| Quick answer:
• Website copywriting for a redesign means writing each page’s message, structure and proof before design starts, so the designer builds around real website copy instead of placeholder text. • The process has four steps: set a message hierarchy, write a copy brief for each page type, place proof where buyers hesitate, and test the copy before launch. |
Website copywriting covers every word a visitor reads on your site, from headlines and body copy to proof points and calls to action. Each page should have a clear purpose: helping the right buyer understand your offer and decide what to do next.
In a redesign, that purpose needs to be clear before the layout takes shape. When the copy is still missing, designers have to guess how much space each section needs, which messages deserve prominence, and where supporting evidence belongs.
The copy doesn’t need to be final before design starts. It needs to be real.
A working draft, built around a clear brief, gives the designer enough direction to establish the page structure, content hierarchy and visual emphasis. The wording can evolve during design, but the underlying message should already be clear.
Also Read: Website Redesign Checklist: Evaluate Before You Redesign
Before you start, gather the three things only the business owner can provide
Before you start, gather the three things only the business owner can provide.
• Why customers choose you over the alternative. Not your feature list. The reason your best customers give when they renew, refer or upgrade.
• The objections that stall a sale. The questions your sales or support team answers every week: price, time to results, switching effort, “is this for someone like me?”
• Your proof inventory. Outcome numbers, testimonials, case studies, client logos, review scores. List what exists, even if it’s scattered.
You don’t have to write any of it yourself. A 90-minute interview, recorded and handed to whoever drafts the copy, usually gets more out of a founder than weeks of “I’ll write the homepage this weekend.” Your job is to supply the truth and sign off, not to draft every page.
If your positioning itself feels unsettled, fix that first. Our guide to value proposition design for high-growth businesses covers it in depth, so the copy process starts from a message you already believe. With those inputs in hand, the first step is deciding what the whole site says.
How a Course Business Builds Its Message Hierarchy
Imagine an online learning business with 40 professional development courses. Most pages promise “expert instructors,” “flexible learning,” and “career growth.” Yet prospective learners struggle to understand what makes each course worth choosing.
Here’s how the business can turn its customer insights into a message hierarchy.
Step 1: Set a message hierarchy so every page knows its one job
1. Start with what the business knows about its customers
From customer interviews, enrollment questions, and sales conversations, identify:
- Why learners enroll: They want practical skills they can apply at work.
- What makes them hesitate: They’re unsure whether the course will deliver useful, job-relevant skills.
- What helps them decide: Course projects, clear learning outcomes, and a detailed syllabus.
2. Turn those insights into one primary message
3. Establish three supporting messages and the proof each needs
| Customer insight | Supporting message | Proof to prepare |
| Learners want skills they can apply at work | Learn by doing, not just watching | Actual course projects and exercises |
| Learners need to know what they will gain | Know exactly what you’ll learn | Specific curriculum and learning outcomes |
| Learners need learning to fit around work | Fit learning around your work | Verified course format and access details |
4. Give each important page a distinct job
- Homepage: Establish the practical-learning promise and guide visitors toward relevant courses.
- Course catalog: Help learners find courses suited to their roles and skill goals.
- Individual course page: Explain what learners will be able to do after completing that specific course.
- Pricing or enrollment page: Clarify what’s included and address concerns before purchase.
That’s the hierarchy on paper, for a fictional business. Here’s how it played out for a real course business that knew exactly what it taught, but whose website wasn’t saying it in the words its buyers use.
| Case snapshot: Framework Investing
The business: Founder Erik Kobayashi-Solomon sells expert-led online options trading courses to options-aware investors and traders. Every course is built on his own analytical framework. The challenge: The course library kept growing, but sales slowed and engagement dropped. The site had almost no search visibility, its landing pages lost the visitors who did arrive, and there was no existing audience to fall back on. The hardest part was the message: keeping Erik’s framework-first approach while speaking in the words his buyers search for and trust. What we did: 1. Started with the buyer: We ran a competitive analysis of what works in options education, then matched problem-aware and solution-aware content to real search intent. The result: Organic impressions grew from 798 to 17,600 in a year (a 2,105% increase), with 65% more website visitors and 84% more active users.“High-quality work at a modest price.” Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Founder, Framework Investing What this means for your redesign: Erik didn’t change what he teaches. The site changed how it says it: in the buyer’s language, page by page. That’s the job your message hierarchy does in Step 1. |
What comes out of this step
One shared website message, three supporting arguments with proof requirements, and a defined job for each page.
