Have you ever had one of those days where you know you have so much to do, but all you want to do is take a nap? 

When I run into this problem, I ask myself one question: what’s the most important thing you need to work on right now? I figure out my most important task and give myself 20 minutes to work on it. If I feel like I’ve made progress after 20 minutes, I allow myself to take that short nap. 

Surprisingly, I’ve found that I get so into my task during those 20 minutes that I can usually push the exhaustion away. On those days when I can’t, I take the nap. 

In marketing, your website is your most important task.

Specifically, your website copy, because your website doesn’t work well if it isn’t full of strong, conversion-based copywriting. If you focus on nothing else, your website is the one thing you need. Social media, email campaigns, and fancy sales pages don’t matter if your website isn’t strong.

Why?

Your website is the only piece of your marketing strategy that works on-demand, 24/7, without any regular maintenance. 

Sure, you could batch-write a bunch of social media posts, but then you have to schedule them. Figure out what hashtags you’re going to use. Make sure you tag the photo source. Respond to comments. 

For every single post. 

Your website works the opposite way. You have to do a ton of up-front work, but then you get to sit back with a (insert beverage of choice…mine is a marg or a glass of rosé) and watch the leads roll in effortlessly. 

If set up correctly, your website can attract new clients, book sales, and sell passive income at the same time.

Because your website carries so much weight, it’s important that your website copy is written well. To help you get started, I’m answering 5 common questions about website copywriting. 

This is not a step-by-step guide, but it’s a great place to start. Please note: I’m a copywriter, not a website designer. If you’re looking for website design tips, you’ve come to the wrong place. However, I’m a firm believer that copy should dictate design, not the other way around. 

Every question will have a short answer, a long answer, and an action-step. Because what’s the point of knowing the answers to these questions if you don’t have a way to implement them? 

Let’s dive in.

What website platform should I use? 

Short answer: It depends on what you’re looking to use your website for. Compare different platforms based on their features to find the best fit for your business. 

Long answer: Wedding professionals have a bit more flexibility with website platforms than other small businesses. For example, because many wedding pros are service providers, they don’t need a platform that has an online store. 

There are tons of blogs and articles out there that compare website platforms. Many also list their top choices for website platforms. 

There are a few common factors to consider when looking for a website platform. These include: 

• Price – Most website platforms have tiered plans you can pay for either monthly or annually. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to pay for your domain if you don’t already have one.

• Mobile compatibility – The majority of people look at websites on their phones, so mobile compatibility is essential. Most platforms now offer mobile compatibility, but not all platforms make editing for mobile use easy. 

• Ease of use – If you’re designing your own website, ease of use is super important. You should be able to edit your site periodically without having to learn how to code. 

• Design – This one is entirely up to preference. Most platforms have a range of pre-designed templates you can choose from. Be careful though – not all templates have the same features. 

• Customer support – We’re not all website-building wizards. Quality customer service is important for those times you’re ready to throw your computer out the window because you can’t figure something out. 

• Usage rights – As your business evolves, your website needs might too. Being able to transfer your domain and website copy to a new site is important for a smooth transition. Make sure you closely read the terms and conditions before choosing a website platform. 

Take time to look over your options before picking a website platform, but don’t spend too much time on personal reviews. There will always be someone who loves a platform and someone who hates it. Use your best judgment! 

Action step: Make a list of “must-haves” and “wants” for your website. Must-haves for me include mobile compatibility, good SEO settings, and a built-in blog platform. Compare website platforms based on your list. You can easily find blogs and articles that compare a few or many website platforms to one another. Here’s an example to get you started. 

What are the most important pages on a website? 

Short answer: Every wedding professional should have a homepage, an about page, a services page, and a contact page on their website. It’s also a good idea to include a blog. 

Long answer: Your website should clearly explain what your business is, and it should be easy to navigate. A homepage, about page, services page, and contact page are all essential for a strong website. 

Homepage

Your homepage is by far the most important page on your website. This is the page your audience will land on most often. 

