I’m often asked, what makes great website copy? The answer is simple. Great website copy is a conversation with your prospects. Structuring that conversation is not easy, but you can get a head start by following these guidelines.  

The Hero Section 

  The hero section is the first thing visitors see when your website loads. The hero section is the part of your website where you have roughly six seconds to capture someone’s attention before they move. To do this, you need to answer the first question in someone’s mind when they land on your page.

What is this thing I’m looking at, and why should I care?

You must answer this question with straightforward and clear customer-facing language to capture and hold attention. The hero section is not the time to be cute, clever, or vague. There is no “markety-speak” in this section. The best way to accomplish this is to wrap your offer up into an objective, outcome-based headline. In other words, what do they want, and what success can they expect. Alternatively, you can call out their biggest obstacles and the success they can expect if they use your service. The headline should capture their attention. Use the subheadline to call out your audience and provide context.  

Connection Section 

  Right below the hero section, I recommend including a connection section. Write this section to connect emotionally with the reader using a powerful headline and bullet points beneath. The goal of this section is to have your prospect say, “Hey, that’s me.” The best way to get this reaction is by using emotions, circumstances, or situations the reader might find themselves in at the moment. They have or are experiencing thoughts about their situation (unspoken problems) that, when mentioned on your site, will immediately identify with them. This section is 100% about your audience, not your offer or yourself.  

A Running Conversation 

  Now that your website visitor understands why they are on your website and why they should care, you need to consider the conversation the person is having in their mind as they scroll down the page. To have this conversation, you need to understand the following three things.

• Why are they here?
• What do they want to achieve?
• What is the problem they are trying to solve?

Based on the answers above, they’ll ask a variation of the following questions.

• Is this for me?
• Who else is using it?
• What do I get, i.e., what’s included?
• How is this different from other products?
• How will it improve my life or business?
• How much does it cost?
• How do I buy it?

Notice these questions are in logical order. They follow the pattern of questions you might have before taking action. Your headlines should answer these questions, directly or indirectly, as a visitor scrolls down the page to make your product or service relevant and continue the conversation. Conversations, either face to face or online, are filled with questions. The more questions you can answer with your copy, the easier it is to keep the conversation moving forward and bring them closer to the one – and only one – call to action on your webpage.