Website copywriting skill

Website Copywriting

Overview

Use this skill to write or critique persuasive website copy that converts without becoming vague, manipulative, or trust-damaging.

Core thesis:

Good website copy meets the reader at their current awareness level, channels an existing desire/anxiety, makes one credible promise, proves it, resolves objections, and asks for the smallest honest next action.

This skill is grounded in old-school persuasion/copywriting principles from Cialdini, Hopkins, Ogilvy, and Schwartz, translated for modern websites.

Use When

• Writing website copy from scratch.
• Rewriting homepage hero, landing page, product page, pricing page, comparison page, FAQ, form, onboarding, upgrade, or CTA copy.
• Reviewing existing copy for conversion quality.
• Turning product positioning into page-level copy.
• Making copy more specific, credible, emotionally sharp, persuasive, or action-oriented.
• Diagnosing why copy feels generic, weak, over-clever, janky, or untrustworthy.

Do Not Do

• Do not invent customers, metrics, testimonials, awards, credentials, guarantees, deadlines, or scarcity.
• Do not use fake urgency, fake social proof, guilt CTAs, or hidden pressure.
• Do not hide risk, pricing, commitment, cancellation, or material caveats.
• Do not output generic sludge: “unlock your potential,” “supercharge your workflow,” “all-in-one platform,” etc.
• Do not treat cleverness as a substitute for clarity.
• When critiquing, do not rewrite before naming the strategic issue.

Minimum Inputs

Minimum viable copy needs:

1. Product/service: what is being sold or explained?
2. Audience: who is the copy for?
3. Surface: homepage hero, landing page, pricing, CTA, etc.
4. Conversion job: what should the visitor do next?
5. Proof: what evidence is available, or what proof is missing?

If inputs are missing, ask one concise question when it materially changes the copy. If the user wants speed, proceed with labeled assumptions and flag proof gaps.

Core Workflow

1. Identify the surface. Homepage hero, landing page, pricing page, product page, comparison page, CTA, form, testimonial, FAQ, onboarding/upgrade prompt, empty/error state.
2. Name the conversion job. Continue, sign up, book, buy, compare, trust, self-qualify, upgrade, recover, or learn.
3. Diagnose awareness level. Most aware, product aware, solution aware, problem aware, or unaware.
4. Extract desire and anxiety. What does the reader want? What blocks action?
5. Choose one simple promise. The main believable outcome the page owns.
6. Find the mechanism. Why can this product deliver differently or credibly?
7. Stack proof. Social proof, authority, numbers, screenshots, demos, samples, case studies, guarantees, operational proof.
8. Handle objections. Cost, time, trust, switching, complexity, fit, risk, privacy/security.
9. Write the CTA. Action + value + expectation + risk reduction.
10. Run trust checks. Truthful, non-manipulative, relationship-safe, no fake pressure.

Awareness Lead Map

Awareness level	What the visitor knows	Lead with	Avoid
Most aware	Knows product and wants it	Offer, price, bonus, deadline, CTA	Long education before action
Product aware	Knows product, not convinced	Differentiation, proof, why now	Category basics
Solution aware	Knows category, not product	Unique mechanism, criteria, proof	Brand-first copy
Problem aware	Feels pain, lacks solution	Precise problem, stakes, diagnostic	Product pitch too early
Unaware	No problem frame yet	Story, belief, surprising fact, identity/POV	Direct sale as the main ask

Rule: page length follows the awareness gap. Hot traffic needs less education; cold/problem-aware traffic needs more bridge, proof, and objection handling.

Page Playbooks

Homepage Hero

Job: make the right visitor understand, care, and continue.

Include:

• audience/problem signal;
• one simple promise;
• mechanism or proof cue;
• primary CTA;
• optional secondary CTA for colder visitors.

Avoid:

• hero copy that could fit 100 competitors;
• puns before clarity;
• multiple equal promises;
• unsupported “best/easiest/powerful” claims.

Landing Page

Job: carry one promise through proof, objections, and action.

Recommended structure:

1. Lead matched to awareness.
2. Promise and mechanism.
3. Specific outcomes/benefits.
4. Proof stack.
5. Objection handling.
6. Offer/CTA.
7. FAQ/trust close.

Product Page

Job: connect capabilities to desired outcomes.

