Sales-driven web copy is the key to powering on-site conversions. Here’s how to write compelling content that ends with conversion, no matter what you’re selling.

Quick Summary

• Write benefits-driven copy that’s specific to your audience.
• Deliver a message that illustrates value and encourages action.
• Make it easy for readers to follow cues and take the next step.

Every business has something to sell, and there’s a lot that goes into making a sale. Leveraging your website into your sales funnels is a great way to improve the efficacy of your efforts. But to do it effectively, your website needs to greet potential customers and clients with sales-driven web copy that kickstarts the selling process immediately—no matter where they land.

Spinning up sales content isn’t as simple as bolding your value props or bulleting your key selling points. You need to engage visitors specifically. What page did they land on? What query brought them here? What’s the intent behind their arrival? Writing conversion-focused web content means stepping outside of the sales and marketing mindset and into a problem-solving, solutions-driven perspective. How can you help the reader?

As you strive to offer value to visitors, keep these six key characteristics of sales-driven web copy top-of-mind. Incorporating them all will give visitors everything they need to become customers.

1. Benefits-Driven Value Propositions

Understanding the difference between features and benefits is critical in writing sales content that’s effective. Features describe a product or service; benefits are what customers get from it. For example:

• Features: “This pillow is soft, hypoallergenic and made of natural materials.”
• Benefits: “You’ll sleep great thanks to allergen-resistant fabric that’s easily washable.”

When writing sales-driven web copy, it’s best to lead with benefits, then attribute them to features. Illustrating value upfront cuts out fluff and unnecessary verbiage, to get right down to the selling points of the product or service. When you come right out and tell people what they want to know, you stand a better chance of getting them to act. After you tell them what they’re getting (benefits), you can explain how you’re giving it to them (features).

2. Narrative Specific to Your Target Audience

You can’t sell anything if you don’t know who you’re selling to. Too many websites try to go fishing with dynamite when it comes to writing sales-driven web copy, and they end up delivering a message that’s too broad to be effective. Customers want to know that you understand them: their needs, wants and expectations. Content that’s nondescript or too broad will fall on deaf ears.

To speak specifically to your audience, consider their intent. What brought them to the page they’re on. Don’t seek to speak to each person; try to address their compelling need. Who they are matters less than what they’re looking for. Consider your audience from a solution-driven standpoint and strive to write copy that answers their questions and solves their problems. In doing so, you’ll inch closer toward conversion.

3. Engaging Language and Allusions

Descriptive language is essential in writing sales-driven web copy. Your intent should be to paint a complete picture of the problem and your solution, with the reader at the center of it. Visitors reading your content should have no trouble envisioning themselves in the scenario you describe to them, and they should feel drawn to the guidance you’re giving them. A few tips to keep in mind:

• Use language to establish credibility and trust.
• Use allusions and imagery to contextualize solutions.
• Avoid over-using buzzwords and descriptors.
• Stick to factual concepts and avoid hyperbole.

Above all, use language and create scenarios that are familiar and relevant to your readers. Again, this stems from understanding your audience. Don’t focus on hyping your product or service; use language that lets the reader know you empathize with their need.

4. Examples, Anecdotes and Affirmations

The power of example is unrivaled in driving sales. If you can give consumers concrete, real-world examples of exactly how you’ve already solved their problem, you’ll instantly knock down some of the biggest barriers to conversion.

There are a few simple, highly effective ways to leverage examples within your website sales content. The simplest is to drop in a value-laden customer quote in areas where you extol the specific benefits of your product or service. You can also write up a short one-paragraph example use-case—just make sure it’s packed with tangible takeaways. If you have them, linking case studies in-text is a great way to prove the efficacy of your claims.

However you choose to imbue your copy with examples, make sure they don’t distract the reader or take them away from the narrative for longer than a few seconds. Examples should help, not hinder.

5. Purposeful, Easily Readable Structure

If a visitor lands on your website and sees a blocky wall of text, they won’t think twice about clicking away. How you structure your content matters as much (if not more) than what you’re writing. When it comes to sales-driven web content, keep these tips top-of-mind:

• Keep sentences succinct and punchy, under 12 words.
• Aim for short paragraphs that are 2-4 sentences.
• Vary sentence length to reduce pain points and improve engagement.
• Use bullets, subheads and callouts to organize text.
• Use bold, underline and italics to accent (sparingly).

Reading website content shouldn’t feel like a chore—and if it does, it means readers are struggling to grasp the message you’re trying to deliver. Keep it simple, succinct and on-topic, and organize the page in a way that delivers information effortlessly.

6. Compelling Calls to Action (CTA)

Traditionally, a call to action comes at the end of the thought: a summation of information that prompts next steps. While this is also true for sales-driven copy, it’s important to have multiple calls to action throughout the page. The reason? You want to capture a buyer wherever they decide to convert.

Make calls to action specific to wherever they live on the page. For example, if the text explains a particular benefit, you might follow it with a statement that encourages readers to explore that benefit further by taking X action. A good sales copywriter will capitalize on the allure of a particular benefit by rolling it into a CTA—and they’ll do this multiple times throughout the page. Just make sure to toe the line of offering value and not pushing a sale.

Trust a Professional to Write Sales-Driven Web Copy

Writing effective sales copy for your website is an exercise in getting to know your target audience better. Great sales content will speak to them specifically, emphasize with their needs, deliver value-focused insights and direct them to a solution. Of course, the copy itself also needs to be well-written, descriptive and knowledgeable.

If you’re struggling to produce web copy that converts, tap into the expertise of sales copywriters that know exactly how to relay value. Reach out to ProPRcopy today.

Quick FAQs

What is website sales copy?

Website sales copy is any verbiage on your website that’s meant to facilitate a sale. This can be as part of a landing page, service page, product page or anywhere else on your website that’s set up as part of a sales funnel.

What are the different types of web copy?

Alongside sales-driven web copy, there’s also informational web copy, descriptive web copy, technical web copy and more. The type of web content written depends on the purpose of the web page and the intent of those visiting it.

What is sales copy in digital marketing?

In the context of digital marketing, sales copy helps to push prospects toward conversion by offering them information and an opportunity to act. Sales copy is prevalent in any medium, and the specifics of sales copy depend on that medium.