Next, we’ll take the Data Analytics for Marketing Professionals course page and turn its assigned job into a copy brief.
| Quick recap: your next steps
• Write your primary message; it should be short and crisp, ideal length: 1 sentence. |
Step 2: Write a Copy Brief for Each Page Type Before Anyone Opens Figma
In Step 1, our fictional online learning business established its primary message: “Build practical skills you can put to work.” It also gave every page a specific job.
Now, we’ll take one of its 40 courses, Data Analytics for Marketing Professionals, and turn that page’s job into a copy brief the writer and designer can actually use.
1. Start with the page’s assigned job
Help marketing professionals decide whether this course will teach them practical data analysis skills they can use in their work.
2. Fill in the decisions that will guide the copy
| Brief field | What goes into the brief |
| Target reader | Marketers responsible for campaign reporting who want stronger data analysis skills |
| Core message | Learn to turn marketing data into clearer campaign decisions |
| Buyer objection | “Will I actually be able to apply this to my job?” |
| Proof required | Real course projects, practical exercises, detailed syllabus |
| Primary action | View Course Curriculum |
3. Define the content order and word budget
| Page section | Purpose | Copy or asset requirement |
| Hero | Communicate the learning outcome | H1 of 8–12 words, supporting copy of 30–45 words, primary CTA |
| What you’ll learn | Show practical skills gained | 3–5 specific learning outcomes |
| Course projects | Demonstrate real-world application | 2–3 examples of actual exercises or projects |
| Curriculum | Explain what the course covers | Scannable modules and topics |
| Enrollment | Resolve final purchase concerns | Course inclusions, relevant proof and CTA |
Hero supporting copy: approximately 30–45 words. The limits are starting guidelines, not fixed design constraints.
The result of Step 2
A one-page copy brief that tells the writer what the page must communicate and tells the designer how much content to accommodate, in what order.
Next: We’ll take the objections identified in this brief and map the supporting evidence to the exact points where learners may hesitate.
| Quick recap: your next steps
• Start with your highest-revenue page type, such as your best-selling course or product page. |
Turning your page briefs into a cohesive website
A clear brief gives every page direction. The next challenge is translating that structure into a design that makes the message, proof and next step easy to follow. ‘
Step 3: Place Proof Where Your Buyer Hesitates, Not Where There’s Empty Space
Now, we’ll use that objection, along with other likely enrollment concerns, to create a proof placement map for the course page.
1. Identify where the learner may hesitate
Follow the learner’s decision-making journey:
- After reading the course promise: “Will I actually learn something useful?”
- While reviewing the curriculum: “Does this cover the skills I need?”
- Before enrolling: “Is this course worth paying for?”
2. Match each hesitation with relevant evidence
| Learner’s concern | Evidence to prepare |
| Will I learn practical skills? | A real course project showing the type of work learners complete |
| Does it cover what I need? | Detailed syllabus and specific learning outcomes |
| Is it worth the investment? | Verified learner feedback and clear enrollment inclusions |
3. Position the proof beside the decision it supports
| Page section | Decision stage | Content to include | Proof placement |
| Hero | First impression | Course outcome and primary CTA | Preview of a real course project near the main promise |
| Curriculum | Course evaluation | Modules, topics and learning outcomes | Actual exercises mapped to the skills taught |
| Enrollment | Purchase decision | Course inclusions, pricing and enrollment CTA | Verified learner testimonial and clear details of what’s included |
4. Check what’s available before handing it to design
- Ready to use: Approved course syllabus and actual learning outcomes.
- Needs confirmation: Permission to show a real course project.
- Needs sourcing: Relevant learner testimonial, with permission to publish.
These availability statuses are illustrative. In a real project, they must be confirmed against the business’s proof inventory.
Related Read: Website Credibility Design: Create a Site That Builds Trust
The result of Step 3
A page-level proof map showing which evidence belongs beside each key buyer decision, what is ready to use, and what still needs to be sourced.
Next: In Step 4, we’ll combine the message hierarchy, page brief and proof map to write the actual course-page copy that gets handed to the designer.
| Quick recap: your next steps
• List the three moments a buyer hesitates on your key page: after the promise, while evaluating, and before paying. |
Step 4: Hand the Designer Real Draft Copy, Not Lorem Ipsum
Learn to analyze campaign performance, identify what drives results, and communicate your findings with confidence. Build practical skills through marketing datasets and hands-on exercises designed around real reporting decisions.
