Last updated on March 4th, 2025 at 06:53 am
Your website is more than just a digital business card that takes up space online.
That’s especially true when you approach website copywriting the right way.
While most people think their website is about them and their business, you’ll learn in this guide that just isn’t the case.
What you’ll see as you keep reading is that your website is actually about your customers and what THEY get out of the conversation.
But website copywriting is a bit different than writing copy for emails, sales pages, ads, or blogs.
So if you’re looking to make your website stand out and actually drive conversions for your business?
In this guide, we’re going to show you what actually goes into writing website copy, how to write the various different pages on your site, and how to make it ALL about your customers & what they get.
Before we get into how to write, though, there’s a bit of planning that needs to happen.
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First, Map Out the Pages You Want to Use
One of the biggest things you want to avoid is trying to stuff everything onto your homepage.
When visitors land on your site, they’re going to be coming from all sorts of places — and be at different stages in their customer journey.
Some may want to learn more about you and your company.
Others may want to contact you for more information.
Then there will be some who just want to explore your products and see what they can purchase from you right now.
That means you’re going to want to tailor your website to each of those different visitors, ensuring they get exactly what they’re looking for — without jamming it all onto your homepage.
To get started, at the basic foundational level, a website can have:
- Homepage
- About Page
- Case Studies
- Press Kits
- Pricing Pages
- Communities
- Affiliate Pages
- Career Pages
- Job Opening Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact Page
And more.
Every business and website is different, though, so you only want to include pages from that list that are ABSOLUTELY necessary.
Because, remember, simple is the name of the game here — a simple website is easy to navigate and gives visitors exactly what they expect to see.
Take a look at this example from The Tonic, an email newsletter:
It has 4 pages visible to the public…
- Homepage
- About Page
- Archives Page
- Store Page
Since visitors will receive the newsletter in their inbox every morning, The Tonic doesn’t need a ton of different pages to accomplish their primary goal: to gain subscribers and sell merchandise.
Here’s another example from a service-based business:
The focus, here, is on showcasing the business itself, while also selling courses and books.
It has 6 primary pages…
- Homepage
- About Page
- Blog Page
- Subscribe Page
- Courses Page
- Books Page
What it doesn’t do, though, is attempt to fit all of that information onto the homepage or make the website hard to navigate. It’s kept to only the bare minimum required to give people what they want while making that information easy to find.
Check out this example from Zapier:
It’s a bit more in-depth because it’s a significantly larger business than our previous two examples, but it still keeps things as simple as possible…
- Products Page
- Solutions Page
- Resources / Support Page
- Pricing Page
- Contact Page
- Login Page
- Sign Up Page
Then, to keep the navigation decluttered, subpages are included underneath each of the primary pages on the navigation bar.
But you can see that it’s incredibly organized and focused only on what visitors are going to need to see when they come to the website.
To get started mapping out your pages, think about:
- Business goals: Clearly understanding what you want to achieve with your website will guide your decision. For example, if you want users to book appointments, you’ll need a booking page.
- Competitor websites: Researching other businesses in your industry can give you an idea of the standard for website structure and content.
- Consider SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Some pages, like a blog, can help improve your website’s SEO.
- Legal requirements: Some pages may be required by law, such as privacy policy and terms of service pages.
As a general rule of thumb, though, and to get you started, make sure your website AT LEAST has a homepage, an about page, and a contact page.
Then, if you sell products or services, include pages for each of them.
But, remember: less is more and you want to keep your website simple and clean so it’s easy to navigate and visitors can find exactly what they’re looking for as quickly as possible.
Once you’ve mapped out which pages you want to include, the next step is writing copy in a way that resonates with your visitors and takes the focus off of you, and places it firmly on what they need.
Fundamentals of Website Copywriting
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re writing for, there’s a specific set of fundamentals that goes into EVERY piece of copy that you write.
Before you start creating the copy you’ll use on your website, you’ll want to make sure you understand each of these fundamentals so you give yourself the highest chance at hitting your own goals while giving your visitors what they want at the same time.
“What’s in it for Me…?”
At the deepest levels, your visitors don’t actually care about you.
What they care about, instead, is what they’re going to get out of having a conversation with you — even if that conversation is only an interaction between them and your website.
Harsh, possibly. But it’s the brass tax of writing copy that converts.
That means you want to give them what they want.
And a simple way to do that is to take a walk in their shoes, build empathy and compassion for where they’re at on the customer journey, and then answer their biggest question… “What’s in it for me?”.
To get started answering that question, think about your customer’s needs, desires, and pain points.
You can get this information from surveys, reading forum posts, interviewing your customers, reading reviews on websites like Amazon, or even testimonials from your competitor’s websites if you don’t already have some of your own to use.
