You might be reading this think: “I don’t want a copywriter, yet. I want to improve my website copy myself.“
But this isn’t easy, especially when writing copy isn’t something you love doing a lot.
You shouldn’t just bang out some words and hope they’re okay.
Great copy takes time.
“You mean it doesn’t just happen?”
Nope, you don’t see the rehearsals for a TV show up on the screen, you see the final, refined version – free of mistakes and looking nice and shiny.
Writing is no different.
When a copywriter writes, they go through a lot of versions before they hand over that fabulous first draft.
Help me improve my website copy!
Don’t worry, I’ve got you.
But to make sure what you’ve written reads well and is as error-free as possible, here a re some things you can do to make it better:
One. Give it a read-through first
Yep, before you do anything, actually read the thing.
Pick up all those glaring errors.
Proof and edit your content with the naked eye first.
Two. Run it through a spellchecker
Yep, another dead simple one, but to give you as much help as I can while you’re screaming, “Matt! Help me improve my website copy!“, the obvious stuff has to be done first.
Three. Run it through external grammar and spellcheckers
Yep, check it with even more stuff.
I suggest:
Hell, even ChatGPT.
I’m not a fan of ChatGPT, but it is a great way to find any stray spelling mistakes and grammar issues.
Four. Change the font, colour and text size
This helps your eye and your brain. By changing it from Black 11pt Times New Roman to Pink 22pt Comic Sans, you’re tricking your brain into thinking it’s reading something new.
The dramatic change helps you to spot errors that weren’t obvious at your standard font size.
Five. Print it and read it out loud
Whoa there, before you change the font back to the original – print it out and read it aloud.
Reading it out loud is a massive help. What works in your head may not necessarily flow when read.
If it doesn’t sound right, it won’t read right either.
Plus you get to read something in a massive pink Comic Sans font.
It’s like 2001 all over again!
Six. Use the ‘Read Aloud’ option in Word
So, you’ve read it out loud.
Great.
Hopefully, you did it in a variety of funny voices. I read mine like Alan Partridge sometimes (as well as my own voice, I just like to make sure it sounds right in a variety of accents).
This feature is in the ‘Review‘ section of Microsoft Word.
Yes, it’ll read it in a monotonal voice that’ll make you want to neck a bottle of wine in minutes, but it’ll pick up anything that’s not quite right.
There are also other apps available that allow your copy to be read aloud, including the ReadMe app.
Seven. Read it backwards
Say what?
You don’t need to rewire your eyeballs. You start from the last line and read back.
Your brain will fixate upon every word, and with its inability to skim read like this, you’ll pick out spelling mistakes like a champion.
Eight. Get a friend to read it
Ah, a fresh pair of eyes, there’s nothing like it. Not only do fresh eyes spot things you’ve read many times over, but they also read it as an outsider, which means they’ll pick up things they don’t understand.
Nine. Leave it
Once you’ve run through the first five steps, leave it for a day.
Yep, close down your document and forget about it for 24 hours.
Believe me, this improves your website copy.
It’s incredible how many ideas you’ll come up with that could make your content even better.
Ten. Read it through – again
Phew, once you’ve done those first nine steps, repeat step one again (and probably steps two and three as well).
Do all these and you’ll have great website copy!
Want to improve your website, not just your copy?
Then let me help you tweak your website layout with some incredible tips, just give, How to improve my website, a read.
Writing website copy like a pro
These arre all genuine steps an experienced copywriter will take when writing content for clients.
So, if it feels like way too much to do to get you copy up to scratch, check out my Services page, then get in touch and let’s have a natter.
Until next time,
Matt
