What is Copywriting? The Complete DIY Guide for New Service Providers

Copywriting Tips

Aug 1

Written By Emily

Every successful online business has one thing in common: great copywriting.

Not just pretty words, strategic words. The kind that make people feel seen, understood, and ready to buy.

If you’ve ever wondered what copywriting is, or how to write it yourself without hiring a pro, this is for you.

You don’t need to be a “writer” to write copy that sells.

You do need to know how to grab attention, speak your client’s language, and guide them toward working with you. That’s what copywriting is, and it’s one of the most important skills you can learn as a service-based business owner.

This guide breaks it down simply, so you can write words that actually convert, without outsourcing a thing.

What is Copywriting? And Can You DIY It?

Copywriting is simply writing words with a clear purpose: persuading someone to take a specific action, whether that’s subscribing, signing up, or making a purchase. It’s your silent salesperson working behind the scenes.

You might’ve heard that copywriting is for pros with degrees in writing. But here’s the truth:

It’s a skill anyone can learn: You don’t need to be the next Hemingway.
It’s more strategy than artistry: Research, structure, and understanding your audience matter more than perfect prose.
It’s about asking the right questions: What does your ideal client need? What keeps them awake at night? What does success look like through their eyes?

**Why You Can (and Should) Write Your Own Copy**

I spent years as a professional copywriter and editor, and I worked with hundreds of business owners in that time.

If you’ve got the budget to hire a copywriter to handle your website copy, sales pages, and blogs, great! They will save you a ton of time and effort.

But for small business owners? That’s not in the budget.

So, if you’re totally concerned about DIYing your copywriting, here’s the truth behind some common worries I hear all the time:

“I’m not good with words.” You don’t need to write like Shakespeare—just write like your best friend. Clear, authentic language connects.
“It takes ages.” With a framework and simple prompts, you can flesh out a powerful website page in a few hours.
“I’ll just hire someone.” A pro writer costs £1k+. With guidance and templates, you learn and save. Plus, DIY gives you full control and flexibility.
“I’m not an expert.” You absolutely are! You know your service, clients, and results better than anyone. All you need is a digital DIY guide to help you package that knowledge beautifully.

Why is Website Copywriting So Important?

It’s not enough to create a website and wait for the sales to roll in. If your copy isn’t engaging, persuasive, and optimised for conversions, you won’t make consistent sales.

Your website copywriting is what hooks visitors and convinces them to work with you.

You tell me, which of these options is better:

Option #1: Accounting Services for Small Businesses
Option #2: Save £20K a Year for Your Small Business with No-Jargon Accounting Services

Both headlines give you the same information, but the quality of the copy is drastically different.

With just a few tweaks, that headline becomes infinitely more impactful.

Now, think about that impact across your entire website.

Your copywriting will make or break your business. Fortunately for you, I’m here to be your copy-fairy godmother, so your copy is going to make your business.

Want some specific copy tips for service providers? Check out this guide on copywriting for beginners now.

How to Structure Website Copywriting

Before we get into the wording of your website copy, let’s nail the structure with some easy website copywriting principles.

Use Titles to Break up the Content

Each page needs an H1 (and only one). Google uses the H1 to determine the page's topic, and it doesn’t like indexing pages with multiple H1 titles.

After your H1, break up your copy with H2, H3, and H4 titles.

This helps give the page structure. Google uses the other titles throughout the page to categorise the content, so optimise them with keywords for an SEO boost.

Pages without any titles end up with massive chunks of body text that clients will skip over.

Break up the content and make it easier to digest with regular titles.

BONUS TIP

An easy way to get familiar with title structure is with the Google Detailed Chrome extension:

Download the free Detailed extension here
Go to Google and type in a keyword relevant to your services
Click on the top organic link
Click the detailed extension icon under your search bar
Click “headings” next to “overview” in the pop-up

You’ll get a full list of all the titles used on that page. This is great insight into what kind of title structures rank well on Google – use them as inspiration for your own website copywriting.

Learn More: 7 Best Free Keyword Research Tools for SEO

Use Short Paragraphs

We’re taught to write in full paragraphs in English class, but you can throw all those rules out the window for your website.

Stick to short 1-3 sentence paragraphs to make your website copywriting scannable.

About 60% of people visit your website on mobile, so even short paragraphs look like giant chunks of text on a smaller screen.

None of us have the attention span to read every word on a website, so big paragraphs will get totally skipped over.

Section Your Content

Instead of one long website page, break it up into sections that are easier to digest.

On my website, I use coloured backgrounds to break up content and make it much easier for readers to digest.

Each section has a different point or new information to keep the page interesting and flowing. Check out any of my service pages for a visual example!

Head to this next guide to learn how to write an About Page that clients love.

Highlight to Contrast

Use bold, italic, contrasting colours, and larger fonts to highlight headings and important information on different pages.

Your website copywriting should have a clear hierarchy. The eye should go to titles first, then sub-headings, then highlighted text.

Here’s what I mean:

When your eyes scanned over that promo graphic, where did they land first?

