Remember a time when you had to create a user account to enjoy the perks of a website? That website would show many requirements for setting up a password, like a mix of upper and lower case letters, at least one number, one unique character, and doing the macarena without alcohol. Well! Those teeny-tiny bits demanding you shake your coconuts are what we refer to as a “microcopy”. They are present in the nooks and crannies of every website and app.
What’s the deal with microcopy?
Small bits of text on any website are “microcopy.” Don’t confuse microcopy with sales copy used on product and landing pages. Microcopy is a miniature copy used around the site to help reassure visitors. Most of the time, the microcopy is a few words or a sentence. The primary purpose of this copy is to help the user navigate the website. It also guides them through the checkout process. Microcopy has an impact on user experience. It can direct users to the next steps of the sales funnel motion or complete forms! If your copywriter is an expert, the microcopy responds to customer issues where they are most likely to arise. Well-written and targeted microcopy can take your business to places. Call it a sales genie! It can cater to many potential reasons that result in cart abandonment at checkout. It enhances the client experience, and the conversion rate comes in handy. As a result, good copywriting makes all your marketing efforts worthwhile.
Why do these small words matter so much?
Copywriting holds the utmost importance in marketing, especially in content marketing and creative copywriting. Sales copywriting and email copywriting are no exceptions either. But have you ever wondered why these little ones matter so much? Can’t we do it without them? Well, NO! I’ll tell you why. Microcopy acts as a guide when users perform specific tasks on the website. Those tasks can be as simple as looking for products or deciding the best course of action. Besides that, microcopy can help customers develop a sense of empathy and trust for the brand as a whole. Effective microcopy is easy to read, concise, and straightforward. A typical example is call-to-action words like “sign up”, “learn more”, or something more personal. Microcopy helps build connections. They can extend involvement beyond conventional forms and messages. It boils down to clarifying, confirming, and explaining information to visitors. It shapes how individuals view your company. You can communicate well with microcopy; it’s conversational and playful. You’ll share a likable, helpful persona, making it easier to create partnerships and build relationships with your users.
SEO makes writing microcopy more difficult — Myth or Fact?
Microcopy has been gaining popularity in the field of marketing. Even though microcopy should be fun and light, we can’t ignore the impact on SEO. In SEO, the factors influencing user experience on a website don’t go unnoticed. Be it the title or headline, their significance has increased tenfold. I talk about SEO trends in the blog. A successful strategy today does not guarantee future success in a few years or months. That is because factors impacting website placements are not constant. There are more than 200 ranking criteria on Google. But still, it is reluctant to specify how much a given component influences ranking. We know that Google places a high priority on user experience. They sing praises for relevant expertise and keeping up with modern trends, and that preference appears in their own brand experience.
How to write an effective microcopy for your website
Let’s discuss the process a little bit before we wrap things up. Although each website is unique, these steps can help in all cases:
Please don’t leave it to the end; use microcopy in the design process.
Please spend some time and money on this at the outset of the design process and plan it well. It will save you countless hours iterating later. When designers have microcopy from the get-go, they can adjust positioning and placement to work with SEO instead of against it.
Knowing your user
More relevant content will help build and sustain the emotional connection with each visitor. It will help you narrow down their needs and pain points. It will also assist you in choosing how to improve your experience through word choice.
Focus on your goals.
Have a clear-cut understanding of your goals in your mind. Identify them and then write the microcopy to help your users achieve them quickly. Have fun with microcopy but not so much to negatively impact the user’s experience.
Write as you talk
Product-speak doesn’t belong in microcopy. A simpler microcopy is more powerful. Like I talk with wit, satire, and subtlety (or at least I try), microcopy should do the same.
Be Authentic
We can use microcopy to show customers we respect transparency. It will help you connect with them emotionally. We must put ourselves in the user’s position, guess their fears, and then employ high-impact microcopy to calm them. Making jokes out of waiting, processing information, and checkout can help reduce sales resistance too.
Conclusion
Microcopy shouldn’t be an afterthought. Every customer-focused brand, marketer, and content creator needs it.
