Latest / Talk Copy to Me | Content + Copywriting Podcast / Your Website Doesn't Need a Rewrite. It Needs an Edit

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Your Website Doesn't Need a Rewrite. It Needs an Edit · Talk Copy to Me | Content + Copywriting Podcast

• 0:00
  I am on a mission to help business owners stop being embarrassed to share their website with leads.
• 0:08
  As a website copywriter, my done-for-you services make that very easy for the people who know that they need a full rebrand and website copy to go with the design that they're planning.
• 0:20
  But for so many other businesses, the question is, what do you do if you want to improve your website, but you do not want to invest thousands or tens of thousands, depending on what you need?
• 0:33
  I think I have the answer for that.
• 0:36
  Here is something that I have said on many sales calls over the past decade.
• 0:42
  "I don't think you actually need to start from scratch." And every time I say it, I watch the person who is on the other end of the video call look at me, and it seems as if they kind of relax a little.
• 0:55
  And then though, they almost immediately get stressed again because they ask me the same question.
• 1:02
  "Okay, so if I don't need a full website copywriting project, what do I do?" I've tested many different answers to that question.
• 1:13
  Sometimes I've worked with people on copy coaching mentorships, where we, we have spent a month together working on marketing assets, like a website,.
• 1:22
  For others, I've scheduled strategy sessions.
• 1:26
  I have planned strategy and then involved some editing with that.
• 1:32
  And while I love copy coaching, and it's not anything that I'm removing from my business, there's one thing I noticed that was the biggest reason why people didn't want to purchase or invest in copy coaching, let's say, and that's because they didn't want to do the work themself.
• 1:50
  In this episode of Talk Copy to Me, I am gonna talk about a relatively new service that I'm offering in my business.
• 1:59
  It's called The Site Edit, and I have been testing it since this summer, and it's officially open to everyone now.
• 2:07
  In this episode, I want to talk about, one, obviously what it is, why I created it, who it is for, and what the process of working with me on a site e-edit actually looks like.
• 2:22
  Next week, make sure you come on back on Thursday because my first Site Edit client, Kristin O'Loughlin, came on the show and I interviewed her about what the experience was actually like for her.
• 2:37
  And I think she has a really good perspective because she works in branding and web design.
• 2:43
  So she's kind of the, opposite end of my coin, and it's really helpful to hear about her experience . If you think that Site Edit might be a good investment for you.
• 2:54
  Before I jump into anything like the deliverables or the process for Site Edit projects, I wanna start with why I created it, because Site Edit actually came straight from you.
• 3:08
  Well, maybe not you exactly, but from my audience of the podcast, from the leads that I had that were interested in, either full copywriting projects or very specifically the last round of Rewrite Your Site.
• 3:24
  The objections that I heard more than once were things like, "Well, what if I don't need a full refresh of my website?" Or, "I really like my brand personality and I don't wanna change the tone of my website, but in, in all honesty, these offers just aren't current anymore." Or the opposite, quite frankly, "All of the information is on my site, but it sounds completely boring and blah, and that's why I'm not getting more conversions." Which brings me to Site Edit specifically, something that I heard from my audience was, "I don't know if I want to invest in an entire program just to fix the site." Now, all of those objections and concerns are valid.
• 4:12
  I have reviewed many websites over the years, and what I've noticed is not all of them need brand-new words.
• 4:20
  They don't need to burn everything down to begin again.
• 4:24
  What they do need is the right words and in the right order.
• 4:28
  They need headlines that work for, buyers who are skimming and ready to purchase.
• 4:34
  They need a clear step toward action, whether it's a conversion, like a sale conversion, or an engagement, such as booking a discovery call.
• 4:45
  And they need a voice that's,, relevant and clear for their business and brand.
• 4:52
  Maybe they need to turn it up a notch or turn it down.
• 4:55
  And additionally, another thing that a lot of sites that I see need is they need to be more concise, , and consider the user experience.
• 5:05
  . But again, here's a problem I ran into.
• 5:08
  If someone came to me with a pretty good website and I told them that they didn't need a full copywriting project, where did that leave them?
• 5:16
  Where did that leave me as well, right?
• 5:18
  , I'm fine with losing a lead because I do not wanna take someone's money if it is not a good investment for them.
• 5:24
  But I still feel like in those situations where I turned people away or, encouraged them to take a different route, they were still stuck a bit.
• 5:35
  So sure, it's great that you don't need to pay all of that money for a website copywriter, but what do you need?
• 5:41
  Maybe it's SEO, right?
• 5:42
  Maybe you need to invest on some adjustment of the words so that way you can get ideal leads onto your site.
• 5:49
  Maybe your SEO is great, but there are zero conversions happening, and we need to look at things like your calls to action.
