6 Steps for Writing Web Copy in Modern Website Design

Why Is Web Copywriting Important?

Your website copy is another opportunity to engage with your customers. Good web copy conveys your brand, connects to your customer base, and allows you to control the brand narrative shared through your number one salesperson: your website. It entertains and educates your audience, without overwhelming them with information.

In the steps below, we go over web copywriting best practices, explaining how to prepare a copy deck, apply keyword research, and follow the word count guidance of your website wireframes or templates. We also discuss web copy best practices and ways to gather feedback from your brand’s stakeholders. Step 1: Prepare Your Copy Deck

As a best practice, effective website copy is written first, edited, and eventually validated by all relevant stakeholders in a well-organized copy deck. At SmartBug ® , we use Google Docs for our copy decks. Google Docs facilitates collaboration, so you can easily write your first draft, share it with your stakeholders, and gather their feedback as comments in the copy deck. Once you’ve saved your copy deck and renamed it, please create a page for each webpage of copy that you intend to write.

Tip: Create a Table of Contents to allow you to easily index and reference each page.
Step 2: Abide by the Word Count in Your Wireframe or Template

Once your copy deck is prepped, keep in mind the word count that will best fit each webpage. You can do this by referencing the wireframe or template for which you are writing copy.

Tip: Set up the wireframe or template next to your copy deck—you can size each browser to split one screen. If you have two monitors, display the wireframe/template on one screen and the copy deck on the other.

Most web designers and UX strategists use placement copy during the wireframing stage. This is called “lorem ipsum,” “greeking,” or “FPO (for placement only) text.” It shows how the copy will look on the page, and it gives the copywriter direction on how much copy to write. Sometimes, the placement copy will be actual guidance content for the copywriter.

As a copywriter, you want to abide by the word count that is dictated in your wireframes or template. Writing too much (or too little) copy can interfere with the designer’s intent for the page’s look and feel. Step 3: Incorporate Keywords

You should use keyword research to inform your copywriting. Follow these three steps to make using keywords more effective:

Don’t force keywords into the copy. They should naturally work with your message.

As you write each page of copy with your keyword(s) in mind, try to integrate your primary keyword into the page header , as well as within the body copy. The keyword should align with the content on the page, so this should happen naturally. Subheads are a good way to integrate additional keywords.
Once you’ve finished writing a page, use the “Find” tool to search for each keyword . By highlighting […]

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