Companies spend large sums of money each year designing and re-designing their websites in hopes of increasing revenue, increasing market share or increasing brand awareness. While a dynamic and appealing design is a great marketing tool, there's one thing many websites I run across are lacking - strong copy. Without equally as dynamic, appealing and engaging copy, your professionally designed website just might fall short of your expectations.

Let me take a few steps back. I am a content creator. I invoke emotion, tell compelling stories and paint vivid pictures with an end result of complementing your marketing objectives. And, it's my responsibility to make sure other people see the importance of great copy, in exactly the same light I do. Lucky for me, my boss, The Technology Therapist, shares the same philosophy.

Most small business owners struggle with the constraints of a budget when designing or re-designing a website. Oftentimes leaving the copy to be written by yourself, your assistant or maybe even your intern. But when you leave the content of your site in the hands of the ill-experienced, be prepared for your website not to be the shining pillar of success you'd hoped.

So aside from hiring a professional copywriter, what can you do to ensure that the content on your website captivates potential customers? The key is to be consistent, engaging and always professional. Readers on the Internet are skeptical enough as it is, why give them a reason to move on to the next site?

Below, I've outlined the top 5 mistakes I see on websites. In the coming weeks, I'll explain how you can avoid these pitfalls:

1. Undefined target audience
2. Complex writing, diluting the message
3. Lack of a call to action
4. No Proof!
5. Spelling and grammar mistakes

Labels: web copywriting, web marketing