• 5:55
  , Or maybe people just have no clue how to traverse around your site.
• 5:58
  Like, they don't know where to go, and there's just too many words to figure that out on their own.
• 6:03
  So the option for these type of clients would be to basically DIY it, take a course or a program or purchase a template, or again, hire a copywriter who is gonna charge them for a full website project but only do about half of the work.
• 6:20
  … Well, let me add one more thing there too.
• 6:21
  I think another problem is that even if the words needed a little bit more of an adjustment, it's not just the copywriter you're paying.
• 6:30
  If you do a lot of rewriting to your website, you very likely have to bring back the web designer to do more work, because if we are changing,, the wireframe of the page, the design changes as well Okay, I've set the scene with what issue my audience was facing, but why the Site Edit specifically?
• 6:54
  There are for sure a lot of people who like to learn and do it themselves.
• 6:59
  I have fallen in that camp for certain things in my business where I would rather purchase a program so I could gain knowledge about something I didn't have, previous experience in, and then do that work,, on my own.
• 7:12
  And I will always have room for those type of people in my business.
• 7:16
  However, there have been many times where, I sure as heck don't wanna do the work, or I don't have the time to do the work.
• 7:24
  And in 2026, with so many DIY or done-with-you options out there, what I am seeing is a lot of business owners who are fatigued.
• 7:35
  They don't wanna learn another skill.
• 7:37
  They don't want to add another task to their task list.
• 7:41
  They just want someone who they know and trust, that they know will take over the work, do it for them, make it better so that they can keep running their business while the work gets done, and that's why I built Site Edit.
• 7:55
  Site Edit is a done-for-you service.
• 7:59
  In the Site Edit, I am editing and rewriting the website copy that you already have.
• 8:06
  So you can bring me copy, whether it is live on your site or sitting in a draft that's 90% done and I will then interview, my clients on a strategy kickoff call, getting information out of you that I need to make the adjustments, and then I'm gonna just jump in and do the editing and reorganizing, and potentially even in some instances, rewriting for you.
• 8:31
  Now, here's the tricky part about Site Edit, right?
• 8:34
  Everyone has different needs.. Depending on your site, a Site Edit might look like, , rewriting headlines so that the buyers who are only skimmers will still get the whole story.
• 8:48
  It could be reorganizing pages so that the information shows up where visitors are actually reviewing it, like where they need to receive the information at the right time.
• 9:00
  It could be clarifying the difference between your offers, especially if you have things that are somewhat similar, so that your leads could choose the one that's right for them.
• 9:12
  It could also be making sure that every page has a clear next step, filling in gaps, maybe like missing FAQs or social proof.
• 9:22
  , Again, mentioning personality or style, it could be bringing more of you into the copy, but without overdoing it.
• 9:29
  Or maybe taking a site that used a template originally and adjusting it to make it more your voice and less like a template.
• 9:38
  You see, a lot of what I do in Site Edit is not just making words prettier or more clever.
• 9:46
  It is information architecture.
• 9:48
  It's sales psychology.
• 9:50
  It is user experience.
• 9:53
  It is figuring out how someone moves through your site and then what you're also asking them to do along the way, because pretty, pretty words are not going to do all of the selling for you.
• 10:06
  Clear words with a well-developed strategy and an easy to follow route of what you want your website viewer to do will sell.
• 10:18
  So let's talk about who this type of service is for.
• 10:21
  The Site Edit is for business owners whose website just isn't living up to what they want it to do.
• 10:28
  And that, honestly, that also looks different for everyone.
• 10:32
  You know, maybe your site has all the right information.
• 10:35
  You don't need to add services or products or offers, but it just doesn't sound like you or it doesn't sell well.
• 10:44
  Maybe it sounds like everyone else in your industry and you're just looking for ways to stand out more in your own marketing.
• 10:52
  Alternatively, maybe it does sound like you and you love the tone, but it's not bringing in leads.
• 10:59
  Either people are not booking sales calls or they're not purchasing off the site.
• 11:04
  You get a lot of traffic and then that traffic dies down.
• 11:09
  Because if people are landing on your site, looking around and leaving without taking the next step, you've lost a customer.
• 11:17
  Another type of client who would do really well with a Site Edit is a business that has grown.
• 11:23
  They might even have a pretty quality website for what they were doing recently, but not necessarily for the direction that they're headed in the future.
• 11:33
  It could be that they have new offers, more experience, more confidence, and their website just hasn't caught up with that yet.
• 11:43
  A Site Edit would be great for someone who is in the process of creating A sales page for a new offer that, again, needs to be differentiated from other offers and needs to stand on its own two feet, but also still works well with the site as a whole, , another type of group of people who would do really well with a Site Edit are the DIYers.
