Website copywriting for organic lead generation

My first project with this client was copywriting services for a new website. They went on to have the most creative and extensive content marketing strategy retainer I ever created – but that’s a story for another time. This is the story of foundational content (A.K.A. cornerstone or pillar content) created for a new website, already in development, itself a replacement for several outdated group sites merging under one brand.

The website copywriting brief

The navigation of the new website was a dynamic, sleek user journey with plenty of flexibility for new page / section creation and depth (good for SEO). The SEO strategy itself was researched and outlined. I was handed a broad brief to incorporate SEO keywords and do ‘a bit of a clean-up job’ on the copy. Website copywriting is rarely that simple. The client was paying a lot for this new website and had Big Plans, so it deserved more than a quick polish.

I was handed a broad brief to incorporate SEO keywords and do ‘a bit of a clean-up job’ on the copy.Website copywriting is rarely that simple.

My approach

This was a brand new and niche sector for me to write for – which meant research. I read the entire collection of group websites, then moved onto competitors and regulators to fill in the gaps. While they’d had a visual rebrand, which was being launched with the new site, there wasn’t any documented brand tone of voice guidance or copy style guide that I could refer to. This meant putting one together very quickly, based on the existing copy across the merging companies.

However, the existing copy was incomplete, sometimes out of date, and not always consistent. I made decisions that could be approved at sign-off. I put together a guide for the client so they could upload their own content in the same style, as well as make sure it met all the good SEO housekeeping rules.

The new navigation would go as deep as we needed it to, now and over time. After auditing the sites, I put a page plan together, allocating topics, themes and keywords. Then I got writing. Due to an immovable and short deadline, which coincided with the merger, we agreed what was needed for go-live and what could be added later. There was still a lot to cover.

And, not only was it a new topic for me, it asked for a different approach to anything I’d written before. This website wasn’t selling products, it was selling a life-changing idea. Plus, it was an emotive topic that my demographic research suggested would benefit from an empathetic, professional tone of voice. 

Being a digital copywriter is often like roleplaying or method acting. We slip into the skin of the brand and inhabit it.

Being a digital copywriter is often like roleplaying or method acting. We slip into the skin of the brand and inhabit it. How does it feel? What kind of person would it be? What does it believe? How might it have a conversation with someone within its target audience? What words would it use? What stories does it want to tell – and which do its audience want to hear?

As I mentioned, this foundational website copywriting would prepare the way for the site to become deep and content-rich. Depth of a site is a quality ranking indicator for search engines – it shows you know your topic from top to bottom. This flurry of website copywriting paved the way – solid introductions, links to pages offering more information, calls to action that inspired and encouraged people to make their move. 

This is the sweet spot – organic lead generation that’s done in an ethical way. Give people the information they need, including case studies and testimonials, data and facts, and make it easy for them to take the next step. Complete transparency in organic lead generation means they’re a qualified lead before you even speak with them.

Complete transparency in organic lead generation means they’re a qualified lead before you even speak with them.

What happened next

When the site went live, the SEO and user journey data was benchmarked. New websites normally experience a slump in SEO and other KPIs (like organic lead generation) and don’t start recovering for around six months. The metrics for this site recovered within four months and continued an upward trajectory. You know you’ve done something right when your competitors start mimicking what you’ve done! That kept me on my toes, making sure the client always led the pack.

The SEO content strategy I co-designed with a search expert was lively, innovative and relentlessly high achieving. Over the next four years, my content marketing for organic lead generation continued to build out the information on the site. In addition, it scheduled the refreshing and revising of these original, foundational pages to keep them current and help the brand evolve its new tone of voice.