When it comes to writing your business website, you may not be in the position financially to hire a professional. That’s okay—I’ve got some great tips to help you put your ideas into words, and to make those words effectively sell your services.

Just write. Last week, I told you that it was good to map out your concepts and jot down the messages you want to convey for each individual page. Now it’s time to formulate paragraphs. Some people may be good at starting from the top with a killer intro section—if so, write on. If you’re not, that’s okay. For instance, if you’re going to write about three things for your home page that are your main points, write the “meat” first. Some people get a better idea for their lead-in paragraph after they see the page content laid out before them. If you go that way, you can throw on the opening paragraph next. The main part of this section is just to do your best and get your concepts into words. We can work on making them sizzle later.

Perfect the lead in. This is where you create your “hook.” On my site, I have “If your company wants to increase sales and retain a professional corporate image, hiring a copywriter is the way to go.” For me, it summed up what I know my clients want to hear—that they can increase their sales and corporate image by hiring a copywriter. Then I go into my next point, about not having to go to an ad agency to get quality copy. But for me, that one sentence briefly conveys what I want my site to, and does it without the bland “My name is Kristen and I’m a copywriter.” Think of something witty and short to draw in your reader. Play around with a few sentences. You don’t have to say it all in the first sentence; you’ve got a few more in the first paragraph or two to talk about the rest. Whether or not you have anything bulleted after the lead in, a good hook will snag the prospective client.

Consider headers. Some people find that a header sums up what they need to say, and helps the reader quickly scan the page for its message. While I didn’t use these on my home page, I did utilize them to break up on the content on my “Business” page, where I explain to the prospect how I work. There are two types of headers you can use–those to break up text and those that sum up a page. To introduce a page with a header, you can use something as simple as “Increasing Sales. Boosting Your Image.” Or choose something less “broken up” such as “Increasing Your Sales and Boosting Your Image.” You get the point. There are no wrong choices here—only preferences. The best way to get a header that you like is to come up with a few and narrow things down from there.

Keep a strong tone. In my case, I don’t really need to explain what copywriting is, just like a designer doesn’t really need to go into theory. Instead, keep your website focused on marketing. You don’t have to give every detail of what you do or how you do it—but you do need to prompt the reader to contact you. Show them the benefits of choosing you over the competition. Use crisp wording and remember that not every reader reads everything. Also, decide if you want to represent your company by name, as “we,” or if you’re solo, as “I.”

Prompt a response. Now that you have the majority of the content down, it’s time to develop a closing paragraph for each page. But you won’t use it to sum up what each page is about; you’ll use it to get the reader to contact you. I call this paragraph a “call to action.” A good call to action only needs to be a few sentences. On my site, I use “Have a project in mind? Contact me today at HYPERLINK “mailto:kristen@kristenfischer.com” kristen@kristenfischer.com or at 732.555.5555 during regular business hours Monday through Friday EST for a FREE consultation!” On most of the websites I write for my clients, I use a sentence or two to prompt the reader, then the last sentence features a phone number, email address or both. For example, here’s an effective one-liner: “For alluring design that gets results, call me for a free consultation at 555-555-5555 or email me at someone@something.com.”

Proofread, proofread, proofread. This isn’t my strong point, to be honest. That’s why I always like to get a friend to look over what I’ve done. (Or a spouse—free labor!) This stage is the best time to get a pal or family member to make sure everything reads well, including the use of SEO terms if you’ve included them. Because the point of your website is to market yourself, ask your proofreader if they would feel compelled to contact you based on what you have to say. Not quite? Work on the words. Put the draft down for a day or so and come back to it in the mind frame that you’re a prospective client. What would you need to hear to seal the deal?

Ultimately, your website should reflect what your business has to offer and drive sales for you in a professional way. It’s all right not to have a natural hand at writing. Hopefully these tips will make the process a little easier. And if all else fails, hey—you can always hire a copywriter.