Instead of a hammer, a writer’s primary tool is his mind. But I never sit down to copywrite without my toys. These supplies help me to refine my skills:

1. Thesaurus (on my Mac Dashboard)
2. Dictionary (ditto on the Dashboard)
3. Copywriting manuals and books
4. Printouts of all materials related to the project
5. The client’s Web site on the screen
6. The client’s competitors’ sites on the screen
7. Sticky notes galore with ideas I’ve jotted down
8. Worksheet quickly outlining my favorite copywriting strategies
9. A cup of coffee
10. iTunes

When I’m at my desk, these items are all sprawled out in front of me.

About once per week, I work outside my home office to change it up. My satellite offices include a handful of coffee shops and a couple of parks.

New surroundings invoke creativity. Fortunately, most of my tools are on my MacBook, making travel easy.

I may be removed from my element, but I still cling to my copywriting essentials.

Discard your negative connotations with “copycat.” In Internet marketing, it’s smart to be a copycat.

The key is to make your Web site original by combining and tweaking unoriginal concepts.

How to be a copycat

Before you set out to do any work on your Web site  – do some serious Googling. Put on your critic cap and assess as many sites as possible in terms of:

• Creative concepts
• Copywriting style, tone and voice
• Content type
• Web design
• Web site navigation
• Usability

As you look at sites, write down things you like and things you don’t like.

If a site has the professional appeal you want, what gives it that flavor? If the writing keeps you engaged and resonates with you, what writing style, tone and voice is used?

Be as specific as possible in your critiques.

Bookmark sites you like

If you use a social bookmarking service like Stumbled Upon or Delicious, set up bookmarks for easy reference:

1. Create a tag such as website or copycat for sites you like.
2. Make additional tags to denote the specific aspects you like about a particular site, such as design or homepage content.

When you are working on your site, quickly peruse your bookmarked sites to draw inspiration. Before I make any changes to my site, I always look at some of my faves to get my creative juices flowing.

Good sites to copycat

No site is off limits.

If your site sells software, but you really like your Pharmacist’s Web site, who’s to say you can’t use some of the same concepts? However, looking at sites similar to yours is a good place to start.

Here are noteworthy sites to include in your Google session:

• The big names in your industry. The major players in your industry, even if you don’t consider them to be key competitors.
• Your competitors. Businesses that are very similar to your own.
• WebAward.org. Web Marketing Association’s award-winning Web sites that are at the top of their game.
• Advertising agencies. Ad agencies generally have really impressive Web sites because they want to show off their creative capabilities to prospective clients.
• Web designers. Freelance Web designers have great Web sites for the same reasons that ad agencies do.

When you look at sites for businesses outside of your industry, don’t disregard any element – even copywriting.

It’s not what it says that matters; it’s how it says it.

Think about the big picture. Ask questions such as, “How does it gain my attention?”

Your actual content should be 100 percent original, but the marketing concept behind it doesn’t have to be.

Make it your own

After reviewing several Web sites, you will have a good sense of what you want to incorporate in your own.

Combine elements from various sites with your own original ideas to develop a site that is distinctively “you.”

Perhaps you want to integrate a similar navigation system as one site, but you prefer another site’s copywriting tactics and you have some brilliant ideas for original graphic elements. Although some ingredients are not new, your special recipe creates a completely different flavor.

Yes, it’s good to be a copycat. But be original, too.

Even if you hire a qualified Web copywriter, it’s important to measure your content’s effectiveness. Think of your content as your salesperson. Would you keep paying a salesperson whom isn’t turning you a profit? No. You retrain or replace. Let’s find out if you need to retrain or replace your online words with some simple assessments.

Conversion Rate: The Ultimate Assessment

Whether it’s directly through online orders or indirectly through brand awareness, profit is the ultimate goal of your business’ Web site. Conversion rates are a great way to look at your Web site’s profitability as a big picture. They tell you what percentages of your Web page visitors are performing your call to action. This rate is easily calculated:

Conversion rate = Actions/Visitors

The problem with conversion rates is that they only show the symptoms of the problem and neglect to pinpoint the source. If your conversion rates are down, clearly something is wrong (somewhere). But where? That’s when more in-depth assessment is needed.

Check Frequency of Call to Action

Your site must have a call to action. Your call to action may include:

• A purchase
• Membership
• Newsletter sign-up
• eBook download
• Contact form

You don’t want to overload your visitor with huge spammy “CLICK HERE” images. However, your call to action should be very visible and encouraging. A general rule to follow is that a call-to-action link should be visible in any page view (not to be confused with merely every page). This means, when the visitor scrolls down the page, there is always a call to action in sight. One of the biggest Web site blunders is inadvertently “hiding” calls to action. Your potential client should never be searching for these links.

Test Your Web Content

See if your Web content is portraying your message by testing it on members of your target market. Invite Web users to read your site and respond with an online survey in exchange for compensation or a discount for your product. Make sure your questions align with your marketing objectives and always leave space for open comments. Unprompted responses are extremely valuable and should never be skipped or skimmed over.

Ask for Feedback

If you want criticism, just ask. When you have recently updated your site, send an e-mail to existing clients to inform them of the changes and encourage their feedback. Send a tweet inviting criticism from all your followers. Ask friends, family, neighbors – anyone who would be willing to take a minute look at your Web site and offer some critical comments.

Your assessment may pinpoint some areas for improvement; In this case your content may just require some spot-toning tricks. Or, you may discover that your content needs a major overhaul: Web Copy Bootcamp. Before you start stressing about how stressful the redo will be, try to focus on two positives of this negative situation:

1. You are fixing it. Better sooner than later.
2. Most writers will tell you it’s often easier to start from scratch than edit poor copy. You can polish a turd, but it’s still a piece of poop.

Like everything in business, it’s a constant process. You are never “done” with Web content. There can always, always be improvements and updates.

Bulk up your scrawny Web content

Is your Web copy looking puny? (I heard your meat-head competitors teasing it in the locker room.) This blog will give you straight-forward, to-the-point content tips that will whip your words into shape.

First, a bit about your trainer. I am a Web copywriter specializing in marketing-oriented B2B content. I have a marketing background and a passion for writing. I started my journey of intellectual fitness at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. I studied what I loved, without realizing I was following the perfect training schedule for B2B copywriting: creative writing, marketing and journalism. Now, I am living my dream; Playing with words to strengthen my clients’ online presence.

This blog will not gingerly teach you Web writing tactics. Think Hulk Hogan, not Richard Simmons.