What you don’t want to do is attempt to target anyone and everyone that lands on your website.
Instead, focus on the one perfect prospect you know is closest to saying “yes” to your offer.
Then, as you’re writing your copy, show them what’s in it for them and how they’re going to benefit by either being on your website or moving forward with your products or services.
Take a look at this example that attempts to target everyone:
The copy in this example is too generalized and doesn’t speak to what’s in it for the visitor.
Sure, it talks about home cleaning, all services, and the home shop — but what do those mean?
It also tells people to instantly book highly rated pros for cleaning and handyman tasks at an upfront price, but that’s not actually what their visitors care about.
What they care about is that the contractors they’ll be hiring are reputable, trustworthy, have been vetted, are affordable, answer their phone when called, and
Those are features, not benefits. (Which we’ll touch on in just a second.)
Now, take a look at this example from the ClickFunnels homepage:
It immediately jumps into what’s in it for them — especially if they’re struggling to get a constant flow of new customers.
Beneath the headline that invites them to “Meet Clickfunnels”, they’re met with a subheadline that speaks to even more of what’s in it for them — getting more people to their website and turning them into new customers.
Finally, under the CTA are 3 direct benefits to using ClickFunnels: zero computer skills needed, works for every type of business, and being able to market, sell, and deliver like a pro.
All things that ClickFunnels customers want.
When you’re planning the copy for your own homepage, remember to keep it focused on your one perfect customer and what they want from the conversation.
Features Tell, Benefits Sell
Then, remember that features tell and benefits sell.
To help you understand the difference, let’s take a look at a desk lamp.
It could be the best desk lamp in the world but if the only copy you use is something like…
“Check out the best desk lamp in the world. It’s 18” tall, flexible neck, sturdy base, sleek, black design and uses LED bulbs.”
Sounds like a decent lamp, but what’s in it for me?
I might be inclined to purchase the lamp if I set out to find a lamp that’s 18” tall, with a flexible neck and a sturdy base, that happens to be black and uses LED bulbs.
For most people landing on your website, though, they’re going to want to see the benefits — the “what’s in it for me?” part of your copy.
In this example, the benefits could look like:
- 18” Tall: So it’s high enough to spread light across your entire desk.
- Flexible Neck: So you can aim the light exactly where you need it most.
- Sturdy Base: So your cat can’t knock it off the desk when they interrupt your work.
- Sleek, Black Design: So it fits in with most decor.
- LED Bulbs: So you save more on your energy bill & conserve the environment.
There’s a big difference between just telling people the features of your product or offer and showcasing the benefits of each of those features and why they should matter to the people on your website.
To get started writing benefit-driven copy, follow these key steps:
- Identify the Feature: Our candles are made from 100% natural soy wax.
- Ask “So What?”: So what does “made from 100% natural soy wax” mean? It means the candles burn cleaner without producing harmful toxins.
- Dig Deeper With “Which Means?”: Which means? You can enjoy your favorite scents without worrying about your health or the environment.
- Create a Contrast: Without our soy wax candles, you may be releasing harmful toxins into your home with every burn. With our natural soy wax candles, you can enjoy the cozy atmosphere without guilt or worry.
- Formulate Your Benefit Statement: Indulge in your love of cozy, fragrant atmospheres guilt-free with our 100% natural soy wax candles. Ditch the harmful toxin-producing candles and embrace a cleaner, safer, and equally enjoyable alternative.
When you follow each of those steps, you’ve taken a boring feature, like “100% natural soy wax” and turned it into why that should matter to your audience — “enjoying a cozy, fragrant atmosphere guilt-free, without worrying about your health or the environment.”
Clarity Over Cleverness
A lot of people believe that, in order to get conversions, you need to be clever.
However, in terms of writing copy for your website and getting conversions, clarity is FAR more important than clever copy that makes people think too hard.
Because people want to do business with you because you have something they want or can solve a problem that they’re struggling with.
Not because you’re ‘smart’ or ‘clever’.
In general, clever copy tends to cause confusion.
And confusion leads to frustration.
Then frustration leads to your customer hitting the back button and writing you off.
To keep that from happening, make sure your copy is clear, concise, and accurately communicates the message you’re trying to get across — a message that helps them understand the action they should take.
To do this, avoid using too many metaphors, big words, long sentences, or copy that makes your people stop and think.
