How to Optimize Copy

Copy optimization is one of the simplest and most effective ways you can increase conversions on your site. In this lesson, we’ll review some key principles of great copywriting, and share an example of how testing copy can improve conversion rate.

7 minutes

Key points you can
learn in this lesson.

Improve Your Copy

Learn best practices around copywriting.

Customer Based Copy

Understand how to optimize the copy on your website to better focus on your unique selling points and persuade potential customers.

What to Avoid

Discover certain copy mistakes to avoid.

Our key metrics increased. More importantly, we implemented a lot of new tactics and test scenarios, which will boost our company’s future prospects.
Dave McCue
Digital Marketing Manager at Allstate

Lesson Preview

In this section, we will be going over copy and how to optimize it on your landing pages. Copy is the most persuasive element of your page as its primary function is to act like your personal sales team. Before you get into how valuable your offer is or the design of your page, you need to first write copy that is geared towards your goals. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways you can increase conversions on your page. Copy can either drive prospects to convert towards your goals or bounce right off the page.

At the end of this lesson, we will go over an example of a high-converting landing page and the process of creating the copy according to key principles.

What is Copy?

Copy in marketing refers to all text on your website/landing page/ads that encourages your viewers to make a conversion. This includes your headline, subhead, CTA, and all body text.

Principles

How to optimize copy

When optimizing copy there are general actionable principles you can apply to assure you are speaking to your audience (source: copywriting expert Joanna Wiebe):

  1. Work backward from the page goal.
    • Every landing page has one goal, and that will be your CTA.  All other copy on your page will be written to support this goal.
  2. Every piece of copy on your landing page has a role.
    • Headline: Keep arriving visitors on the page 
    • Subhead: Move visitors to the body copy
    • Body Copy: Directly support the page goal 
    • Social proof: Turn naysayers into believers
    • Form Headline: Relieve anxiety about completing the page goal 
    • Form: Get filled out
    • Button: Get clicked
    • Confirmation Message: Affirm the goal has been completed.
  3.  Speak to your audience’s awareness stage
    • Most Aware: Visitors know and trust your brand
    • Product Aware: Visitors know you offer solutions they may need but they have yet to choose your product
    • Solution Aware: Visitors know solutions exist for their pain but don’t know about yours
    • Pain Aware: Visitors are aware of their problem but not of any solutions
    • Unaware: People who are not necessarily in need at this point
      • You can discover your audience’s state of awareness with polls and surveys from free tools like Hotjar. The awareness of your audience will dictate the length of your landing page. The less aware your audience is of your brand or product the more information they will need to make a conversion.
  4. Stop trying to write original copy
    • We’ve found that some of the strongest performing copy is taken from pulling customer language. Using your consumer reviews gives insight into what your audience really wants and what features/benefits are important to them. Pay attention to patterns and frequency in which specific elements are mentioned. You can take ideas from:
    • Testimonials 
    • Customer reviews of your product or service 
    • Support emails 
    • Surveys
    • Anywhere your prospects are talking about solutions like yours
    • Additional Resource: Here

Your copy works as a story that will lead your viewer through the page. Since we have touched on important principles to include in your copy, we will touch on some vital mistakes to avoid as well.

Copy mistakes to avoid

Here are 4 common copywriting practices that we recommend you avoid. 

  1. Don’t use “we” your copy. 
    • Your leads care about what your product or service can do for them. Avoid using words like “We do this” or “We offer this.” Focus on how your offer will solve their pain for them. Instead, use “you” or “your”.
  2. Don’t write in a vacuum
    • Consult your audience before writing copy, you may find that what you think is important to them isn’t. These are some great starters for canvasing your audience.
      • Pain Points
      • Anxieties
      • Desired Outcomes
      • Priorities
  3. Don’t be vague
    • Instead of saying “Rated #1” tell the audience exactly what you’re rated for. “ Rated #1 for simplicity and ease of use.”  This gives the user the direct benefit they can receive from this product and continues to tell the story.
  4. Don’t make promises without proof
    • You can tell people how great your project is but without proof, you’re not giving them a reason to believe you. You can create proof on your page in a number of ways, testimonials, seals of approval, case studies, and more. We will touch more on this subject in Lesson 4: How to Optimize Social Proof.
    • Additional resource: Here

The Process:

  1. Start with the page goal and move backward
    • Your page goal is your CTA.  For example, for this call tracking software page we chose “Start Tracking (it’s free).” This lets the visitor know exactly what they will be doing upon conversion, while also reducing the fear of being asked to pay for anything upfront.
  2. Next, we further address the consumer’s pain points.

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