9 Signs You Need a Website Copy Refresh

Writing your website copy (or getting a professional to do the job for you 😉) is a painstakingly long process.

[Cue awkward white person smile]

Website copy’s rarely ever a one and done deal. Every time your business pivots or your target audience changes, your website copy becomes that bit more irrelevant – leaving you sobbing in its wake.

A website copy refresh takes time, money, and tears, though. So how do you know if it’s really necessary? Let’s find out!

Signs you need a website copy refresh

1. It’s not them, it’s you

Every business experiences growing pains after starting out. The early days can be chaotic, hair-pullingly difficult, and a time to test new ideas. Change can even come in slowly, over the course of years, as you try to refine your brand and its offerings.

Adapting to suit new needs is exciting and necessary… except for when you fail to account for it with your copy.

Outdated copy sticks out like a millennial in a gen-Z office. Anyone landing on your website ends up baffled about what it is you actually do and are likely to swerve away as soon as possible.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Update your web copy frequently: conduct quarterly or annual copy audits to account for any changes to your services and brand. This can also be handy for staying on top of any SEO or UX issues, e.g., duplicate/inaccurate meta descriptions, broken links, missing alt text etc.

Check your keywords: as your business changes so do your keywords – you need to do frequent keyword research (use tools like Moz, SEMrush, Ahrefs) to ensure your business keeps that prime SERP real estate.

Record your progress: consider the milestones you’ve reached as a business (X years old, £X profit, new offices, rapid scaling) and think about promoting them on your blog, or in an awards/accomplishments section on your homepage. It allows you to add unique copy to your site and lets your audience get to know you better.

2. It’s them, not you

So, your website copy perfectly reflects who you are right now…but maybe it’s attracting the wrong crowd.

Let’s say you’re a digital marketer looking to target six-figure businesses. You’ve done the work with your copy (as far as you’re aware), but the only people you seem to be attracting are beginner freelancers.

Something doesn’t quite add up, does it?

The issue here is that your copy probably isn’t specific enough in targeting your preferred audience. You need to speak to their pain points, interests, and aspirations, otherwise they’re not going to bite.

There’s no such thing as being too specific here – shape your tone, copy, and design to attract the right people and push away the wrong ones.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Get your Sherlock on: the best way to attract the right people? Know them inside and out! You need buyer personas, psychographics, customer questionnaires – every bit of information will help you craft the perfect copy to reel them in.

Step inside their shoes: once you have your personas, give them to your colleagues or helpful third parties to emulate when browsing your website. They’ll then be able to tell you if your copy aligns with their persona’s values.

Get a bouncer: think about how you can filter out people who aren’t the right fit for you, e.g., if you’re in a specialised industry catering to experts, use more jargon to put off the uninitiated.

3. You can’t be trusted

Nowadays, you could have a product with all the bells and whistles, free next day delivery, and quality customer service, but it doesn’t amount to anything if potential customers don’t trust you.

Think of your customers as suspicious dating app users – they’re going to sift through everything they can get their hands on (virtually speaking) to make sure you’re not a serial killer scam.

So, how can you prove that you’re the real deal?

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Use social proof! Whether it’s reviews, testimonials, case-studies, user-generated content from happy customers, or sales-based statistics – every piece can endear you to your audience.

Update your social media: one of the first places people look when checking out a new business is their social media platforms. Don’t let their first impression be a basic template from your first ever post years ago. Keep it fresh, consistent, and promote your social proof!

4. You’re bombarded with questions

Are your potential customers confused about what it is you actually do (maybe even asking about things you don’t offer)? Do they plague you with a dozen queries about things that should be pretty straightforward?

Here’s the kicker: your audience isn’t dumb. At least, not if the majority is having problems. The issue, then, lies with your copy.

The perfect website copy should give your audience the answers to all of their main questions about your brand and its service. Clear product descriptions, FAQs, and social proof give them the assurance that you have what they need.

If you don’t convey this properly, they’re going to ask questions to make up their mind (or just bounce right out of there!).

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Who, what, how? Look at your homepage and ask yourself whether a newcomer would know who you are, what you do, and how you do it. If you’re falling short, this could be the reason for all of their questions.

Get help: ask friends, family, or trusted third parties (who don’t know much about your business) to test your website for you. This will help you determine how clear your copy is to newcomers and what you might need to change in your website copy refresh.

Simplify things (if necessary): are you using jargon or terms that your audience don’t understand? Adapt your copy to suit your target audience, not yourself. Remember, you’re not talking down to them, you’re just making sure they understand you.

5. You’re lost in the crowd

Pick any industry or niche in the world and you’re probably looking at hundreds of competing businesses.

The basic businesses start to blend into a single, boring entity:

• Using the same tone of voice, jargon, and terminology (“we think outside the box/do things differently/go the extra mile”, “cutting-edge”, “disruptive”, “synergy”)
• Promoting USPs that aren’t USPs (“we’ve got great customer service and free standard delivery!”)

We’re not saying that you need to be controversial to stand out (or call people panini heads), but you do need to set yourself apart from your competition, or risk falling behind.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

The best way to stand out from the crowd is with carefully crafted copy that uses a unique tone (reflecting your brand and targeting your audience) and highlights real USPs that appeal to your customers.

To achieve this, you need to answer these questions:

• What makes you different from (and better than) your competitors?
• Why do your customers choose you or like you? (Hint: social proof will help with this!)
• How can you reflect your brand’s personality and values in your copy, whilst keeping in mind the language your audience might like?

