He Ignored My 5 Free Website Copy Tips… So I’m Sharing Them With You instead.
When someone who couldn’t afford my services asked for copywriting advice, I gave them five solid pointers to help improve their website for free. They barely acknowledged them. Now, I’m sharing those same tips here, in case they’re exactly what you need to boost your homepage, blog or SEO.
I don’t often give away copywriting tips for nothing. Content writing and strategy are my business after all. But someone messaged me recently asking for help to improve their website copy and I couldn’t help them. They only had budget for an hour of my time.
I explained that an hour wasn’t really enough for me to do anything useful and that I usually work on a day rate or project basis. I said we probably weren’t a fit.
But the project stuck with me.
It was a book about overcoming anxiety, something I’ve personally experienced and care about. So I sent them some thoughts anyway.
Nothing major, just a handy DIY approach to get more website traffic and generate a few more leads.
Based on the author’s website, I sent tips on homepage structure, tone, and positioning, plus links to some further reading and simple SEO tools.
It took about 30 minutes to write so I felt I’d gone some way to delivering what they wanted in the first place.
I fired off the email, felt good and then forgot all about it.
The next day, I received a reply that pissed me off.
“OK. Thanks.”
That was it.
I wasn’t expecting a standing ovation but thought there might be a little more appreciation for my efforts. Still, a week or so later, I’m glad I did it.
Because, if they didn’t want this quick and dirty guide to writing better website copy, maybe you will…
Here are the tips I shared
An abridged version at least. I’ve also generalised a bit so as not to ‘out’ the person they were originally intended for. It’s not rocket science, but if you’re new to this type of thing, I hope you can use these ideas to make your website work harder.
1. Match Your Message to Your Medium
Your homepage should feel like an extension of wherever your visitors came from. If your social content is warm, personal and emotionally led but your site feels clinical or corporate, that’s a red flag. It erodes trust fast. Make sure the design and website copy speak the same emotional language as your other channels, especially if you’re building a personal brand or promoting something sensitive like mental health.
2. Treat Your Homepage Like a Journey
Every good landing page leads a reader on a clear path:
Problem → Hope → Help → Action
If your homepage tries to do too much or isn’t clear about what the visitor should do next, you’ll lose them. Here’s a simple structure to aim for:
Clarity: A single headline and subhead that clearly state who it’s for and what the value is.
Desire: Benefits and emotional outcomes. Why it matters and how it helps.
Credibility: Testimonials, evidence or reasons to trust you.
Action: A clear CTA with supportive language to reduce hesitation.
This structure is especially useful if you’re trying to figure out how to write a landing page or planning your first landing page copy project.
3. Write for One Person, Not Everyone
If you’re struggling to find the right voice or angle and your brand is based around your own experiences, write for a past version of yourself if you can. That’s what I told the author. His book was about anxiety, so I suggested writing homepage copy as if he were speaking to himself at his lowest point. If your audience looks like you or the person you used to be, it’s the fastest way to write copy that connects.
If you can’t do that, audience research will be essential to define your ‘one reader’.
4. Let Your Blog Do Some Heavy Lifting
If you’re writing blog posts, use them to prove the transformation your product or service offers. Don’t just publish content and hope for the best, make it part of your funnel.
Link to relevant blog posts from your homepage as proof of what you do.
Tie each article to your offer. A simple line like “This story shows what my book helps people overcome” gives it purpose.
Include a CTA (Call To Action) in every post, top and bottom.
Done right, this helps you get more website traffic and build trust with readers over time.
5. Think Like Your Reader, Not a Seller
You don’t need advanced SEO to get more readers. You just need to think like the people you’re trying to help. Use tools like Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic or Google autocomplete to find real phrases your audience is typing. Then use them naturally in your:
Page titles
Subheadings
Intros and meta descriptions
For instance, instead of writing about “managing anxiety symptoms,” someone might search for “how to stop anxious thoughts at night.” That phrasing shift can make the difference between being ignored and being found.
So there you have it. I didn’t get a proper thank you. But I did get this blog post.
If it helps someone out, maybe even you, then that’s a win in my book.
FYI, If you’ve got budget for more than an hour of my time, I can help apply marketing techniques like this for your brand.
Drop me a line and I’ll tell you all about how my website copywriting services can help your business.