• 12:05
  The DIYers who no longer want to DIY, I should say.
• 12:09
  You know, maybe you have done a lot of work to either create or fix your website yourself.
• 12:17
  You have invested the time and energy into watching tutorials, using those fill-in-the-blank templates, or shall I say, 'cause we all know this is happening, that you've used AI to help you write, rewrite, rewrite again, and r- rewrite again and again and again your website copy or content.
• 12:38
  I'm not going to act like AI copywriting isn't happening because it is.
• 12:43
  But I do think that if you have used AI to write your website copy, you are finding out that what you're getting is either too boastful or too bland, or it doesn't sound like you.
• 12:56
  It kind of just sounds like anyone could have written this thing.
• 13:00
  So of all of those scenarios, if any of them sound familiar to you and you'd rather hand off the updating of your website without wrestling with it on your own or without needing to create a ginormous project around it I think the Site Edit will be a good fit.
• 13:19
  I've already touched on who it's for, but I do think it might be important to bring something else up.
• 13:25
  The Site Edit works best when you are clear on two very specific things.
• 13:30
  The first is who you serve, and the second is what you sell.
• 13:36
  If you are still figuring out your offers, your audience, you know, that is strategy work and we would want to start there instead of a fix.
• 13:48
  I have offers for that.
• 13:50
  , If you look at my copy coaching page, you will see that I have one-off calls where we can work on these things or a month-long mentorship.
• 13:58
  But an edit cannot fix a foundation that is not set yet.
• 14:03
  However, if you have that foundation, if you know who you're talking to and what you are selling them, the Site Edit is an excellent opportunity for you to update your website so you're no longer embarrassed about sharing it.
• 14:18
  Or there … You don't put any disclaimers on it when you throw it on a leads, post, let's say on Threads.
• 14:24
  You don't have to say like, "Oh, I haven't edited my, my site in a while," or, "This offer I'm trying to sell you on isn't on my sales page, but I promise I do offer it." I see that all the time and I cringe on the inside for the people who are saying it.
• 14:38
  Why?
• 14:39
  'Cause I have said it myself.
• 14:40
  I will admit to that many times.
• 14:43
  But also because I don't think it has to be that hard when you call in a pro Because remember, you're not DIYing this.
• 14:52
  Of course I'm gonna need your input.
• 14:54
  I have a short survey that I will ask you questions so that I can, you know, gather information from you, and we will do a strategy call to kick off this whole project where I can interview you a bit.
• 15:05
  But that's it.
• 15:06
  Well, maybe I should say you also should be a part of revisions.
• 15:10
  When I send you the copy, you're going to want to review it and give me feedback.
• 15:14
  So there is feedback too.
• 15:16
  But for the hard part, you're not involved.
• 15:18
  You don't have to be, because you are giving me a good source of information to work from, and I get to do the hard work.
• 15:27
  Okay, so are you curious about the logistics?
• 15:30
  Well, the whole thing takes about a week.
• 15:33
  Our time together starts with the strategy session.
• 15:37
  So when you're ready to claim your Site Edit experience, you will pick that kickoff date.
• 15:43
  I will host the call, and about a week after that, I think if I did the math right, most of the times it's about eight days, is when we'll get back together again to do our revision and put a bow right on this project and consider it complete After you have booked that strategy session, I will send you a quick questionnaire.
• 16:05
  I promise it's not extensive, because I don't wanna you to spend your time filling out long surveys when I can just ask you things when we're on a call together.
• 16:15
  But you will fill out your short survey.
• 16:17
  We will meet for our hour-long call, talk about your site, your goals, your offers, and we will decide what is important for your business to prioritize as it relates to the copy.
• 16:32
  There will be no questions about what actually gets done on your project because we will make that determination and you will sign off on that before I write a thing.
• 16:43
  When the call ends, I will upload the video, get you the transcript, and create a scope of work that shows you what pages we've prioritized and what edits on those pages will be happening.
• 16:57
  As soon as you approve that plan, I get started writing.
• 17:01
  Nothing gets written until you approve it, so you know exactly what you get before you, we get started.
• 17:08
  And I also know what I have promised,. So it helps keep me focused and I can work through all of these tasks feeling really good that I've done all that I need to do and if not more if I can.
• 17:21
  Which brings me to the writing.
• 17:23
  I will do the editing on your website over the rest of the week.
• 17:28
  The following Monday, your copy will land in your inbox in a shared Google Doc.
• 17:35
  Now here's where I'm passing the ball back to you because you will read it, react to it, and leave any refinement notes right in the doc.
• 17:45
  I can be a little flexible on dates, so if Mondays don't work for you, don't hesitate to ask me if we can make any adjustments there.
• 17:52
  But back to the actual timeline.
