The short answer is: There is a big difference between being able to do something and being able to do it well.

Anyone can pick some flowers from the side of the road and shove them into a glass of water — but that doesn’t make them a florist. And in situations where it really matters, let’s say for your wedding bouquet, you would trust the professionals, right?

The same goes for your copy. Of course, you could just quickly throw together a couple of paragraphs and tick writing your homepage off your to-do list. But working with a copywriter offers you so much more than just having the texts ready for launch. A copywriter can support you in becoming clear on your brand identity, finding your brand voice, getting to know your ideal client, improving their user experience on your website, and ultimately making more (aligned) sales.

In my opinion, the right time to allow support into your business is whenever you would like some support. You will always know best what you need and what works for you. That being said, there are some moments when it likely makes sense for you to work with a copywriter:

• you are just starting your business and struggle with discovering your brand identity and voice

• you are launching your website for the first time

• you already have a website, but it feels no longer aligned and you want to refresh it

• you are creating a new offering, especially if it is one with its own energy, such as a coaching programme or online course

• you are at a point in your business where you don’t have the capacity anymore to do it all yourself and need to start outsourcing some tasks

Yes and no. The intention is that your copy sounds like your business. It will be written in your brand voice, which may or may not sound different to your personal voice. While soul-led entrepreneurs like you are intimately connected to their business, your business still has its own essence and energy, and with that usually its own voice.

Personally, I like to think of copywriting less as “writing for you” and more as “translating your energy into words”. A big part of my work as a copywriter is to truly listen to you, tune into your business’ essence, and organise everything that you are already saying in into texts designed to speak to your soul clients.

Most likely, the answer is yes.

Think of it this way: Your website design is the pretty packaging; your words are the gift inside.

The wrapping is what first catches your soul clients’ attention and the first impression they get of who you are, so it is very much important to have a great-looking website. But: If there is nothing inside the pretty packaging other than hot air (or worse, rubbish), they will leave your website as fast as they can.

In other words, your web design is what sparks their interest, your words are what gets them to stay.

There are some web designers who are also expert copywriters, and there are some who collaborate with copywriters to offer you the full package. If that is you, then you are good to go! Often, however, website designers will only take care of what is within their expertise, aka the actual website design, and ask you to provide your own copy. In this case, it absolutely makes sense to also invest in quality texts.

I absolutely take SEO into account and follow best practices when crafting your copy. In general, however, my texts are written for human readers first.

This means: My intention is to enchant your ideal clients with words that resonate with them deeply, not to favour the algorithm with a text stuffed full of keywords. In my opinion, well researched and carefully crafted long-form copy aligns with many SEO best practices. But as it is not my main focus nor expertise, I don't advertise my services as SEO copywriting or label myself an SEO copywriter.

Of course, I fully recognise that your texts need to be found first in order to create impact, and that search engine optimisation plays an important role in this. So, I still make sure that relevant keywords are organically woven into your text, making it pleasant to read and tick as many SEO boxes as possible.

There is no quick and easy answer to this question, I am afraid. Your project and needs are as unique as you are. As I want to offer you exactly what you need — nothing more and nothing less — I will always create a custom quote for you. Feel free to email me with some information about your project and I will happily send you an offer.

I realise that this answer might not be entirely helpful right now though, so let me give you some guidelines:

• editing existing copy starts at $150

• copy creation for long-form web pages such as landing pages and sales pages starts at $550

• copy creation for an entire website (Home, About, Services, and more) starts at $2,500

• If you would like to book my services per hour rather than for an entire project, I charge an hourly rate of $70.

I totally get it. Copywriting is an investment and, especially if you are just starting out, you might just not have the funds for it right now. (Truth be told, I wouldn’t have been in a position to invest in a professional copywriter myself when I first started my business.)

So, what should you do when you recognise how valuable well-written copy is but you can’t afford to hire a copywriter right now? There are a few ways of saving money and still prioritising quality:

Option 1: Hire a copywriter just for the homepage.
As this is generally the most important page of your website, you could choose to start with only having this one done professionally. Alternatively, if you are promoting a specific product or service, you could also opt for a stand-alone landing page at first.

Option 2: Write your copy yourself and hire a copywriter to edit it.
If you have clarity about your soul clients, your story, and your messaging, it might be a good solution for you to write a first draft yourself and have a professional edit your copy. This will be considerably cheaper as editing text takes a lot less time than creating from scratch.

Option 3: Book a copy coaching session.
If you feel confident in writing your website copy yourself but you lack clarity, value a new perspective, and need strategic guidance, booking a coaching or consultation session with a copywriter could be a good fit.

Let me start by saying that both your website copy and the design are equally important ingredients to a good website. But when it comes to your workflow, I whole-heartedly recommend focussing on your copy first, and on the design later.

Here’s why: Your copy is the message you share, your story. And this story follows a certain flow, which will guide the design. Designing your website first and then “filling in” some words wherever there is space is similar to first illustrating a book and then writing the story around the illustrations.

And I am not just saying that because I am a writer. Having your copy as finalised as possible before starting your website design usually makes the design process a lot smoother and faster, as most web designers will tell you. This way, your designer (or you, if you are DIYing your website) can just focus on how to best showcase your story. Most copywriters will also deliver pre-formatted or wire-framed copy that already shows how your text could be visualised on a website for the best effect.