Your homepage needs to hook them immediately. You have only a few seconds to pull their interest before they click away. Once you have their attention, you need to pull them through a strategic argument that shows the benefits of your product or service.

The P-A-S copywriting formula is great for your homepage. 

First, state their problem. What are they struggling with? 

Then, agitate that problem. How is the problem making them feel? Paint a clear picture that makes your audience say “yes, that’s totally me!” 

After that, you state the solution: your products or services. Make your audience understand how your products or services will solve their problem, and don’t forget the benefits they’re going to see. 

A few other things that are good to have on your homepage: 

• Clear call to action buttons 

• A masthead or list of clients you’ve worked with 

• An opt-in banner or pop-up for your email list

• Links to your social media profiles 

• A sneak peek of each of your other main navigation pages, with CTA buttons that link to those pages 

About Page 

We’ve made it to the about page. I’m about to drop a truth bomb – are you ready? 

Your about page isn’t about you. 

“Huh?” 

Yep. It’s true. Obviously, your about page is the place where you have your bio. But your about page should only be 25% focused on you. 

The other 75% of the spotlight belongs to your audience. Continue to use that P-A-S formula on this page. 

Your bio shouldn’t just list who you’ve worked with and what publications you’ve been featured in. This is your chance to show your audience what makes you unique. How can you help them in ways that your competitors can’t? 

Really let your personality shine here. And please, PLEASE get rid of the stuffy third-person bio. You’re not a robot, so why are you talking to your audience like one? Talk like a real person and use “I” phrases. 

Services Page

Your services page lists all of your offers. And yes, you should have your prices listed on this page. More on that later. Make sure you’re including both the features and the benefits of each offer.

For wedding professionals, it’s really important to focus on the benefits of your services. Weddings are not a necessity. You’re not selling services that are necessary for survival, so you have to convince your audience to spend money on something they don’t need.

This makes it much easier for potential clients to talk themselves out of purchasing. Make your offer so value-packed and irresistible that they want to spend the money, even if it’s not a necessity. 

Make sure you include a testimonial or two on this page! You need to prove to your audience that people love paying for these offers. Here comes the FOMO! 

Contact Page 

Sorry, my friend, but you’re not getting out of writing copy for this page! Your contact page has arguably the most important job of all: getting potential clients to make that jump and contact you. 

Embedding a contact form is not enough to convince apprehensive clients to work with you. This is your last chance to really push that solution and remind your audience of the transformation they’ll see when they work with you. 

Really work with your imagery here! Show them exactly what their big day or planning process will look like with your help. This is usually the shortest page of the 4 I’ve listed, but don’t underestimate it. 

Action step: Complete a quick audit of your existing site, if you have one. Sketch a rough map of your website. What pages do you already have? What pages do you need to add? Can you get rid of any unnecessary pages? 

Should I list my prices on my website? 

Short answer: Absolutely. This is a controversial topic. You might have been told otherwise. But I promise you, listing prices on your website is a must-have for wedding professionals.

Long answer: Hold on, let me get on my soapbox...okay, let’s do this. 

I don’t know who started telling entrepreneurs that they shouldn’t list their prices, but that person is totally wrong. I could literally list the reasons why I think this is important all day. For now, let’s stick to 4. 

Brand Integrity 

The work you do is valuable, is it not? I’d hope you weren’t trying to sell something that doesn’t have value. 

You need to show your clients the value of your offer, especially if that offer is high-ticket. Price is an important factor in this equation. You need to be confident enough to say “this is my price, and here are all the reasons why what I’m offering is worth the price.” 

There’s a difficult balance you need to reach here. You don’t want to sound like a used car salesman, or like you have to justify your prices. But you also need to combat that initial “Woah, that’s expensive” response. 

Transparency

Sticker shock is not fun. It makes both parties uncomfortable and leads to a much higher rate of backing out. If your clients know your prices from the beginning, there are no surprises. You automatically seem more trustworthy because you’re not afraid to give your prices up-front, and you’re building authority. 