To give you a few comparisons and examples, take a look at this chart:
| Type of copy | Clever copy | Clear copy |
|---|---|---|
| Testimonials | These Folks Rocked Our World – Prepare to be Amazed! | Hear What Our Customers Have to Say About Us |
| FAQ Section | All Your Burning Questions: Answers That Will Blow Your Mind! | Find Answers to Common Questions in Our FAQ Section |
| About Us Page | We’re Rebels with a Cause: Breaking Boundaries Since Day One | Discover Our Story and How We’re Making a Difference |
| Navigation Menu | The Treasure Trove (for a product page) | Our Products |
| Contact Us | Drop a Line in the Pond | Reach Out to Our Support Team |
Don’t Miss Social Proof
If you want visitors to convert into new subscribers or customers, one of the best things you can do is include social proof that showcases other people like them benefitting from your offer.
Social proof is, at the core, a psychological concept that says humans are influenced to make a decision when they see others have benefitted from making that same decision.
It’s one of the strongest elements you can use on your website when it’s used properly.
Before we get into that, though, take a look at the 4 main types of social proof you can use:
- Customer Testimonials
- Celebrity Endorsements
- Press Mentions
- User-Generated Content
Each of these 4 types, when used in the right way, can have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates by helping you establish credibility and authority, as well as showing your visitors other people that have benefited from your offer.
Here’s an example of each and how they’re being used:
When you want your visitors to understand how the product will help solve a problem or eliminate a pain point in their life, hearing it directly from other customers is an easy way to do it.
Since it’s not relying on you telling them how it will positively affect them but, instead, relying on people just like them to talk about how it’s helped them, you’re letting your customers sell for you.
ClickFunnels features customer testimonials heavily in the copy they write for their offers.
In the example below, you can see how it’s being used and how varied each of the customers are.
Instead of just dumping a bunch of testimonials onto the page, the team at ClickFunnels has strategically chosen a specific customer from each sector who may be able to use the software to help grow their business:
- B2B
- eCommerce
- Coaching/Consulting
- Local Small Business
- Blogging/Affiliate Marketing
- Network Marketing
If a visitor falls into one of those groups and lands on this page, they’ll see a testimonial that’s super-specific to them, the problems they face, and the solutions they need.
What they don’t see is a random dump of testimonials that bear little-to-no relevance to the offer or copy surrounding the social proof.
Now, for our next example, you can tap into celebrity endorsements (if you have them) to establish more credibility and authority for your business.
People tend to innately trust a celebrity when they recommend a product.
You can borrow from their credibility and authority by featuring them on your website.
The 3rd type of social proof that has a dramatic positive impact on your conversion rates is media mentions or quotes.
Like celebrity endorsements, if you’ve been featured in major press pieces, like The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Thrillist (in this case), customers who recognize those press outfits will place more trust in your business.
Then, there’s user-generated content.
Another incredibly strong type of social proof that’s fairly new but quickly gaining steam.
If you have videos of your products being used by happy customers, featuring them on your website helps make your business more authentic and relatable, as well as less biased since it’s not you or your sales team telling people how they can benefit from your offer.
This type of content is best used when your real customers are sharing their honest experiences and opinions with your offer.
The key to using social proof, though, is to remember that less is more and that you don’t want to just dump it all onto the page and hope people read it.
Make sure it’s relevant to where they’re at in the customer journey and that it speaks to how your offer can benefit them and it will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
Stay Consistent
When you’re writing copy, the next foundational rule you want to follow is staying consistent in your branding, voice, and tone across each of the platforms you use — from your website to your social media accounts, ads, emails, blog posts, you name it.
Your brand voice, if you aren’t familiar with the term, refers to your company’s personality.
Your brand tone is the emotional response that your brand voice draws out from your audience.
Keeping this consistent across each of the platforms you use is how you get your audience to immediately recognize your brand when they see it — and react positively to it when they do.
To keep your brand’s voice consistent, you’ll want to start by creating a “brand chart”.
This is a visual representation of the voice you want to convey for your brand.
It typically includes 3-4 key attributes that describe your brand, along with brief explanations and do’s and don’ts for each.
For instance, if you want your brand’s voice to be empowering, a “do” for you might be “use positive and uplifting language” while a “don’t” might be “avoid negative or discouraging phrases”.
To give you an example, take a look at Copywriting Secrets.
Then compare it to the Copy Quickstart Secrets page:
Even though they’re different offers, they both share the same brand voice — exciting, uplifting, positive, and empowering.
But when you see them, you immediately recognize them as being an offer ClickFunnels has created to help solve problems you’re facing when it comes to writing copy — because of the consistent brand voice and tone.
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How to Write Homepage Copy
Now, when it comes to writing copy for specific pages on your website, you first want to think about what the goal for that page is going to be.
For your homepage, you’ll want to showcase your value proposition, and introduce people to the benefits your company provides, the problems you solve, and the solutions you offer.
Let’s take a look at the ClickFunnels homepage to break this down.
