Web Copywriting & Content Strategy

Approach

UX writing can be defined as all of the copy on a digital product, such as a website. From navigational elements, to headings and teaser copy, to calls-to-action and full-blown webpages—that’s UX writing.

When I started as a Content Strategist at 829 Studios in 2018, “UX writing” as a service did not exist. My background in marketing and communications allowed me to write strong copy that brought wireframes and mockups to life, but it quickly became evident that clients sought much more than just “populated wireframes.” Clients needed guidance on how to bring their entire website content to life in a strategic way.

Jump ahead to almost-2022 and I was leading an integrated team of copywriters and strategists that were full-steam-ahead providing copywriting on website and brand projects for clients of every size, industry, and maturity.

I both oversaw and personally executed upon a variety of copywriting and copy-adjacent projects:

• UX copy: headings, pre-headings, calls-to-action, teasers/excerpts, tags and taxonomy labels, navigational sections—everything that comprises website wireframes and mockups

• Brand strategy: mission & vision statements, core values, taglines, value propositions, positioning, voice & tone, personality attributes, differentiators, copy formatting & style guides

• Web content strategy: larger-scale copywriting projects that supply copy for all pages on a website, factoring in considerations for the user persona, UX and conversion best practices, SEO, accessibility recommendations, and brand voice

UX writing is unique from other writing practices, particularly long-form writing or fiction, in that the guiding principles are being concise, clear, and consistent. Conciseness could mean restricting the amount of copy to just 1–3 lines depending on if it’s teaser copy on a card or a small page description in the navigation. It could also mean “chunking” a long page of information into 2–3-line paragraphs with headings for each. Consistency could mean starting every call-to-action with a verb, or always using the verb “Book” in “Book a demo” instead of sometimes varying it up with the verb “Request” or “Get”. Clarity could mean phrasing calls-to-action as “Get program details” or “View product” or “Access this whitepaper” instead of vague directives like “Learn more”.

These principles, when combined with the brand voice and an understanding of the user, is how we define “good” web copy.