Most website projects start with a mood board. Ours start with a document. Before anyone opens a design tool, we write the words each page needs to say, in the order a visitor needs to hear them.

We call it website copywriting first, design second. It is the habit that saves our clients the most time, and it is why the sites we build read clearly on a phone. Here is how it works, what goes into the draft, and how you can start one yourself.

Design follows the message

A layout is a way of arranging a message. If the message isn’t settled, every layout is a guess, and guesses get redesigned. Once the headline, the supporting points and the call to action are written down, the designer knows what each section has to hold, how long it is and what matters most.

If the words aren’t settled, every layout is a guess.

What goes into the copy draft

One sentence that says what you do and who it’s for.
The three reasons someone should choose you, in their words, not yours.
The questions people ask before they buy, with short answers.
One clear next step on every page.

Website copywriting, page by page

The draft follows the sitemap. For each page we write the same four things, in this order, and nothing else until they are agreed.

The headline: what the page offers, in plain words. A visitor should know where they are within a few seconds.
The proof: the facts that make the headline believable, such as numbers, client names, a short case or a guarantee.
The answers: the questions people ask before they get in touch, with short, honest replies.
The next step: one action per page, such as a call, a quote request or a WhatsApp message, written as a clear button label.

For a home page this usually fits on one page of text, and a service page is shorter. If a page needs much more than that, it is often two pages trying to be one.

Why it saves time

Changing a sentence in a document takes a minute. Changing it once it has been designed, built and tested takes much longer, because the space around it was drawn for the old sentence. A one-page draft agreed in the first week saves rounds of redesign later.

It also makes the site better. Visitors read before they look closely, and pages built around a clear message are easier to scan, easier to find in search and easier to act on.

How words first helps search

Search engines read the words on a page, not the mood board. When the website copy comes first, the phrases your customers search for end up where they matter: the page title, the main heading, the first paragraph and the subheadings. Nobody has to squeeze keywords into a layout that was drawn without them.

It also keeps every page about one topic, which is what Google’s own guidance on helpful, people-first content asks for. A page that answers one question well is easier for search engines to understand, and easier for people to act on.

How to write your first draft

You don’t need to be a copywriter. Many of our clients write a rough first version, and we shape it into pages together.

Start with the questions customers ask you on the phone or on WhatsApp. Each one is a heading or an answer on the site.
Write the way you talk to a good customer: short sentences, plain words, no jargon.
Put the most important sentence first on every page. Most visitors scan rather than read word by word, as Nielsen Norman Group’s research on how people read online has shown for years.
Read it aloud. If you run out of breath, the sentence is too long.
Cut it by a third, then send it to us.

Questions people ask

Do you write the website copy, or do we?

Either works. You know the business best, so many clients write the first draft and we edit it into pages. If you prefer, we write it with you as part of the project, from interviews and the material you already have.

Can design start while the copy is still being written?

Partly. The look, the colours and the type can be explored early. Page layouts wait until the words for that page are agreed, otherwise they get drawn twice.

What about a bilingual site?

Agree on one language first, usually the one most of your customers read, then translate. Translating a moving target doubles every change. Our note on choosing fonts for a brand that speaks two languages covers what to check in the design.

Good website copywriting is the first step of the Think stage in how we run a project. If you are planning a new site, a one-page brief is the best place to start, and our web design service takes it from there.