You’ll notice it starts with a headline that calls out the biggest problem visitors are facing: struggling to get a constant flow of customers.
Then, it follows up by breaking down the features and benefits of ClickFunnels:
Then, show why you are a better option than alternatives or your competitors.
Finally, make sure people understand how to move forward with you as easily as possible.
In this case, that’s “Start Your Free Trial Today”.
Which, if you haven’t already, click here to start your free trial of ClickFunnels today so you can easily implement each of the steps we’re breaking down for you in this guide.
Then, make sure you have a call to action in each section of the page.
In the features & benefits section:
After your testimonials & social proof:
But remember: keep the focus on your one perfect prospect and what’s in it for them.
How to Write Product Page Copy
Next up comes your product, offer, and services pages.
To get started writing these, map out the ingredients you’ll want included on the page:
- Product Title: Captivating and descriptive, includes essential keywords.
- Product Description: Highlights the product’s features and benefits, resonates with the target audience, and is easy to scan.
- Unique Selling Proposition: Identifies what makes the product stand out from competitors.
- Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Well-curated or rewritten user reviews can provide social proof.
- Guarantee/Warranty Information: Clearly explained terms and conditions.
- Shipping & Returns Information: Clearly outlined policies with a focus on customer convenience.
- Calls to Action: Persuasive and compelling, encouraging the user to add the product to the cart or buy now.
Take a look at this example to see how it’s laid out once you’ve mapped each of those out:
You can also include additional elements, such as upselling and cross-selling, based on the product or offer that you’re showcasing.
The key here, though, is making sure that you’re maintaining your brand’s voice and tone, keeping consistency across all of the pages on your website.
How to Write About Page Copy
When it comes to writing your About page, even though most people think the page is about you and your business, it’s actually about your customers and what they get out of it.
(Starting to see a pattern here?)
That means when you’re writing the copy for your About page, you do want to include a bit about you and your company but you want to make sure it’s focused on that big question… “What’s in it for me?”
For personal and B2B brands, that could look something like this…
This showcases that Mike is an expert in the industry and that he has the relevant experience needed to solve his client’s problem at a high level.
It also shows that he’s worked with major names in the industry, some of which the visitors may immediately recognize.
The page also helps people reading it understand what problems he solves and how he goes about solving those problems.
The goal, though, is to establish credibility, authority, and trust — which is what his audience is looking for when they browse his About page.
For retail businesses, your About page could look like this…
Or this…
Each of these businesses helps show who is behind the business and why they started it.
They also speak to their ethos and how their products are made and sourced.
Finally, they talk about what makes their company different from their competitors.
All while maintaining credibility and trust.
Now, if you own a software company, your About page could mimic the one below…
This page showcases who is behind the development of the software while also touching on how the software has evolved since it was first developed.
For non-profits, the About page below is a great example to start building from:
This page speaks to how donations are being collected and used, as well as the level of impact those donations have had on solving the water crisis.
It also speaks to the types of projects and initiatives that the non-profit is currently working on and why those projects matter so much.
Again, remember that your About page is actually about your audience and what they’re hoping to see when they visit it.
You can tailor the copy on the page to showcase who you are and why you do what you do but make sure it’s benefit-driven with the reader in mind to help establish trust, authority, and credibility.
How to Write Contact Page Copy
When it comes to the copy on your contact page, you can cover quite a few bases.
One of the most important aspects to cover is how to actually get in touch with you — whether that’s by phone, snail mail, an email address, or contact form, or if there’s another way to contact you.
What you can also do, though, is use this page to lay out frequently asked questions and the problems that people may experience.
This type of information can be collected based on the questions you get most often and listing them out on your contact page helps reduce the number of contacts people will need to make.
Here’s an example of a contact page that gets ahead of the emails before they get sent:
If you’re a software company, though, and primarily receive emails on your contact page from people enquiring about purchasing your products, you can direct them to your sales team:
Or, if you want to let your visitors decide who it is they want to contact so you’re spending less time sorting and forwarding the emails that come through, you can give them options:
Your options, though, are endless.
As long as your contact page is more than just a barebones listing of your address, phone number, email address, and contact form, you can use this space to help nurture the relationship you’re attempting to build with your audience while ALSO saving time and energy.
But, remember: keep it focused on your audience and what they need from you.
Final Thoughts
Your website is more than just a digital business card that takes up space online.
This is even more true when you use the practical tips we’ve given you in this guide on how to write copy for your website.
When you’re looking to make it stand out and help drive conversions, spend time pouring through this guide as you start mapping out which pages need to be on it and how you’re going to write the copy for each of those pages. Then, start your free trial of ClickFunnels to make building your website as simple as possible.