I’d bet you read “let’s discover” first, then took in the rest of the title before landing on “adventure in nature”, and then skipped the paragraph and went straight to “we tailor unforgettable experiences…”

That’s the power of bold text. You can’t force your visitors to read every word on your website, but you can direct them to the most important information by making it stand out.

Your Step-by-Step DIY Copy Blueprint

Define your audience – Who you're writing to. What they fear, want, and the real-life language they use.
Clarify your offer – What you’re offering, and why it matters to them.
Write your headlines – Clear, benefit-driven, intriguing.
Structure your page – Problem → Solution → Benefits → Proof → CTA.
Write conversationally – “You,” short sentences, real FAQs.
Add social proof – Testimonials, outcomes, mini case-studies.
End with a strong CTA – Clarity is your friend: “Grab your DIY copy guide here,” “Download it now.”

Website Copywriting Best Practices

Next, let’s go over some of my top tips for writing your website copy. We’re aiming for engaging, persuasive, and confident. But how do you achieve that?

Focus on Results

As a service provider, it’s easy to think of the features of your service as the benefits.

You spend so long crafting your offers and putting your blood, sweat, and tears into your service, so the deliverables are the selling point of your website copywriting, right?

Not so much.

People don’t care about your service's features; they care about its benefits, outcomes, and results.

It’s not just a 40-page productivity workbook – it’s how your client will finally feel accomplished at the end of each week.
It’s not just 50 high-res brand photos—it’s everything your client needs to make their website look stunningly professional.
It’s not just a weekly 1:1 coaching call – it’s how your clients can skip all the newbie mistakes and fast-track their business growth.

Make sure you read my guide on service page mistakes to avoid the most common copy pitfalls!

Make Your Page Titles Attention-Grabbing

You’ve got seconds to grab your visitor’s attention, so your headline needs to be on point.

Bland and forgettable website copywriting isn’t an option. You need to immediately let visitors know:

What your services are
Who your services are for
What differentiates you from other service providers

Yep, that’s a lot to pack into one headline.

Let’s redesign that travel example above to show you how to nail all that info in one header:

Rethink Weak Language

Clients are looking for experts who know what they’re talking about. If your website copywriting is weak or unsure, it’s going to drive them away.

But what is weak copywriting?

Filler words – maybe, just, sometimes, could, a lot
Opinion words — “in my opinion”, “i think”
Fluff – extra wording that doesn’t add to the main point

This one isn’t a hard and fast rule. Don’t just do a ctrl+F and wipe out every “maybe” you have on your website.

But when you read your content back, ask yourself, “Is the phrasing as strong as it could be?”

Before: I truly believe that you can get results with just a little time and effort.
After: You can get outstanding results by committing 3-5 hours a month.

Ask Questions

An easy way to get your clients to connect with your content is to phrase your copy in the form of questions.

Rather than: Get your first 10K email subscribers
Try: Ready to welcome 10K email subscribers to your list?

This gives your readers a chance to think, “Yes!” Which gets them primed to work with you.

Include Active Verbs + Interesting Adjectives

This is my favourite tip and an easy one to make your copy binge-worthy.

Make your copy interesting and active with adjectives and verbs.

Kickstart your investing journey with the seriously simple stock roadmap.
Unlock oodles of value inside the sought-after member’s vault.
Say goodbye to stress and hello to spine-tingling relaxation with the mindful podcast.

Whenever you’re writing your copy, ask yourself, “Is this active? Is this interesting?”

If you don’t get two big ol’ checkmarks, keep working on it!

Introducing: The Booked-Out Website Kit (Your Shortcut)

You don’t have to figure this all out from scratch. That’s where the Booked-Out Website Kit comes in:

Step-by-step prompts to guide every section of your page.
Filling-in-the-blank templates so words flow faster.
Real-world examples that you can swipe and model.
Formatting cheatsheets to make your copy look polished.
Editing checklist so you hit the finish line with confidence.

Instead of paying £1,000+ for a pro writer, you can:

Craft your own high-converting copy.
Learn a skill you can reuse anytime.
Save money AND gain control.

Yes, writing your own copy takes intentional work. But with the right support, it's 100% doable—and more rewarding than outsourcing.

Imagine the satisfaction when you publish a page that you alone wrote and it actually earns the results you hoped for.

Explore the Booked-Out Website Kit here and discover how easily your words can start working for you—and your business.

Copywriting FAQs

Direct response copywriting is when you write content that makes people take a specific action. Your service page is an example of direct response copywriting because you want visitors to reach out and hire you. That's the direct response you're aiming for with your copy.
Freelance copywriting is when you're paid to write high-converting copy for a brand but you're not a full-time employee. You're paid per project or on a monthly retainer, but you don't get any of the normal employee benefits.
Creative copywriting is when you come up with interesting copy concepts for marketing or social media campaigns. The wording can be funny, engaging, shocking, or impactful. But the goal is to make sales.
SEO copywriting is when you write content with the aim of showing up in Google searches. By included keywords and structuring the copy for SERPs, you help boost traffic to a specific website page.