6. You can’t find the words

Not everyone was born to be a copywriter. It’s why most people end up getting a professional to sort out their web copy for them – or end up stuck with their own (potentially bad) copy for years.

I’m certainly not judging.

(And if you are looking to sidestep this issue entirely, you can get your web copy sorted by someone who knows what they’re doing.)

The issue you’re likely to encounter isn’t with this newly purchased copy, it’s with the future copy you end up having to write, like your social media captions, new landing pages, and so on.

You’ll try to replicate the tone of your web copy, but more often than not, you don’t like it because it’s no longer a good representation of who you are (or you just can’t nail the voice).

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Get that tone right: there’s no point in trying to write any copy if you don’t actually know what your brand’s tone of voice is. Once you’re able to nail the four dimensions (humour, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm) the words will come more easily.

Find a tone of voice expert: if you can’t land on anything for your tone, beyond friendly and casual, it might be time to get someone to do it for you. Crying Over Copy’s Tone of Voice Guide comes with:

• A full brand overview
• Brand perception & personality
• SWOT analysis
• Tone of voice: the four dimensions
• Do’s and don’ts
• Tone of voice checklist
• Your new TOV (in a nutshell)

7. It’s been nothing but crickets

It’s common for brand new businesses and/or websites to struggle to attract new visitors – it takes time to build up the right SEO presence and craft the right ads for your audience.

If you’re experiencing a lack of organic traffic months, or years, down the line, then you need to sort out your copy and SEO.

If you’re not targeting keywords that your audience are actually searching for, or giving people a reason to click with snappy meta descriptions then your pages are unlikely to show up in the SERPs.

You’ll face further problems if your copy doesn’t offer anything of value. The reason people click on websites is because they need something – whether that’s an informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional need. If search engines don’t think your website is relevant or valuable to people, you’re not going to rank well.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Keyword research: find a nice mix of relevant, short-tail and long-tail keywords that your audience is searching for. You can then…

Optimise your copy: using your new keywords, optimise your web copy, headings, meta titles and descriptions, and images.

Make it valuable: your copy should meet the needs and search intent of your audience, otherwise they’re likely to bounce.

Keep it readable: use headings (H1, H2, etc.), subheadings, bullet points, tables, and the like to make your content readable and SEO-friendly.

Don’t forget to spring clean: look over your older pages and update them to reflect changes to your business or keywords.

8. Nobody’s converting

Got plenty of organic traffic coming in but nobody’s converting? Your copy might be failing to make an impact with your target audience.

It might be that:

• Your target audience can’t find what they’re after due to poor navigation (a pet peeve of my own)
• Your USPs aren’t clear enough to your audience, so they feel no need to take the next step
• The tone you’re using is inconsistent and unsuitable for your audience
• Your website is lacking the social proof that inspires people to trust businesses
• The CTAs you’re using are vague, bland, or missing the mark with your audience

Whatever the cause might be, one thing is clear: you could be #1 in the SERPs (bringing in thousands of visitors a week) but if your copy is ineffective, you’re not going to see those conversion rates soar.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Make things easier for your audience: are key service/product pages difficult to find, or is every important piece of information below the fold? This might be off putting to your audience.

Look at your metrics: head to Google Analytics to see how your pages are performing. Which ones have the highest bounce rates and why? If you can determine what it is that’s putting people off, you can fix it and watch it improve.

Work on your CTAs: look at your buyer personas and social proof to determine what it is your target audience are actually after/value the most and use this to craft CTAs that get them rushing to click.

9. You’d rather die than share your website link

Do you try to find inventive ways to avoid sending people a link to your website? Are you grimacing at the thought of anyone you like or respect seeing it?

It might be time for an intervention…

Your website is the holy grail of your business – it’s how you attract and convert your target audience.

If you’re not happy with it, stop trying to pretend like it doesn’t exist. Instead, take action and make it your own again.

😭 How to fix this copywriting woe 😭

Figure out what’s wrong: are you crying over your copy, or is it the outdated stock imagery, or poor web design? Knowing exactly what it is that’s bothering you will help you take the next step.

Find out what you like: not sure how to go about improving your copy or design? Look at your competitors and any other businesses you’re intrigued by or jealous of. What is it that draws your eye? We’re not encouraging you to copy them – it’s just a way to inspire you.

Trial and error: try A/B testing with different versions of your copy so that you can determine what works best with your audience.

How to conduct a website copy refresh (in a nutshell)

Ready to stop crying over your copy? Here’s a quick rundown:

• Know yourself: figure out who you want to attract, what you really offer (and how it sets you apart from others) and make sure your copy reflects it.
• Stalk Research your audience: get your buyer personas in order (including values, pain points, and preferred tone of voice) and pinpoint their keywords.
• Find your tone: pick a tone of voice that fits your brand’s personality while also attracting your audience (not everyone can talk about panini heads and wet lettuces after all).
• Put pen to paper: start crafting copy that targets the above points, redraft, redraft some more, and get some feedback from peers/industry experts/community members.

Conducting a website copy refresh is never an easy process and it’s sure to test even the most determined and enthusiastic individuals.

Put in the work, though, and you could land top spots in the SERPs, higher conversion rates, lower bounce rates, and the relief of knowing that your website is actually worth linking to.

Go forth and conquer, panini head!