• 17:54
  You get the doc on Monday, you have a day to review it, and then when we meet on Tuesday, , we are going to spend about 30 minutes on a call together going through those refinement requests and editing together so you know that you feel really confident with the final draft of your copy.
• 18:13
  And I wanna just put, like, a little asterisk here, because I have had people ask me who were interested in the beta round of this, like, "What happens if I'm just really happy with your edits?" Like, "What if I don't have any edits to do with you on this review call?" And that has happened before, so now I have a very concrete answer.
• 18:33
  What happens is that we will spend those 30 minutes talking about what comes next.
• 18:37
  Is that a website launch strategy for you?
• 18:40
  Cool.
• 18:41
  Let's try to do that together.
• 18:42
  Is that a training by me on how you can take copy from your website and use it in your social content?
• 18:49
  Is that a creating blog themes that will link throughout your site to improve SEO?
• 18:55
  It's whatever you need, so either we're going to end our time together and put that bookend, , on our project with a call that does editing and reviewing, or we are just going to talk about your marketing and how we can improve on it.
• 19:10
  Think of it like a bonus if you don't need any edits.
• 19:13
  And that's it.
• 19:13
  Just about one week from kickoff to finished website copy.
• 19:19
  Oh, one more thing.
• 19:20
  Let's talk about how to prepare for a project like this, because I think it will help take some pressure off.
• 19:27
  You know, you might be sitting there right now thinking like, "Well, this is a good offer for someone else who actually knows what the heck they're doing, but I just launched a new service and I'm still wrapping my brain around how to talk about it." That's fine.
• 19:39
  You know, you don't have to use the live copy on your website to get an, a Site Edit.
• 19:45
  If you have a finished draft that's in a Google Doc or a 95% finished draft, let's say, that works just as well.
• 19:55
  What you do need is to be clear on what you want.
• 19:59
  Be clear on what you're offering.
• 20:01
  Bring me your bullet points, your notes, half-written sentences.
• 20:06
  Bring me the stuff you're not sure is important, and I will take all of those things and determine what needs to be on the site.
• 20:14
  I will dig through anything you give me and pull out what matters, pull out what helps make the sale It doesn't need to be perfect to hand over to a copywriter.
• 20:26
  Take the pressure off yourself and, you know, make the investment in something that you're going to see immediate results from, which I, like, there is so little in marketing that you will be able to see the ROI.
• 20:38
  And from, from what I've heard from the people who have been Site Edit clients, there is almost an immediate ROI.
• 20:46
  Maybe it's not the ROI, like financially from immediately booking a new client.
• 20:50
  I don't necessarily mean that.
• 20:52
  But it is the confidence, the excitement, and the clarity that they get when they read the copy.
• 21:00
  As I mentioned, you'll hear Kristin next week, and I think one of the things that she says is, I'm paraphrasing completely here, but something to the effect of like, "Everything I gave you was my words, but reading it in your words or your updates legitimizes it a bit, like it makes it very official.
• 21:18
  Like, "I am that expert. I am a great, service provider." I want that for you, you know?
• 21:24
  I mean, those other financial ROIs will come over time.
• 21:28
  Stronger website copy is going to do selling for you, so you can do less selling or less education on your sales calls, and they can truly be vibe checks to make sure you do well together, and you want them as a client, and they want you as a service provider.
• 21:43
  Stronger web copy will sell the products that you have listed on the site.
• 21:48
  I am really excited to offer this up publicly.
• 21:53
  I've worked really hard on, like, ideating this offer, , offering this, adjusting and improving on the plan that I had for a Site Edit, and I feel like it's in such good shape and really ready for anyone who wants to improve their site to just jump on into.
• 22:11
  I have 13 available Site Edit sessions from now until the end of January, and that factors in the time that I have off for the holidays.
• 22:20
  So you could literally start next week and get your site improved and, and get it updated and on your website right away.
• 22:29
  Or you could book yourself in for January of next year to give yourself the time that you need from now until then to make some adjustments, updates, finalize any service changes that you have that are really kind of inspiring this Site Edit.
• 22:45
  So that's it, friends.
• 22:46
  That's the Site Edit, a done-for-you website copy edit for businesses that are almost there.
• 22:54
  If you've been sitting with a website that is fine, but not quite what you want it to be, I would love to help you get it the rest of the way.
• 23:04
  Next week, make sure you join me again so you can hear from Kristin, a brand and website designer who already had website copy that she did like, but she wanted to improve on that copy so she could get more inquiries and more conversions.
• 23:21
  She'll tell you what she tried before working with me, what the process felt like for her, and then also how she felt when she opened that finished copy doc that I sent her, But I won't tell you anymore, so that way you can come back next week and find it all out for yourself.
• 23:39
  See you then, where we will keep talking copy