FreeCopywriting.com - 10 Things Customers Expect from a Website Copywriter

By Glenn Murray, Director of Divine Write Copywriting

As websites and electronic commerce are becoming more and more common, business owners and marketing managers are realising that quality web copy is every bit as important as impressive design. And with the ever increasing importance of search engine presence, the role of web copy has never been more critical.

But in such a relatively new field, customers are still coming to grips with what they can expect of their website copywriter. The question a lot of people are asking is, “How do I know I’ll get what I pay for?”

Following is a quick list of some of the things clients are coming to expect of their website copywriter.

1) Fixed Quote

Despite the fact that there are a lot of reasons why providing a fixed quote is risky for a website copywriter (e.g. varying requirements, rapidly changing technologies, the risk of customer indecision...), customers love a fixed price because they don't have to wear the risk of the project. They want to know exactly how much the job is going to cost them. If a website copywriter won’t give them a fixed quote, they'll think twice…

2) Contract of Works to be Completed

Just as important as a fixed quote is a signed contract. It may not be drawn up by a lawyer, but a written and signed document outlining the works to be carried out, and the cost of those works is essential to many clients. If a website copywriter is reluctant to provide a written, itemised quote including estimated number of words, clients will ask themselves why.

3) Timeframe

Most clients will ask how long the job is going to take. Always make sure the client understands that writing web copy is a time-consuming exercise and - if possible - tell them exactly how time consuming. Otherwise they'll expect it complete in a day! Granted, you're a professional website copywriter, so you'll be very efficient in crafting your copy, but a quality product still takes time. And on top of writing time, remember that you’ll have client reviews. In fact, in most cases, it’s the review phase that takes the most time, so make sure you factor it in, and make the client aware that they'll need to spend time reviewing.

4) Plan of Attack

No matter who the client or what the project, you'll need to indicate how you plan to approach the project. They'll be extremely reluctant to hand over any form of deposit if you don't. Will you issue individual drafts of every page, or a single draft of the entire site? What format will you deliver the finished product in? How many review iterations do you anticipate? And how many are included in your price?

5) Samples

A lot of ambitious web service providers of all types are calling themselves writers these days. They offer copywriting as a specialist service, but don’t engage a specialist to complete the work. Most clients are wary (and those who aren't, should be!). Always offer samples of your previous web copy. Samples that convey benefits. This is what clients want to see. They'll pretend they're the intended audience and ask themselves “Does this copy answer the questions I need answered before I’ll buy?”

6) CV

Most copywriters’ websites will give you a very high-level overview of their business and the services they offer. Some even offer samples. But very few offer a professional biography of their writers. If you do this, you'll be a step ahead of your competition. At the very least, be prepared to send the client a copy of your CV. The things they're looking for are a professional history in writing, and probably some tertiary education in the same.

7) Testimonials

Perhaps the best indication of a website copywriter’s ability is customer satisfaction. And clients aren't afraid to ask to see some testimonials, so be prepared with some. Perhaps publish some on your website. In particular, if you have any testimonials from companies you think the client would recognise and/or can verify, make them available. And be prepared to supply contact details if requested. Clients are wary; they know that it's not hard to fake testimonials.

8) SEO Copy Skills

Approximately 80% of all web traffic comes through search engines, so experience in SEO copy is one of the most valuable assets you can possess. And be prepared to share your understanding; many clients will ask about your general approach to SEO copy. Do you normally perform the keyword analysis yourself? How do they know when you've used enough keywords in enough of the right places? Can you show you a high ranking site you've written the copy for? What steps do you take to avoid diluting the effectiveness of your primary keyword phrases? Will your SEO copy change the text links on your pages? (It should!)

9) SEO Copy at No Extra Charge!

If the client has performed the keyword analysis, consider offering SEO copy at no extra charge. In this situation, the SEO part of the copywriting is little more than an editing exercise, anyway. That's not to say you should do all the extra stuff like keyword analyses, adding the HTML code for unmarked text links, providing guidance on site structure, sourcing of inbound links to your site, etc. But most clients these days expect SEO copy to cost pretty much the same as straight web copy.

10) Writing Experience for Online Media

If you have previous writing for an online medium, you're off to a good start. Clients understand that writing for online has different requirements from writing for offline. They know that readers have different requirements and objectives, and reading conditions are very different. Make sure you explain how you'll cater to these differences. Perhaps recommend a maximum page length or word count per page. Include some comment on the trade-off between the problems of scrolling and the need for a high keyword count for SEO. Discuss your preference for short sentences and your disdain for lots of text links within the main body of the copy.

Clients know that professionally written web copy can mean the difference between
a great looking site and a great looking site your client money. As a result, they know to choose their website copywriter carefully.