I’m in the process of researching the best coworking websites on the internet.

Side note: do you have a great website, or does one come to mind when I ask? Let me know in a reply!

Anyway, what I am finding is a common issue that many websites are plagued with.

It’s not just common to coworking websites either, it’s common to all industries.

The problem is “me-centric” web copy.

For those not up on the lingo, web copy is simply the text on your website that is designed to move a prospect to sign up or take the next action. It is sales text.

What does “me-centric” web copy look like? Well, I won’t point out anyone in particular, but I’ll give you some slightly doctored examples:

• We provide more than an office space…
• What makes us different…
• We have the best amenities…
• We are leaders of the pack…
• Our vision is simple…
• We’re helping businesses grow
• Our community is unlike the rest…

The list goes on…

What happens when people read “me-centric” web copy?

It doesn’t resonate. The copy feels flat.

So how do you fix this pandemic?

Well – I won’t beat you over the head again with my point about knowing your target market intimately, because you know that already.

And with that knowledge, the best way to write web copy is by imagining you’re talking to one single person.

Pick your best member and write your website copy as if you were speaking directly to them.

Then, use “you-centric” website language instead. Make everything about the person you’re talking to.

Position each feature and benefit in terms that are viewed from their perspective. Use the word ”you” and variations of that word a lot. Everything is about “you”, the reader.

Imagine you were the reader and answer the question, “why should I care?” at every step. Make it clear why they should care and what’s in it for them.

I’ll leave you with a great example of this done well on a home page.

Check out http://uncommon.co.uk/.

Their website copy is uncommon (see what I did there?), and it’s great.

Press CTRL + F (on a PC) or CMD + F (on a Mac) and search the page for the word, “you”.

The word “you” appears 34 times in all it’s various forms (you, your, yourself, you’re etc.)

Now search for “we”. It appears once, in the obligatory message about cookies at the bottom of the page. “Our” appears twice, both times in a navigation area.

This is how you do website copy.

Take it in. Compare it to other websites you see.

Now do the same search on your website. Does it pass the “you” test? Is it “you-centric” or “me-centric?

 

Edit: one year after writing this, Uncommon now has 47 instances of the word “you” on their home page.