Don’t bore the visitors of your site with mundane information. Instead, guide them through an experience and lead them to take action. In this blog, we’ll explore the ins and outs of writing UX copy — and how you can use it to generate more sales and leads.
So, what is UX Copy?
While writing website copy, it’s important to focus on UX, which is shorthand for the phrase ‘user experience.’ Good copy should bridge the gap between reading and experience — it should connect your audience to your website’s purpose. So what is UX copywriting? Essentially, writing UX copy means guiding your readers through an experience and leading them to take action.
Rather than writing an informative “essay” about your products, write with the goal to help readers understand the value of your product or service. To do this, you need to understand your audience, their pain points and how your product can help them. Think of yourself as an ambassador for your company. Whether you’re showcasing the benefits of a product or service, seeking out potential employees or even letting readers know the best way to contact you, communicate in a way that connects the reader to your purpose — and keep your tone friendly and helpful.
Writing Effective UX Copy
There’s a lot that goes into UX copywriting, but by sticking to a few simple rules, you’ll be connecting with your audience in no time. We’ll cover the basics that will help you enhance your website copy and provide an experience rather than just information.
#1: Keep Your Goal in Mind.
Before you begin writing copy, make sure you know the overarching goal. This goal may vary from page to page (for example: your About page showcases who you are as a company and your Services page showcases what you do), but the overall purpose of your site should be consistent. Are you trying to generate sales or are you focused more on attracting potential employees? No matter what the goal is, get familiar with it, and then use it to guide your copywriting across the website. By writing with a purpose, your copy will be more effective — it’ll influence your audience to take action, rather than boring them with information that seems meaningless to them.
#2: Be Specific.
When you write copy, write for all readers. Some will read every word on the page, while others will briefly skim. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. While you’re writing, consider whether you’d enjoy reading this copy or if you’d be bored by it. Most people probably aren’t interested in reading a long essay about your company, so strive to keep things concise and specific. Rather than trying to reach a word count goal, focus on reaching a communication goal. Make sure that each word you’re writing is effective in communicating your purpose — and leave out anything that’s unnecessary. Being precise and specific in your writing persuades your audience to keep reading, and in turn, they’ll be more inclined to take action.
#3: Write How You Would Speak.
Always use present tense and active voice while writing copy for your website. In doing so, you’re cultivating an experience rather than a plain old essay. Let’s look at an example.
Consider these sentences:
- Rebecca designed a logo.
- A logo was designed by Rebecca.
The first sentence is written with active voice, and the second is written with passive voice. Using active voice helps keep your voice conversational and concise, and it’s more interesting to read. Passive voice, on the other hand, is a bore for readers — it’s longer and uses unnecessary words to convey the message. Words like “was” and “by” are often indicative of passive voice, so scan for these words and try to rework any passive sentences you find.
Now, look at these:
- Our company designs creative, effective logos.
- Our company has designed creative, effective logos.
The first sentence is in the present tense, and the second sentence is in past tense. Always strive to use present tense in your writing, as it tells a story — or cultivates an experience — rather than sounding like you’re stuck in the past. Your writing should frame the best parts of what you do, and it’s important for your readers to know that you DO this thing — not that you HAVE done this thing before or WILL do this thing sometime in the future.
If you feel stuck or uninspired, let us help.
Effective messaging is crucial in succeeding with your goal, whatever it may be. By implementing a few simple rules into your writing, you’ll be able to better connect with your audience and showcase the best parts of what you do. However, our team understands that writing can feel mundane, and we want you to feel inspired. We have a team of professional copywriting experts that would love to help you achieve your goals and effectively communicate your purpose. If you’re having trouble writing good website copy, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help you find the right words, every time.
