What Makes The Best Website Copywriting? (And What Makes the Worst?)

Have you ever come across a website that glues your eyes to the page better than Instagram ever could? Before you realise it, your finger is poised on that call to action button like it's the corner of a Kit Kat wrapper. 

That is the power of exceptional website copywriting. 

We dissect 7 superb website copywriting examples. Learn the skills and techniques used to create copywriting for website content to win over customers like never before. 

And if you decide to invest in website copywriting services, this article will help you create better briefs and find the right copywriter for your business. 

Ready to brief your website copywriter? Read this first.

1. Data Dog


Source: Data Dog

Subheadings are an effective website copywriting tool to showcase the benefits of your offering in detail. 

Data Dog’s subheading - ‘See inside any stack, any app, at any scale, anywhere’ - makes you feel like anything is possible when you have this product. It’s thrilling for the business owner who understands the awesome power of data. Data Dog clearly knows its audience and what excites them. 

Also, note the use of repetition - a technique used by the likes of Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill for speech writing. Used sparingly and in the right context, repetition can add emphasis to your message and help capture readers’ attention. 

How to use Data Dog’s best website copywriting techniques:

  • Use audience research to understand what excites your ideal customer
  • Focus on the outcome of the benefit of your product
  • Leverage repetition to make your audience savour words and believe in your message 

2. Bain & Company 

Source: Bain & Company

Global management consulting firm, Bain & Company, inspires excitement and enthusiasm in its website copywriting using words such as ‘bold’, ‘champion’ and ‘extraordinary’. 

Then it gets visitors to interact with its content, asking them to answer two simple questions by clicking on the relevant answer. This clever website copywriting tool achieves three important things:

1. It engages the visitor through easy interaction

2. It supports a personalised customer journey by bringing up recommended services 

3. It encourages visitors to continue exploring the site

All of this with just a few, well-placed words that support the customer journey. 

How to use Bain & Company’s best website copywriting techniques:

  • Ensure every word you use matters
  • Ask questions in your copy to deepen personalisation 
  • Get visitors to interact with your content in innovative ways

3. Adobe

Source: Adobe

Adobe wants to attract passionate and creative talent, and this is crystal clear on its career page.  

The language used in this website copywriting example is simple, full of emotion and speaks directly to world-shakers seeking to ‘create the future of digital experiences’. It feels young, fresh and hopeful which is consistent with the copywriting on the rest of Adobe’s website. 

Also included at the top of the page is a trust element: ‘We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.’ Right off the bat, Adobe highlights its values and encourages visitors to learn more with an easily accessible call to action.

How to use Adobe’s best website copywriting techniques:

  • Be consistent with your theme and messaging across the site
  • Use voice-of-customer research to embody your audience’s voice (learn more in our article: The Ultimate Guide to Website Copywriting)
  • Use trust elements to communicate your values 

4. Propel


Source: Propel

One of the best ways to connect with an audience is through shared values; people are more likely to trust you if you stand for the same things. Often values are communicated via a company’s About page, like in this website copywriting example from Propel. 

The content is refreshingly honest: “We treat people the way we like to be treated ourselves.” Propel reinforces the fact that there are real people behind the brand, providing a human touch to a traditionally ruthless industry. 

The use of creative titles also makes each value stand out. If Propel had just said ‘unique’ and ‘human’, it would have sounded like every other company on the planet. 

How to use Propel’s best website copywriting techniques:

  • Use audience research to understand your customers’ values 
  • Surprise your customers with honesty to humanise your brand and build trust
  • Be original with titles, especially if you’re repeating things the visitor will have likely read before

5. Cultivated Wit

Source: Cultivated Wit

If you can make your website visitors laugh, they’ll be more inclined to think positively about your business, encouraging them to buy.

But humour is a delicate thing. You need to understand your audience intimately to get the tone right. Timing is important too. Sometimes the safest and most effective way to inject humour into your copywriting for website content is by slipping in something silly when it's least expected. 

Cultivated Wit offers a brilliant example of how humour works in the little details. A serious tone is fine to communicate the important stuff. Then you can showcase your brand’s personality with some relatable banter when you have more creative freedom.

How to use Cultivated Wit’s best website copywriting techniques:

  • Consider different types of humour and which would suit your audience best
  • Use humour to make ‘boring’ sections - like your FAQ or Contact page - more engaging 
  • Use a website copywriting tool like A/B testing to see how humour impacts your KPIs 

6. Revolut


Source: Revolut

Financial technology company Revolut demonstrates the power of quality over quantity in this website copywriting example. 

Every sentence is easy to read, saving visitors’ time and energy. But what’s really magical is the effortless way Revolut communicates its product’s benefits. From the heading and subheading, readers learn that:

  1. You can use this app for all your financial needs
  2. It’s free and super easy to use
  3. It helps you make your money go further

And that’s without scrolling down the page! With content that’s so simple to understand, Revlout sends a clear message: our product will make your life infinitely easier. 

How to use Revolut’s website copywriting techniques:

  • Use the ‘so what?’ test to get to the heart of what your audience craves
  • Choose quality over quantity, especially for your homepage
  • Experiment with the website copywriting tool, Usability Hub, to pin-point clarity issues 

7. Bidwells


Source: Bidwells

Property consultant Bidwells throws fancy words to the wind in favour of the customer journey.

Users can click on the drop-down menu to select the service relevant to their needs, saving them from scouring the navigation menu. This creates a seamless user experience; integral to keeping visitors on your website.

Concise copy and the use of first person is also a breath of fresh air compared to other property consultants’ websites - most either use reams of detail on their homepage or say ‘We are X’ - yawn!

How to use Bidwells’ best website copywriting techniques:

  • Consider how copywriting elements can help or hinder the customer journey
  • Use market research to understand how you can make your content stand out
  • Experiment with first person for a more engaging experience 

What makes the worst website copywriting?

Researching this article made one thing clear - there’s a lot of god-awful copywriting out there. Even renowned brands fall foul of copywriting no-nos. 

But that’s GOOD news for you. Get your copy in shape and you’ll stand out for all the right reasons.

But what do we mean by ‘the worst website copywriting’? Signs include:

  • Using ‘we’ instead of ‘you’ to create an impersonal experience
  • Focusing on a product or service’s features rather than its benefits
  • Including too much information on the homepage
  • Putting your company’s mission statement on the homepage
  • Relying on jargon that sounds fancy but doesn’t mean anything 
  • Saying the same thing as everyone else 
  • Using an inconsistent voice across the site
  • Not factoring in the customer journey

The next time you do competitor research, see if you can spot any of these website copywriting issues. The more you look out for good and bad examples, the more you’ll learn about what makes effective copy.

Also, check out our 9 evergreen website copywriting tips - an essential read if you want to produce better copywriting for website content. 

And stay tuned for our upcoming article on copywriting rates to help you choose the best website copywriting services for your business.

Enjoyed this? Then you'll love No More Lorem Ipsum. Our newsletter for people who like the think before the ink. Sign up here.

Back To The Blog