How to Give Your Website a Voice

Copywriting

Just as a picture speaks a thousand words, your words can evoke emotions.

Your website voice establishes your brand personality.

Everything has a voice nowadays including websites. So why is it important to ensure that your copywriting evokes the right emotions? Because the goal is to move the reader to action and you can do it in one of two ways: 1) by being long-winded, bossy and annoying or 2) by inciting and encouraging your readers. Which tactic do you think will work best?

It’s a no-brainer that your website tone and language plays a key role in how you effectively communicate. Here are some basic principles that apply to all websites no matter the industry.

Be Conversational.
Internet research is a lonely endeavor. You can create an instant connection when your content speaks to the reader at their level. To be successful, you’ll have to know your readers. Are they scientific? Are they trendy or are they professionals? So use their lingo and use their inside language to show you really know who they are.
Use Less Words and Commas.
Most of us learned to write at school and primarily through submitting essays. (Ugh!) To make the mandatory word count, we added extra words, commas and wrote rambling sentences. The more verbiage, the smarter we sounded–or so we thought. Effective copywriting is the opposite of writing an essay. The less words we use means that the message comes across clearer. And the less commas we use means that the sentences are shorter.
Write Actionable Copy
In copywriting, you want to move the reader to take a desired action. Mostly, it’s to contact you for more information. So instead of saying ‘Fill in the form’ try writing ‘Fill in the form now.’ Or instead of saying ‘Contact us,’ say ‘Contact us today.’ These little actionable add-ins do add up for the person who visits more than one page of your website.
Break Up Your Content
Yes, a picture does speak a thousand words. So why bother writing when you can show it? Studies also reveal that a person is more likely to read shorter content versus longer content. It’s the simple psychology of our minds– by default we take the path of least resistance. So break up your content with subtitles, photos, images, graphics, graphs, etc.,
Write Your Own Stuff
This point cannot be stressed enough! We’ve seen it over and over and have caught fellow writers who thought they could get away with plagiarism. Don’t do it because if you’re caught, you lose all credibility. Instead, try using bots to write for you.