Transform your website copy… with three words

When was the last time you read the copy on your website?

If you’re anything like most business-people (me included, and I’m an actual copywriter) it was a while back.  Maybe you haven’t read it since it was written.  Maybe you don’t need to, because your copy says everything it needs to say.

But does it?

You might have wanted outside opinions, just to be sure.  So you asked a few friends and colleagues what they thought of your website.  You took their replies of: “Looks great!” and “wow, it’s very ‘you’!” as reassurance that you’re on the right track.

But are you?

Asking for feedback is a great idea.  But for effective feedback, you have to be specific about what you want to hear.

For example, just asking people what they think of your website is unlikely to be helpful.  Those people won’t know what you’re looking for, so their reply will probably be a vague ‘catch-all’ – of the type we saw above – that does its best not to upset or offend.

That’s why asking people to tell you what they think of a certain aspect of your site, like the imagery or the copy, is better.

Asking them to narrow their feedback down to three words is better still.

That’s because three words get right to the point.

“What three words sum up my web copy for you?” doesn’t just mean you’ll get clear, specific feedback about your copy.  You can also check for consistency – does the same word keep coming up from different people?  If so, are you happy, or do you need to change a few things?

(In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King says that he shows his completed manuscripts to five trusted people.  If they give the same feedback he makes changes; if they all say something different he leaves the story as it is).

“Approachable, trustworthy, time-consuming”

I offered these three words in a recent chat with a potential client; a therapist who wanted to know if their web copy needed improving.

(Yes, I know “time-consuming” is technically two words, but for this purpose I’ve decided it’s one… OK?)

Does that indicate the copy needs improving?  Well, it depends.  That therapist might want people to spend some time on their site, perhaps with a cuppa, reading what they have to say.  Most people won’t make a snap decision to see a particular therapist, after all.  They’ll want to find out more about that therapist, and see if they’re the right fit.

This highlights an important point.

Have your own three words in mind before you ask for anyone else’s.  This will make it easier to decide which words need action, and which ones already say the right things.

Curious about what three words I’d use to sum up YOUR web copy?

Just ask me.

(If you want to give me your three words about mine, you can do that as well.  I’m not all talk, no listen!)

If you’re interested, I can also write your copy for you, in your own voice, using your ‘ideal’ three words as a starting-point.  Here’s some more about that.