“Your website is your 24/7 salesperson”
is probably the biggest marketing misconception out there.
It’s not a lie. It’s simply misunderstood.
This phrase inherently assumes that as long as you have a sleek-looking website that’s up, running, and getting traffic, it’ll do the sales for you.
And when that doesn’t magically happen, people get upset and go “websites don’t work. Let’s try (insert any mildly popular social network) instead.”
Here’s a simple reason why a lot of websites fail to do their supposed “one job”…
Because your website isn’t your 24/7 online salesperson.
Your website copy is.
And high-converting website copy isn’t about putting so-called copywriting best-practices on a page. Hell, it’s not even about putting words on a page!
Rather, it’s about shaping an interesting, compelling conversation with the audience you want to convince and convert, over and over again.
But you can only have an awesome conversation when both messenger and listener are in sync. When your argument is well-shaped. When your message is clear.
And most importantly: when you care about and believe what the other person is saying.
A website is a powerful thing. But by itself? It doesn’t do a lot of work to convince your audience that your solution is the best for them.
What does? The right messages. To the right audience. At the right time.
People’s minds first.
Web copy later.
For 5+ years I worked as a generalist copywriter and a content writer. (Both are not the same, by the way!)
That means I’ve written an insurmountable amount of blogs, articles, landing page copy, Tweets (or Xeets?) ads, reviews and a few essays and short stories. There was also a very weird time in my life when I wrote a couple of (terrible) movie scripts.
Basically: whatever can be written, I’ve written it.
As a content writer and copywriter working for agencies, I’ve loved writing for my clients. And they claimed to love my work. And honestly, how could they not? I was giving them exactly what they asked me.
They’d send me their briefs saying, “I want this, this and that, written in this way, this voice, in this structure.” I did what they told me. They liked it. I got paid. Life went on.
I understand why so many copywriters work this way. It’s straightforward, quick, no-BS. And some of them love it like I used to.
Soon enough, I started not to. Because the fact that they loved my copy didn’t necessarily mean it had performed well – AKA, brought in conversions.
As much as I’ve always loved the job, the clients, and the freedom it brought me…I want people to love my work – but also love the results I brought them – because the numbers are there to prove it. And the money’s coming in. And we’re celebrating over a Zoom call.
I’ve worked with extraordinary people who probably
knew their solutions better than their own spouses...
But when it was time to transfer that value and potential into their website, the highest-converting messages were either buried or non-existent.
When you’re too close to your business, that will happen. That’s why you need someone who’s standing a few steps back, and whose most important job is to discover what those highest-converting messages are – according to your best customers.
So next time you hear someone go “websites don’t work,” remember me.
… ‘cause a website only works as hard as the copy does.
I’m here to make sure your website’s next version of your website is as solid and as conversion focused and as powerful as it can be.
Do we think alike?
If so, I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn!
Or, if you’re wondering how I can apply all of what we’ve just discussed to your website copy…