Posted on Wednesday, 5th November 2008 by CopywritingCat
Gareth requested a Cat Scan for his website: www.websitedesignliverpool.com
He’s starting a web development firm based in Liverpool, England. So here’s what I recommend.
Buried Treasure: Nearly every website hides the busines owner’s greatest asset. Gareth’s strengths are buried in the About page. The firm’s designers combine 35 years of experience (although we don’t know if there are 2 people with 30 and 5 years, respectively, or 5 with 7 years, or…) .
I also like the emphasis on “simple.” You could develop this idea: “We give you everything you want and only what you want.” That’s a little trite but you can get more creative.
“Expressing more with less” seems to be about copywriting. I wouldn’t go there!
Suggestions
(1) Create a compelling Unique Selling Proposition (USP). “Fast and cheap” can be dangerous. You’re competing with craigslist, eLance and Rent-a-Coder.
Your key question is, “Why would a business hire a web designer instead of turning to craigslist or even DIY (Do-It-Yourself)? And in fact reliability might be more critical than speed.
I suspect many clients will build their own Wordpress sites and then look for a designer to add the final touches. Wordpress Touch-up would be a great niche for the right designer.
(2) Showcase your skills. The graphics are a good start (although they’re a little confusing: you have curvy lines, a company logo and some arrows). I would recommend brighter colors, larger type and a simpler layout: a big section in the middle and smaller sidebars left and right.
(3) Create a compelling headline that addresses your client’s problem and suggests that you offer a solution. Use your USP and target market definition for guidance.
Follow up with a strong hook in the first paragraph. The space “above the fold” is valuable real estate. You’ve got good words there but readers won’t know what they mean till they reach the About page.
(4) Your phone number is in the upper right corner — good! — Move the form to a page describing services. Or you can offer free quotes and set up the form to collect queries.
(5) Make it easy for visitors to complete your form. Ask for the minimum info. Do you really need a title (even in England)? A last name?
That’s all we can do in a Cat Scan. I will post to my blog so anyone can add comments: http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com/blog
To learn more, I recommend these resources:
Bob Bly’s ebook combines copywriting tips from some of the best Internet marketing copywriters in the world. The chapter on writing blocks is a little odd. But I find myself flipping through this Report when I need ideas. http://www.cathyrecommends.com/blycopysecrets.html
For a step-by-step guide to organizing your website for marketing, check out Robert Middleton’s Web Tools. He offers a low-cost website review to buyers, too. http://www.cathyrecommends.com/webtoolkit.html
My own mentor, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, created a home study course based on her justly famous live workshops: http://wwww.cathyrecommends.com/redhotcopy.html
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Tags: copy, copywriting, internet, marketing
Posted in Cat Scans, copywriting
