Building a website that includes effective content is essential for engaging users and achieving business objectives. When it comes to building a website, industry jargon such as ‘web copy’ and ‘web content’ are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion over their actual meaning and purpose.
Understanding the difference between what is ‘web copy’ and what is ‘web content’ on your website can be useful so that you can leverage them effectively to fuel your business’s online growth.
WHAT IS WEB COPY?
Web copy refers to text that is specifically designed to persuade, interest and encourage website users to complete desired actions and is usually found on top-level pages. Its primary purpose is to drive sales, generate leads and encourage conversions: in other words, it’s used to sell. Strategically crafted, web copy is generally kept concise, powerful and captivating to ensure that it resonates effectively with the target audience. Web copy includes elements such as headlines, call-to-actions, product descriptions and landing page content.
WHAT IS WEB CONTENT?
Contrastingly, web content encompasses the broader purpose of content that is published across a website and other platforms to build relationships, provide extra information and market your business as opposed to selling it. Its focus is to establish long-term connections with users, nurturing them into potential and loyal customers over time. Elements of web content include blog posts, articles, guides, infographics and any other informative or entertaining content. Web content aims to educate, inspire, entertain or engage users by providing valuable information.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
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THEIR OBJECTIVE
This is the fundamental difference between web copy and web content. Web copy is geared towards conversions, aiming to persuade users to take immediate action such as make a purchase or sign up for a service. Web content, on the other hand, prioritises providing value to the customer experience as well as building brand awareness and establishing a relationship between business and audience.
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PLACEMENT AND FORMAT
Web copy is usually strategically placed on web pages such as in promotional materials to capture attention and drive conversions. Web content, on the other hand, is often found in the form of blog posts, videos and other mediums that are regularly published to encourage repeat visits.
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TONE AND STYLE
Often, web copy employs a persuasive and direct tone which utilises powerful language, storytelling techniques and emotional appeals to influence the users to complete a desired action. Whereas web content, depending on the topic and target audience, adopts a more conversational, entertaining and informational style of writing. It aims to engage readers and encourage them to trust the business.
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TIME SENSITIVITY
Designed to emphasise limited time offers, discounts and exclusive deals, web copy tends to have a greater sense of urgency whereas web content does not tend to be time sensitive at all. Web content focuses on evergreen topics and provides timeless information that remains relevant over an extended period.
Both web copy and web content play essential roles in the online world, but they do differ in terms of their objectives, placement and style. Neither of these web elements is more important than the other and in order to both capture and convert your audience, you need both web copy and web content.
Web copy is the thing that encourages consumers to complete conversions whereas web content is needed to grow and nurture the relationship your business has with its audience. By understanding the distinctions between them, content creators can strategically employ both to maximise their online impact and achieve their goals.