So, you have a new website that you are about to launch.
You’ve spent time – and a sizable amount of money – getting the logo, colors, images, and layout just right.
But what about the words on the website?
Did you write them yourself to save money?
Or maybe you just used the info on your brochure to fill in the website copy sections.
If you haven’t outsourced your copywriting to a professional writer, you may be losing money.
Yes, that’s right.
Not paying a professional copywriter can lose you money over the long term.
If you’re reading this, you might be deciding whether it’s worth outsourcing copywriting to a content writing agency or freelance copywriter.
In this article, we will look at the dangers and benefits of outsourcing your copywriting and how to make the right choice for your website.
Why Companies Skimp on Paying Professional Copywriters
There are many parts of building a website that you can’t do yourself. For example, you likely can’t set up a website hosting service, create a custom-coded website, or do branding and design work yourself.
And yet, many business owners and entrepreneurs think they can do their own copywriting. Why is this the case?
Well, it’s because we can all write.
We write text messages, emails, social media posts, and comments all day long.
We know how to write to-do lists and birthday cards.
Yet, conventional writing or creative writing is not the same as copywriting.
Copywriting is both a science and art. It takes time to learn, years of practice, and many revisions to get a piece just right.
Think of copywriting as creating a sculpture. First, you have to chunk it down and slowly refine it until it is a masterpiece.
As the website owner, you likely don’t have the time (or interest) to learn the copywriting skills required to engage your prospects, customers, and clients.
Yet many website owners still try to write their website copy themselves, with terrible results. Quality content cannot be produced by amateur writers, the same as you wouldn’t trust an inexperienced web developer to build your website.
The Components of Quality Website Copywriting
Copywriting for a website is very different from regular writing. For one thing, online content writing is meant to be scanned and drive people to action. It’s not like creative writing that is intended to be consumed word for word.
You might have heard about search engine terms such as website engagement, time on site, or dwell time.
These factors are all essential to understand if you want your site to rank well in the search engines and for people to buy from you.
And to make a website successful, the words have to do the heavy lifting.
This is a big reason why website copywriting needs to be handled by someone who has experience. Outsourced copywriting can give you an edge over your competitors and help you convince your customers to buy.
Essential components of quality website copywriting:
- Headings that trigger interest
- Subheadings that keep people scrolling
- Short and long for paragraphs that grow interest and nurture trust
- Clear explanations and examples to show credibility
- Use of images and graphics with clear descriptions
- Helpful insights and tips that help people
- Descriptions of products and services that speak to the benefits, not features
- Clear call-to-action sections that drive conversions
- Friendly, engaging, easy-understand language that matches a brand voice
As you can see, a lot of additional work goes into writing copy for a website.
And it’s also a big reason you should consider a copywriting service for a new website or website refurbishment.
How Does Copywriting Help You Rank Better On Google?
Having fresh, engaging website content is one of the most important aspects of ranking well on search engines such as Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, etc.
Your website content is the only way that Google’s search algorithm knows what your website is about, and how it should rank it in the search engine result pages (SERPs).
While copywriting is focused on selling your prospects to buy from you, you must be first able to be found online.
An SEO copywriter factors in both the human side of the equation as well as creating website content that hits the right keywords, search intent, and topics for the search engines.
This ability is what makes outsourcing content writing well worth the investment.
Why People Don’t Outsource Copywriting
Once a website is ready to launch, producing the content (i.e., the words on the site) is the biggest challenge companies, and digital marketers face.
There is a tendency to avoid working on copywriting and website content until a site is almost ready to launch. Then the copywriting need is urgent and gets rushed or randomly handed over to someone on the team.
There are a few fundamental fears when it comes to outsourced copywriting:
- Business owners see themselves as the subject matter experts and don’t believe someone else can explain what they do as well as they can.
- The content in brochures or old versions of the website has worked ‘just fine’ to this point.
- We can’t quantify the return on investment the same as other digital marketing.
- It takes too long to review copywriting from a freelance writer, and it’s easier just to launch the website.
With these fears and reasons in mind, let’s now look at some dangers and benefits of outsourcing copywriting.
Cons of Outsourcing Copywriting
- The copywriting agency or freelance writer is not as versed in your industry’s technical language, which results in web pages and blog posts that need to be rewritten entirely before posting.
- Content creation and copywriting costs can be expensive. While experienced copywriters conduct keyword research, create content outlines, match the brand voice, and optimize for SEO, this additional work costs more than simply getting a team member to do it.
- The tone or style of a freelance copywriter may not match your company’s culture or industry audience.
Pros of Outsourcing Copywriting
- Good copywriters are experts at writing for the web and have the know-how to keep people scrolling and clicking more links on your website.
- Copywriters understand the technical and SEO best practices of writing for the web – setting you up for better results over the long term.
- Writer outsourcing means you have better content consistency and volume. Your website and blog will continue to be updated and grow in the search rankings.
- Reduce internal costs and time. Often companies underestimate the time and cost of taking something on internally vs. outsourcing. For less than the cost of a full-time marketer, you could be using freelancers or an agency to produce great content.
Working with a Freelance or Marketing Agency for Copywriting
If you outsource your copywriting to a professional writer, a few best practices will help them create compelling content.
- Provide the freelancer with an outline for each page you would like them to use as a baseline. If you haven’t had time to draft out what you want, you can also use examples of other websites in your industry or resources and links to follow.
- Find a middle ground between your internal team’s knowledge and experience and the copywriter’s skills. For example, you may set up an initial informational interview with a few of your most experienced team members to help them educate your copywriter on the needs, problems, and misconceptions that prospects typically have.
- Utilize a content mapping tool to organize your content topics and ideas for specific pages. This process will help the content creator better understand how the written words will fit into the overall website.
- Expect the first draft to be a little off the mark. No piece of content or copywriting is perfect immediately. Review the initial website copywriting draft and look for what works and what needs improvement.
- Test a few copywriters and choose one that works best with your brand voice, company culture, industry, and copywriting budget.
When You Should You Never Outsource Your Copywriting?
Are there any reasons to never outsource your copywriting?
Yes, there are.
In some instances, you need to provide technical details to a niche audience. However, even if this is the case, it can be wise to ask a copywriter to review and edit your writing for clarity, readability, and calls to action.
Ask someone on your team who has a good understanding of your potential customer to share the pain points and needs. This perspective will help your copywriter write in the voice and tone of your prospects and build trust.
Copywriting is an Investment in Your Brand
Whether or not you choose to outsource your copywriting, remember that words matter. Therefore, you must take the same amount of time with your website copy that you would to choose images, brand colors, or a new logo.
Engaging content can be the difference between someone buying from you or clicking off your site and going to a competitor.
Think of copywriting as a broader part of your marketing strategy. Every marketing campaign should drive results, and copywriting is no different. Track the results of your investment in a new site, and look at where people are spending the most time on your site to see how the website copy and content marketing are helping.
Looking to outsource content writing for your website? Shorthand Content Marketing are professional copywriters with over a decade of digital marketing and SEO copywriting experience. Contact us today to get a quote to write the copy for a new website to grow your rankings and new customers.