How to Tell if You Need to Update Your Website Copy

How to Tell if You Need to Update Your Website Copy

I really hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but your website should be ever-evolving and needs to be updated (or at least checked up on), more often than you might think. And chances are, if you’re already asking the question ‘How to tell if you need to update your website copy,’ you probably already have a hunch that yours might need an update.

I’m merely here to help you understand why. 

So, here are 7 signs that it’s time to update
your website copy: 

#1 – You’re Rebranding or Redesigning Your Site

When you decide to revamp the visual elements of your brand, you’re likely working with a brand and web designer to help you do this. 

One piece of the rebranding puzzle that’s often overlooked though is your copy. 

Rebranding is the perfect time to make sure that your messaging is still in line with your new branding. 

And if you’re doing an entire website re-design, you’ll definitely want to update your copy to ensure that everything makes sense and your message is coming across clearly in your site’s new design. 

#2 – You Have a New Service of Offer 

This one may feel obvious, but any time you add a new service or package to your offer suite, you need new copy to sell it! 

Not only that, you probably also need to update the copy throughout your website, not just on your services page, to properly lead readers to the new offer and prime them to buy. In this scenario, your Home page copy needs a refresh, and you may want to check on your About page copy too. 

#3 – You’re Opening a New Business or New Side of Your Business 

Similarly, if you’re opening a new side of your business (for example, if you’re a service provider and now moving into coaching or mentoring), it’s definitely time for some updated website copy. 

Just like with a new offer, you’ll not only need to add a new page or section describing and selling the new side of the business, but you’ll also need to update your copy throughout your site to ensure that it’s clear on every page that you have multiple sides of your business now.  

#4 – You’re Getting Traffic, But It’s Not Converting 

When you look at your Google Analytics report, if you notice that visitors are making it to your website and clicking around, but you’re not getting as many inquiries or purchases as you’d like – your copy is very likely the culprit. 

Your copy probably isn’t resonating with your audience, therefore not compelling them to inquire or purchase. (Sometimes this could also be a problem with confusing site navigation or layout – but that’s a post for another day!) If this is happening to you, it might be time to consider refreshing your copy or your overall messaging strategy. 

#5 – The Messaging or Tone of Voice Feels Misaligned 

As we grow in our business, our brand voice sometimes evolves as well. Perhaps when you first wrote your website copy you wanted to convey more of a professional tone in your copy. But as your business grew and you solidified your brand, you’ve evolved to more of a conversational and casual tone. Read through your site – does the tone feel aligned with who you truly are today? If not, it may need a quick rewrite! 

#6 – You’re Looking to Attract a New or Different Client Base 

This one is similar to numbers 2 and 3 – but as your business grows, you may decide to serve a new audience. 

Here’s an example I see a lot – when wedding professionals first start out, they’re often aiming to serve couples with a smaller to mid-size budget. However, as their skills and portfolios grow, they may make the decision to begin serving more high-end or luxury couples. 

At that point, it’s absolutely time for new website copy. Because the copy that speaks to a budget-conscious couple is very different from the copy that speaks to a couple planning a luxury wedding.   

#7 – You’re Changing Website Templates 

Maybe it’s not time for a full website re-design, but you wanted a little refresh so you purchased a new Showit template.* But the new template is just different enough from your existing site that it doesn’t make sense to simply drop all of your existing copy into the new template. 

This is a sure sign that it’s time for some new copy!

[*Looking for a new template? These designer friends of mine offer some great ones! Joanna Moss Creative & Jessica Gingrich]

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Dianna – website copywriter for creatives (like you!)

If you’ve made it this far, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re nodding your head to at least some of these signs. You need new website copy. 

But, where to start? 

Here are some ways I can help you: 

For the DIY-er: The first thing you need to do when writing website copy is to get really good at writing exactly what your potential clients need to hear. This is a pro copywriter’s best-kept secret! You want your website to be filled with copy that resonates so well with your ideal client that they nod their head all the way to your contact page. I teach you how to do that in my FREE step-by-step Client Voice Hacking Guide.  

For the DIY-er looking for a little help: My website copy Audit service is a great place to start if you’ve written some copy already and want professional eyes on it to make sure it’s as strategic as it possibly can be. Whether your copy is still in a Google Doc or already published on your site, the Audit is a great option to get professional-quality copy without the done-for-you price. 

Fully Done-For-You Website Copy: Want a professional copywriter to just go ahead and write your website words for you? Let’s do it! Check out my done-for-you website copywriting service here.