Marketing

Should I Write My Own Website Copy?

By The Rankwyre TeamAugust 9, 20264 min read

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Illustration of a woman in a navy shirt holding a pen against her chin with an open notepad, thinking.

Key takeaways

Check whether copywriting is included before you sign anything. It usually is not.
Your phone explanation of the work is better raw material than anything written to sound professional.
The words that change behaviour are a small share of the page and worth handing over.
A site waiting on copy is the most common reason a project stalls.

This one catches people out after they have already paid. Copywriting is excluded from most quotes, it is rarely said out loud, and the first time you find out is when somebody asks you to send the text over.

The short answer

Yes for the parts only you can write, which is more of the site than you think. What you do, who you do it for, what makes a job cost more, the questions you answer on the phone every week. Hand over the parts where wording changes behaviour, like the buttons and the top of the homepage, because those are craft rather than knowledge.

What am I actually best at writing?

The truth of the business, and nobody else has it. What you do, what you refuse to do, why one job costs double another, the objection you answer every single week before someone books.

That material is the difference between a site that sounds like every competitor and one that sounds like a business a real person runs. An agency can shape it. It cannot invent it, and when it tries, you get the bland version you have seen a hundred times.

Why does my own writing sound wrong?

Because most owners switch registers the moment they type. On the phone you say "we can usually get someone out the same week". In the box on the form you write "we pride ourselves on rapid response times".

The first one is better. It is specific, it sounds like a person, and it answers the actual question. The fix is not to write better, it is to stop performing. Say it the way you would say it to a customer standing in front of you.

Not sure whether the words or the layout are your problem? Send us the address through the free site check. We will tell you which parts are losing people and whether it is wording or structure. Free, back within two business days, and we say when it reads fine already.

Get a free site check

What should I hand over?

The parts where small wording changes measurably change what people do. Button text, the first two lines of the homepage, the headings that decide whether somebody keeps reading.

That is a surprisingly small share of the total words and a large share of the result. We went into that specifically in why the words on a button change how many people press it, and the same logic runs through what a homepage has to do in the first five seconds.

How do I get it done without it dragging?

Talk it, do not type it. Record a voice note answering three questions: what do you do, who is it for, why do people choose you over the alternative. Then have it transcribed and tidied.

An hour of that produces more usable material than three evenings staring at a blank page, and it is the fastest way to unblock a project that is stuck waiting on you.

What happens if I never get round to it?

The site sits unfinished, and this is the single most common reason projects stall. Everything else is built and waiting on words that keep not arriving.

It is worth knowing that before you start, because it is the one part nobody can do for you. It is also the question worth putting to any agency you are comparing, which we listed in what to ask before hiring a web designer.

Is paying somebody to write it worth it?

Sometimes, and it depends on which part. Paying for the whole site to be written from nothing rarely goes well, because the writer does not know the business and the result reads generic.

Paying somebody to shape what you already said, and to write the handful of lines that change behaviour, is usually money well spent. If you want a sense of what a whole project runs, the cost calculator gives you a figure in under a minute, and the work we have done shows what the finished version looks like.

Two ways to go from here

If you want the site built and the words shaped with you, you can start today. Build is $399 a month with a $299 one-time setup. Short onboarding form, then a developer is in touch within 24 hours. No minimum term, cancel any month.

Start today

If you want to know whether your current wording is the problem, use the free site check and we will tell you straight.

FAQs about writing website copy

Is copywriting usually included in a website quote?

Often not, and it is the most commonly missed exclusion. Ask directly before you sign, because it is a real job that lands in your calendar if nobody else is doing it.

How much copy does a small business website need?

Less than most people assume. Enough to answer what you do, whether you cover them, what it roughly costs and how to start. Padding it out makes it worse.

Can I use AI to write my website copy?

It is useful for tidying what you already said. It is poor at inventing the specifics that make a business sound real, and generic copy is exactly what makes visitors discount you.

What if I am a bad writer?

Record yourself answering three questions out loud and have it transcribed. Talking is not the same skill as writing, and most owners are far better at the first one.

Which parts should I not write myself?

The lines that change behaviour: buttons, the first two lines of the homepage, section headings. Those are craft, and they are a small share of the words for a large share of the result.

About Rankwyre

Rankwyre is a digital technology company based in Miami, Florida, that builds custom websites, ecommerce stores, web apps, CRM systems, and dashboards, then runs the SEO and advertising that bring in customers. We work with local service businesses, independent brands, professional services and online stores. We bill monthly rather than taking a large fee upfront, and there is no minimum term, so clients can leave any month. Plans start at $299 a month. See the work or read what is included in each plan.