10 Tips and Tricks for Writing your Website Content
Writing website content can be intimidating, tricky, and anxiety-inducing, but it doesn't have to be! I've composed a love-letter to you all in the form of a series of tips and reminders that I've come up with after years of working with folks on their websites.
01. Go for a walk
Meditate. Do some dishes. Stretch. Let ideas come in and out of your head as they do.
It's really difficult to write when we're feeling stuck/anxious/pressured, and the best way to combat that is to move your body! I recommend a little bit of movement before each writing session. Get out of your head and out of your way the best that you can.
02. Take a Deep, Deep Breath
Reminder yourself that you are the expert of your business.
You know your process, clients, and work better than anyone else. You know what questions your clients ask you, what obstacles they need to overcome to book you, what work might resonate with them most. Let that knowledge empower & center you!
03. Get Structured!
Make a rough outline for yourself. Something like…
Homepage
Catchy intro
About me blurb
Work samples
Call to action
About Page
Catchy intro
About self & work
Professional bio
Photo of pug
I always urge my clients to start with an outline. Not only does this make it easier on you while you're writing, but it sets easy anchor points for your web designer to work from. It can be as simple as the outline in the second slide (photos of pets mandatory, of course).
04. Think of your clients’ needs
What do they need to know in order to work with you? Think about questions potential clients often have for you. Do they ask about process? Make a process page! Do they want to be assured you’re an expert? Throw a testimonial on your homepage!
Considering your clients' needs is an excellent way to start when developing your content. What do they need to know in order to reach out to work together? Do they want to see that your work is excellent? Show pictures. Do they need to know if they can afford you? Add a range of prices to your site. Do they need to feel confident in choosing to work with you? Mention your experience in your very first line of copy. These needs should be what drives your website content (and the design, later down the road), so your potential clients can find what they're looking for as smoothly as possible.
05. Pomodoro!!!
Use 20 minute timers to so some power-through writing. Don’t judge yourself. Edit later.
Nothing kicks the ass of procrastination like a pomodoro timer. Giving yourself a short interval of time to focus in on your writing. If 20 minutes seems unbearable, go with 15 or 10. Afterward, give yourself a 5 minute break to do literally whatever. Dance, eat a snack, go hug your cat, etc. Let your brain rest, then do it again!
06. Be concise
It’s a global pandemic. We’re all burnt out. Capitalism sucks. No one has the bandwidth to read a novel about your incredible methodologies (plus no one likes a trailer where the whole movie is spoiled! Leave some surprises). If you’ve written 16 pages, pare it down to 4.
Give your website viewers and yourself a break by being as concise as possible with your copy. This doesn't mean it has to be boring or voiceless, just... shorter. For all of our sakes. Remember, the easier your clients can find the information they're looking for, the better.
07. Get it out of your head
Send your content to your friend, coach, or trusted past client to make sure it’s getting across what you want it to. Sometimes we are WAY too close to what we’re writing to make sense of it & its effectiveness.
Not only does this help by getting your content out of your head, it gives your brain a chance to rest. Chances are your friend/client/coach/whoever will give you a new perspective on your content and that rest you gave your brain will give you fresh eyes as well.
08. Outsource
Say fuck it all and hire a copywriter! There is NO SHAME in this ! You don’t have to do everything yourself.
IT'S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP!!! Copywriters exist for a reason! They know the ins and outs of writing strategically and with impact. Plus we love supporting our fellow business-owners & freelancers, don't we??? Take a load off and let someone else do the work for you!
09. Remember: your website is not set in stone
You have the ability to change copy, images, calls to action— even your entire mission. What your website says right now is not (and should not be) what it will say a year from now. It might be close, but you’re going to want to change things as you focus and grow. Embrace that now & let it be imperfect!
I remind my clients of this constantly. It takes a load of pressure off to realize that your website does not need to be a stagnant thing. You don't have to launch it and leave it up for a year with no changes. You can change copy and images to your hearts desire after launch (in fact, I encourage it!). Let your website grow with you.
10. Let it go (for now)
Give that content one more look and send it on over to your website designer, knowing that you can fix all of your typos and past-participle whatevers later. Most website platforms make it extremely easy to tweak wording later on!
Eventually, it's time to hand off your content. You might not feel like it's perfect or even ready, but chances are that it's in a good spot to give your designer something to build off of.
