Tag Archives: copywriting mistakes

Can You Find the Mistakes in This Web Copy?

Posted on by
wrong way

Image thanks to geralt

Yesterday, I posted some web copy and asked what was wrong with it. The company is pure fiction, but the copy is adapted from an actual web site.

I have changed the names and altered the details of the site to avoid embarrassment, but the website copywriting mistakes are real.

Find the web copywriting mistakes

Here it is again.

A badly designed web site can have a negative impact on your site’s effectiveness and the money you earn from it.

After the initial consultation phase of your project, Wow Wow Web Design will create your web site using professional design tools. There are people who will offer to produce graphics for you at highly discounted rates. However, the quality of their design may be poor.

Whether you need a big web site or a small one, we can provide all your design needs.

No work process

There’s a general statement about an initial consultation, but no indication what happens after that. Talking about your work process is good, but spell it all out. Take people through what you’ll do and when. Let them know how you charge (all at once, in stages), what the process is like and how many designs a client will receive,

No differentiation

Why choose Wow Wow over any other company?

They don’t seem to specialize in any particular industry, or type of work.  Are they wizards of Blogger? Or only do WordPress?  What if you need ecommerce tools? Will they tell you if they’re not a good fit? How transparent are they about their work process?

How will you know if they are a good fit for your project? Professional design tools sounds good, but which ones?  If a client needs changes or updates further on, how will those be handled?

Do they offer tools that let you easily make small updates yourself? A project dashboard?

They’re not remarkable in any way.

No trust/value

They point out that cheaper alternatives may lead to poor results, but give no proof that their services are better. There’s nothing there about the designers themselves either. What is their background?  How long have they been doing this? What do their clients say about them?

No tribe

What is their market? What kind of fish are they trying to catch?  Do they specialize in large companies? Or would they rather work with smaller businesses?  Plumbing suppliers? Artists? It’s impossible to tell.

Who is their perfect client? They don’t seem to have one.  It looks like they’re trying to sell to everyone. Which means they’re selling to nobody.

Yes, that’s a lot to ask for from a few paragraphs, but the clearer you are about your value, your specialty, your point of difference, and your preferred clients, the better your results will be.

Seven Deadly Web Copywriting Mistakes

Posted on by

sevenWhat are the seven deadliest web copywriting mistakes? These nasty little errors can sink your web project almost before it even gets started.

Luckily, if you know what they are in advance, you will be able to avoid them!

1. Creating the design before the copy

The images are there to enhance the words (not the other way around). Writing can be edited to fit. removing design elements to fit the text will mess up the entire design. Write the copy first, then you’ll be able to use design to highlight your testimonials or your great guarantee.

2. Do-it-yourself copywriting

Thinking that you can write the copy yourself. Copywriting is a specific skill. There are books and blogs you can read (email me if you’d like some recommendations), but you have to convince people to do something and hand you their hard-earned money. Besides, is this the best use of your time? Read this before you hire someone.

3. Burying the lede

In the newspaper business, the lede is the sentence that sums up the story – and draws you in. In copywriting it’s the sentence that should tell readers why they should read the second sentence, and the third. Start with a bang – so readers will keep going. Try moving the paragraphs around. Often your best sentence is buried in the second or third paragraph.

4. Not stating the problem

If you want people to trust you and buy from you, you’ve got to establish trust and empathy. Point out a problem, a concern, or a desire.

5. Talking about yourself too much

Saying “me”, “my” and “our” will drive people away. They don’t want to hear about your background or your MFA, they want to know how your knowledge and skills will help solve their problems.  Take the one-minute marketing test to find out how your site copy stacks up.

6. No solution

Years of experience or number of employees isn’t a solution. Instead, explain how your product or service solves their problem. Tell them what they’ll get, how it works, why it works. Explain how other people have benefited from it. Answer common questions (yes, this is why sales letters are long – to answer all the questions that people may have).

7. No call to action

Don’t forget to write a call to action. Make it absolutely clear what to do, and how to do it. The buttons should be big, easy to find, and clearly labeled. You don’t want people hunting around to find them.

Have you made any of these mistakes? Or, do you have another to add to the list?

Photo:  eurritimia