We’ve all heard the phrase, “Easier said than done.”
Okay, I admit it: having written content for websites of every size and for a variety of industries, I thought it would be a piece of cake creating content for my own freelance writing website. Ha! The joke was on me!
For many clients with whom I have worked, one of the most difficult things about writing content for their own website is that they are (naturally) very close to the situation. For some that might mean erring on the side of putting every single tiny detail about their business onto the site, which generally requires the creation of layers upon layers of navigation or, in the alternative, long pages of details few people will read. For others, it’s putting too little copy in, or copy that may lack relevancy. And still for others (psst–this would be the toughest thing for me, and I think for a lot of independent service providers) it’s wondering at what point facts start to seem like, well, bragging. For those reasons, clients opted to hire a writer to create content for their respective websites.
Now, it didn’t make a whole heck of a lot of sense for me to have someone else write my site; after all, this is what I do. In fact, I love writing content for websites. So instead, I sat down and started hammering it out, then turned to trusted friends and colleagues to give me their feedback. In fact, there’s not a page or post on this website that hasn’t been or won’t be reviewed by someone who’s not…well…me.
So, now let’s talk about what’s really important (as opposed to my own angst) and that is: you. If you don’t have a website yet, or if you’re ready to revamp your site, working with a third party can bring a lot of benefits:
- You have a business to run, and if you have to try to find time to write a website in the middle of your day-to-day work, it’s either not going to happen or it’s not going to happen the way you’d like. Hiring a writer to handle those details takes a load off your shoulders.
- A third party can help determine what should (and shouldn’t) be on your site, then craft messaging designed to make the most of who you are and what you do.
- Not everyone is a copywriter–and not everyone understands web copy. And you know what? That’s okay. Listen, there are so many things I wish I could do, from playing the guitar to being a graphic designer. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the training to make me good at either one. (Yet another admission: I actually took guitar lessons twice, but there is something about my fingers that refuse to work properly when it comes to comes to holding down those strings.) So if writing isn’t your strength, find someone for whom it is.
If you want to see a quick primer on the work that goes into writing great web copy, enjoy this oldy-but-goody article from Smashing Magazine. In the alternative, if you’re more focused on building your business as opposed to honing your skills at writing web copy–but are ready to bring your website some interest and depth–I hope you’ll contact me.
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