You’re ready to invest in your small business website!

So, who do you call first?

A web designer might be the first person you think of, but the truth is for an unstoppable website, you need strategic copy before design. 

 

In this post, you’ll learn why focusing on your website copy first will lead you to the most effective outcomes on your website.

 

First, let’s talk about all the people you might need on your small business website team.

 

Beyond your designer and copywriter, there are a few other professionals you want to consider inviting along on your website creation journey, including:

 

• SEO Consultant (if you want keyword research and a custom SEO strategy)

• Website Copywriter (so your message is clear and your site converts)

• Website Designer/Developer (so your site looks and functions like a dream)

• Brand Photographer (so you can skip stock photos and make sure your brand shines)

• Brand Videographer (if you plan to incorporate video content into your site)

For larger businesses with more complex sites, you may also need a dedicated UX/UI professional and a Webmaster for ongoing support.

 

If the idea of having to hire (and pay) multiple professionals to get your site built and launched feels overwhelming, I get it. But remember: while building a new website is a big outright investment, it’s one you should only need to make about every five years.

 

There are so many benefits to getting your website done and done right, such as:

• Boosting your brand’s credibility and professionalism

• Making it easier for your ideal customers to find you

• Standing out among competitors with DIY sites or no web presence

• Driving more sales and bookings

• Streamlining the buying or booking process

 

Okay, now let’s break down why you should work with a copywriter first—before your design is locked.

 

Copy on your site isn’t meant to fill in placeholders in a design or to sound good. The words you use on your website have a much bigger job than that. Every word, section, and page on your site needs to support the ultimate goals of building brand affinity and driving conversion.

 

As a professional copywriter, I spend hours and hours on discovery and strategy for a website before I write a single word. This step includes:  

 

• Getting deeply familiar with your brand 

• Understanding the industry/competitor landscape and how you fit into it

• Getting clear about what your audience cares about 

• Identifying target keywords for each page

• Thinking through user experience, including your site organization, navigation, and calls to action 

 

As you can see, you get more than copy from the mind of a copywriter!

To skip the copywriting step and go straight to design would risk losing all of the insights gained from this intensive process.

 

Is your designer going to do research? Of course! But a lot of the deep background I noted above isn't really their job. Their job is to take the messages/copy that we've identified as necessary and make them look great and function well on the page using things like typography, photos, video, and design elements available to them in the platform you've chosen. 

 

A professional copywriter will also deliver expertly written copy accompanied by copy wireframes.

 

Copy wireframes are visual representations of how copy should be laid out on the page. They indicate things like which text should be a heading or a callout box, where images should be placed, and where elements like sliders should be used. These layout choices are based on how people interact with text online.

 

When your designer has a copy wireframe to work from, you’re handing them a roadmap to ensure that the message is clear and the words can do their job.

 

Meghan Rogers, Owner and Designer at Green Juice and Gadgets, explains, “Being provided with a copy wireframe is gold as a designer! It allows me to stay in my creative zone and produce the highest-quality design, bringing extra life and personality to the messaging. When working solely from a Google Doc with pages of words, I have to toggle my brain back and forth between strategy and design, and it really dampens the creative flow.”

 

I know so many brilliant designers who agree with Meghan and will literally jump for joy if you tell them you've hired a copywriter who will write and wireframe strategic copy. This workflow enables them to do their best work efficiently and get you the best results with your site.

 

Do you have more questions about the website copywriting process?