with UX. The copy can’t exist in a vacuum. It needs to work with the layout, and a strong copywriter will often provide design recommendations for how content should be structured on the page.
They Make Complex Offers Easier to Understand
If your business does something nuanced, technical, or hard to explain, a website copywriter can help translate that into plain language. This is especially valuable for service providers, consultants, and B2B businesses where the value isn’t immediately obvious, or for products that are ânice to havesâ rather than essential to everyday life.
The goal of writing website copy for complex offers isn’t to dumb things down. It’s to make the right people feel seen and understood. When visitors read your copy and think, “Finally, someone gets it,” the job is done well.
What Makes a Good Website Copywriter?
Many writers call themselves website copywriters. But not all of them produce the best website copy. Here’s what separates the good ones from the rest.
They Know When You Need Strategic Thinking Over Clever Wording
A mediocre copywriter chases clever or poetic headlines. A good one asks: what’s the most important thing this page needs to communicate? Clarity beats cleverness almost every time.
The best web copy isn’t necessarily the most creative. (Which pains me to admit.) Itâs the most effective. A skilled copywriter knows when to be direct and when a little more personality helps readers feel comfortable. A good copywriter also knows when to push back on ideas that are interesting but won’t actually serve the reader.
They Understand The Power of Brand World-Building
Great website copy comes from understanding your audience and the vibes they connect with. This goes beyond demographics and buying behavior. It’s about understanding which aesthetic, language, and emotional texture make your ideal customer feel they’ve found their place.
A skilled website copywriter knows how to build a world on the page. They understand that your readers aren’t just evaluating your offer. They’re deciding if your brand feels right. Does this company get me? Do I want to be associated with this? Can I picture myself here?
That “world” is built through word choice, tone, pacing, and the subtle signals woven into every headline and paragraph. A good copywriter creates an atmosphere that attracts the right people and intentionally repels the wrong ones.
They Understand Your Buyers
Again, this isn’t just about demographics. It’s about understanding mindset. What does the reader believe before they land on your site? What do they need to believe to take action? A copywriter who can answer these questions will write copy that converts.
They Know When Less Copy Works Better
Sometimes the best website copy is short, and a good website copywriter understands when a page needs more explanation and when it needs less. This is especially important for homepages, where brevity beats complexity, until your reader has self-selected which product or service they want to learn more about.
When Should You Hire a Website Copywriter?
Not every business needs to hire a website copywriter right away, but here are some scenarios where your site could benefit from a professionalâs support.
Signs Your Site Isn’t Doing Its Job
- You redesigned, or rebranded, but didnât touch the copy. Businesses invest in a new design, hoping that a fresh look will improve conversions, but if the copy was the problem all along, the new site will underperform just like the old one did.
- High bounce rate. If visitors land on your site and leave without taking action, the messaging might be part of the problem, or the UX, or your marketing isnât bringing enough people to your site for the copy to do its job. If youâre not sure of the root cause, you can book a copy audit to get a professional assessment before investing in outside support.
- If youâre getting on sales calls and people consistently misunderstand what you offer, or if leads ask basic questions that your website should have answered, your copy isnât clear enough. Good web copy should do a lot of the selling for you. The sales call should simply seal the deal.Â
- If you’ve invested in design and development but the site still feels flat, likely your copy isnât performing as a brand asset in and of itself. (Nudge, nudge: Which Comes First, Copy or Design?) đ
When You Probably Shouldnât Hire a Website Copywriter Yet
Hiring a website copywriter is a significant investment, and sometimes your money is better spent elsewhere while you build your authority, refine your offers, or test your products.
If Youâre A Very Early-Stage Business
If you’re still figuring out your offer, your audience, or your positioning, a copywriter can only work with what you give them. You’ll get better results if you wait until you have some clarity about who you serve and how you help them. That doesn’t mean your site has to be perfect before you hire someone, but you should at least be able to articulate your core offer, your ideal customer, and your distinct or compelling POV.
When Your Offer Isn’t Clear Internally (for Businesses with Teams)
If your team can’t agree on what you do or how to describe it, a copywriter will struggle as well. Mixed messages internally lead to muddled messaging on the site. Before bringing in a copywriter, make sure your leadership team is aligned on the basics: who you serve, what you offer, and what makes you different. If those conversations haven’t happened yet, start there first.
What to Do If Youâre Not Ready
If you’re not ready for a full website copywriting project, consider working on your brand and offer positioning and audience persona messaging first. Get clear on your value before you pay someone to write about it.
Some copywriters (myself included) offer brand messaging or positioning work as a standalone service. That might be a better first step if your foundation isn’t solid yet.
If youâre willing to put in the time to learn how to DIY your website copy, you can take a self-paced course, like the DIY Copy Kit, which includes website copy templates and video tutorials walking you through each and every page on your site and teaches you how to write conversion copy.
What Should You Look For In A Copywriterâs Website Portfolio?
When you’re evaluating a copywriter website portfolio, look for range and results. Can they write for different industries? Do they show before-and-after examples? Do they talk about strategy, or just showcase pretty pages? Even if a copywriter specializes in a particular niche, the work they create for their clients should not look like carbon copies of each other.Â
A strong copywriting site portfolio will include context about each project: what the goals were, how the copywriter approached the work, and what results came from it. Be wary of portfolios that only show polished screenshots with no explanation.
Next Steps
If youâre ready to learn whatâs typically included in most website copywriting services, what they cost, and how to choose a copywriter, check out this post on Website Copywriting Services Explained.
Or, click here to read more about Big Picture Copywritingâs website copywriting services.
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