Time 

There’s nothing worse than getting on a consultation call and quickly realizing that the potential client is not going to pay for your services. By withholding your prices until a consultation call, you’re asking for clients to deny your services to your face. 

That might sound harsh, but I mean it. Why waste your time? 

When potential clients know your prices, you can go into a consultation call knowing price is not a concern – most of the time. There are always going to be those people who try to haggle for a lower price or bully you. They can find someone else to work with. 

Client Base 

Showing your prices on your website usually weeds out the clients who are shopping around for the best price. These are not the people you want to work with. You want to work with the people who understand the value you’ll be giving them and respect that your prices reflect that value. 

In a way, showing your prices is a type of secondary gatekeeping  – it gets rid of the people not willing to pay your prices and allows you to focus on those truly ideal clients. 

Action step: If you don’t have them already, add your prices to your website. If you’re not ready to commit to full transparency (I encourage you to check out my long answer to this question before you decide!), list your starting prices. For packages that require a consultation before you can give a price, write a call to action that encourages your audience to contact you for pricing. 

How long should my website copy be? 

Short answer: The average web page ranking #1 on Google is 2000 words long. Really, you just need to keep up with your competitors. If their web pages are 500 words long, shoot for around 750 words for your site. 

Long answer: A lot of people think that because of short attention spans, people are not willing to read long copy. 

This is totally false. People will read long copy, they just won’t read long and boring copy. As long as you can keep your audience engaged, you can keep them reading. 

It’s really not beneficial to have short website pages. This is the prime real estate of your business: the place where many people decide if they’d like to pay for your services. Use that space well. 

There are tons of resources out there that explain the science behind long copy. I’ll give you just two to start. If you’re interested in learning about the psychology behind long copy, this article from Copy Hackers explains it in great detail. If you’re more of a numbers person, this Quicksprout article shows the effectiveness of long copy through visual data. 

SEO has a big impact on website page length. Hubspot says 2000 words per page is a good rule of thumb. But before you panic, it’s important to remember that this is an average for every web page that exists on the internet. 

You just need to have longer pages than your competitors. There are no hard numbers in the wedding industry, so it’s important to pay attention to your direct competitors. Because Google determines rankings based on authority, if you have a longer webpage than your competitor, you’re more likely to rank higher than them. 

This doesn’t mean you get to write a ton of half-assed copy. If it’s not valuable copy, length really doesn’t matter. 

Action step: Take a look at the websites of 3 of your direct competitors. Copy and paste their website copy into a word counter. Then, check the word count for your website pages. 

How do they compare? Take note of any website pages that are under the average word count of your competitors. Word on adding strong, persuasive copy to the pages that need to be longer, starting with your homepage. 

How can I use SEO on my website? 

Short answer: No shortcuts for this one! SEO takes time and effort to perfect, but it’s totally worth it. If there’s one thing you should start doing today, it’s keyword research. 

Long answer: Website SEO really isn’t as intimidating as it seems, I promise. If you’re looking for resources to learn about SEO, I suggest Neil Patel and Backlinko. You can also check out the blog post I wrote about SEO for wedding professionals. 

Keyword research is the most important part of website SEO. If you’re not utilizing keywords, it really doesn’t matter what your website copy looks like. You’re not showing up on Google, so your traffic will most likely be low and your conversion rates even lower. 

Use a tool like Ubersuggest, Moz, or Yoast to search for keywords in your industry. A combination of long and short keywords have the best results. 

Once you’ve incorporated your keywords, you can move into smaller aspects of SEO like meta descriptions, image optimization, and backlinking. I go into more detail in my SEO blog post. 

Action step: Put your website through an SEO platform like Ubersuggest. Look at their suggestions and start with those. Low word count, no H1 headings, poorly formatted URLs, and no meta descriptions are common issues. 

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed after all of that, I understand. Writing website copy is a huge time commitment, and it can be difficult to know where to start. 

Sometimes a little help is all you need. I offer website audits, editing services, and done-for-you website copywriting services for both single pages and entire websites. If you’re interested in learning more, head to my website and fill out my contact form. Let’s whip that website of yours into shape!