We’re often asked for e-commerce copywriting tips, and we don’t mind one bit. In our previous lives as e-commerce retailers, we placed content at the centre of our business from day one and reaped the benefits over several years. From a lower ad spend and a sense of product ownership, to rising like cream to the top of the search rankings for our key terms, writing copy and content for e-commerce shaped our business, and we’re happy to offer a few insights into how we did it.
Five Website Copywriting Tips
1. Optimise for what your customers are searching for
A paragraph finished, and what a cracker it is! But wait, who is going to read it? If you’ve free-written it without an SEO strategy, then the answer could well be no one, or at least, no one who you’d want to read it.
Our first e-commerce copywriting tip then is to speak to your audience and not into the void. How you do that is with a robust, well-organised keyword set created as part of your broader search engine optimisations efforts.
2. Deliver a consistent tone
A great record is cohesive. Tracks are placed one after the next with care and thought. Consumed neither piecemeal nor in part, the track order is created with purpose to reveal the album as a complete work. Website copywriting is very similar, albeit with fewer guitars and almost no spandex.
No page exists in isolation, so for our second e-commerce copywriting tip, our advice is to think of the site as a whole and craft a consistent tone of voice across each touchpoint. The tone of voice will become the brand voice, and that’s important. People buy from people, and while we don’t want to heap on the pressure, pitch-perfect copywriting can move units – poorly written copy can do the opposite.
3. Leave the mince in the kitchen
Using more words than strictly necessary is rather naughty, so for our third tip, our advice is to be succinct and get to the point. Anything else will earn you a smacked bottom and a big bounce rate.
4. Retail is detail
An adage that bears repeating, but when writing product copy, the demands of detail and the practice of concision do not often go hand in hand. You must go to some length to convey as much as about the product as possible. However, whereas product copy is commonly regarded as just the paragraphs, bullets and feature list areas are often overlooked.
For our fourth copywriting tip, we’d like to remind you that it’s not all about the long words. Bullets, features areas, or even straplines exist to help clarify the product’s use, fundamental elements and granular detail. In partnership with an immersive product page design, these ancillary areas combine to elevate the product page and create the best chance of a successful conversion.
5. Read voraciously
It’s no mistake that website copywriters are avid readers. And they’re not book snobs either (well, they shouldn’t be). So for our fifth and final copywriting tip, if you’re struggling to perfect your prose, out of ideas, or just feeling flat, grab a book and read. Put the kettle on, get comfy and reconnect with what you love for a few moments. Simon & Garfunkel might say you’re an island, but we all need sustenance and companionship. Books can provide that, and sometimes that’s all you need to reboot your brain.
HIRE THE BEAGLES
If you’re looking to take your site content up a notch, develop a consistent tone of voice, or perhaps lay the foundations for SEO success, then drop us a line! SEO copywriting skills aside, we’re dab hands at developing wider site content, e-commerce product pages – the works.