For each feature, write:

• what it does;
• why the user cares;
• proof/example/screenshot;
• what objection it reduces.

Pricing Page

Job: reduce anxiety and make plan choice safe.

Include:

• plan fit labels;
• value metric;
• what is included/excluded;
• cancellation/trial/guarantee clarity;
• FAQ for billing, implementation, support, security.

Comparison Page

Job: help the user choose confidently.

Use:

• honest criteria;
• tradeoffs;
• switching risk handling;
• peer proof;
• respectful competitor framing.

Do not write cheap-shot competitor copy unless the user explicitly wants an aggressive teardown and the claims are verifiable.

CTA / Form Copy

A CTA should answer:

• What happens when I click?
• What value do I get?
• How much commitment is involved?
• Why is this the right next step now?

Examples by awareness:

• Problem aware: “Run the free diagnosis.”
• Solution aware: “Compare the workflow.”
• Product aware: “Watch the 3-minute demo.”
• Most aware: “Start free,” “Book onboarding,” “Buy now.”

Proof Standards

Every major claim should have at least one of:

• specific number/result;
• named mechanism;
• customer/example;
• screenshot/demo/sample;
• expert/authority credential;
• operational proof: security, uptime, support, migration, refund/cancellation;
• transparent limitation or tradeoff.

If proof is missing, write with honest caveats or mark [proof needed]. Never invent proof.

Cialdini Persuasion Checks

Use only principles that naturally exist in the situation.

Principle	Ethical website use	Bad use
Reciprocity	Useful free diagnostic, sample, checklist, demo	Bait/guilt funnel
Liking	Audience-fit language, warmth, cooperation	Fake chumminess
Social proof	Relevant testimonials, peer usage, case studies	Fake counters, vague logo soup
Authority	Credentials, methodology, expert review	Borrowed-authority theatre
Scarcity	Real capacity/deadline/opportunity cost	Fake countdowns
Consistency	User-owned self-selection, quizzes, plan choice	Commitment traps
Unity	True shared values/identity	Identity cosplay

Trust floor: be truthful, forgo manipulation, preserve the relationship, and inform people into agreement.

Copy Review Scorecard

When reviewing copy, score or comment on:

1. Clarity: can the right visitor understand it quickly?
2. Awareness fit: does it meet the reader’s stage?
3. Promise strength: is there one main believable outcome?
4. Specificity: are claims concrete?
5. Mechanism: is there a credible “why/how”?
6. Proof: are claims supported near where they appear?
7. Objections: are reasonable blockers handled?
8. CTA: is the next step clear and appropriately low-risk?
9. Trust: any fake pressure, hidden caveat, or manipulation?
10. Voice: does the tone fit the buyer and product?

Always name the main leak before rewriting: wrong awareness, weak promise, missing proof, vague mechanism, CTA mismatch, trust problem, or janky voice.

Anti-Patterns to Kill

• Vague benefit soup.
• Unsupported superlatives.
• Feature dumping.
• Fake urgency.
• Empty social proof.
• AI pixie dust.
• Over-clever headlines.
• Pain-only/shame copy.
• Pretty design hiding weak argument.
• One-size-fits-all copy despite known traffic/audience.

Output Formats

Fast rewrite

**Strategic read:** [main issue]

**Rewrite:**
Headline: ...
Subhead: ...
CTA: ...
Proof cue: ...

**Why this works:** ...
**Proof needed:** ...

Copy critique

## Copy diagnosis

| Area | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness fit | ... | ... |
| Promise | ... | ... |
| Proof | ... | ... |
| CTA | ... | ... |
| Trust | ... | ... |

**Main leak:** ...
**Highest-leverage fix:** ...

Page brief

Audience:
Awareness level:
Conversion job:
Primary desire:
Primary anxiety:
One promise:
Mechanism:
Proof available:
Objections:
CTA:
Trust constraints:

Verification Checklist

Before finalizing website copy:

• Surface and conversion job are clear.
• Awareness level is matched.
• One simple promise leads.
• Claims are specific or modest.
• Proof supports the promise.
• Objections are handled.
• CTA says what happens next.
• No fake proof, fake scarcity, or manipulative pressure.
• Voice fits the buyer/product.
• The copy would survive being read by a smart skeptical customer.