1. Turn the core message into a headline and supporting copy
2. Write the remaining sections in the order established by the brief
| Page section | Draft copy | Proof and design instructions |
| Hero | Headline: Build practical marketing analytics skills you can use at work. Supporting copy: Learn to analyze campaign performance, identify what drives results, and communicate your findings with confidence. Build practical skills through marketing datasets and hands-on exercises designed around real reporting decisions. CTA: View Course Curriculum | Keep the CTA visible and include a preview of a real course project |
| What you’ll learn | Analyze campaign data, identify performance trends, and turn findings into actionable recommendations. | Use specific, verified learning outcomes |
| Course projects | Put your learning into practice by building a marketing performance dashboard. | Show an actual project or exercise |
| Curriculum | Explore campaign metrics, working with datasets, performance analysis, and communicating insights. | Use the actual modules and topics |
| Enrollment | Build the confidence to make better-informed marketing decisions. | Add verified learner feedback and clear enrollment inclusions |
Note: These are illustrative drafts. Course projects, modules, outcomes and testimonials must be verified against the actual course materials before publication.
3. Add the proof and supporting content identified in Step 3
Rather than placing all evidence in one testimonial section, include it alongside the relevant copy:
- Below the hero: A preview of an actual course project.
- Within the curriculum: Specific exercises and learning outcomes linked to each module.
- Beside enrollment: An approved learner testimonial and a clear list of course inclusions.
If your redesign is waiting on copy, plan it with a team that writes, designs and builds together →
4. Package the copy for the designer
| Element | Instruction |
| Headline | Preserve the approved wording; allow approximately two lines on desktop |
| Supporting copy | One paragraph, approximately 30–45 words |
| Primary CTA | View Course Curriculum |
| Section sequence | Hero → Learning outcomes → Projects → Curriculum → Enrollment |
| Visual assets | Course project preview and actual curriculum examples |
| Missing proof | Clearly marked placeholders until evidence is verified |
| Mobile layout | Retain message, proof, and CTA order; avoid hiding critical content |
A package like this lets the designer build around the message instead of guessing at it. Forma Edtech shows what that looks like in practice: the founder’s copy was ready before design began, and every design decision was made to support it.
| Case snapshot: Forma Edtech
The business: Forma Edtech, founded by Ron Wysochansky, teaches corporate finance to senior finance professionals: people who “allocate capital for a living” and judge credibility in seconds. The challenge: Forma had no website yet. Ron’s content was ready, but a template layout would have read like “generic consumer SaaS” and made Forma look like “just another course platform.” The brief was for a site that felt “premium, minimal and editorial.” What we did: 1. Started from the real copy: We used Ron’s existing words and images as the foundation, with the aim to “lift them, not relitigate them.” The result: Launched in five months, on time and on brief, with a site that reads like a finance publication rather than a course platform. What this means for your redesign: Because the copy existed before design began, every layout decision could serve the message instead of guessing at it. That’s the handoff Step 4 is built for. |
The result of Step 4
A complete working copy draft with its content hierarchy, CTA, proof requirements, and layout guidance documented.
The designer can now create the page around real content rather than guessing how many words, sections, or supporting visuals it will eventually need.
Also Read: Why most homepages don’t convert to learn how to spot conversion issues before launch.
| Quick recap: your next steps
• Write working drafts for your homepage and top three revenue pages first. |
Planning improvements beyond the redesign?
Copy testing can reveal what needs to change, but keeping a website useful after launch takes ongoing attention, too.
Test your website copy before launch, not after the traffic arrives
You can test website copy before a single page is built. The goal is to find out whether real buyers understand what you sell, who it’s for and what to do next, while changes still cost minutes instead of a design revision.
Four tests that work well for growing businesses:
1. The five-second test. Show a customer the draft homepage for five seconds, then ask what you sell and who it’s for.
2. The read-back. Ask someone outside your team to read a product or course page and explain it back to you. Gaps in their explanation are gaps in the copy.
3. The reading-level check. Run each draft through a readability checker and simplify anything written at a professional level.
4. The staged page. Launch one key page early as a standalone landing page and send a small slice of traffic to it. We can help you stage your key pages as landing pages before the full site goes live.
These tests work best when your core message is clear and you can evaluate individual pages. But if your redesign involves multiple page types, proof scattered across the business, and messaging that’s still evolving, copy and layout may need to take shape together rather than in separate stages.
That’s where an integrated process helps. At WisdmLabs, copy, design, and development work together, bringing briefs, drafts, and design reviews into the same workflow.
| Is your copy ready for the designer? A 6-question check
Answer yes or no to each question. 1. Can you say, in one sentence, why your best customers choose you over the alternative? (Y/N) 2. Does every page in your new sitemap have a written, one-line job? (Y/N) 3. Is there a brief for each page type, including the objections it must answer? (Y/N) 4. Is your proof (numbers, testimonials, case studies) mapped to specific pages? (Y/N) 5. Is there real draft copy for the homepage and your top three revenue pages? (Y/N) 6. Has someone outside your team read the draft and told you back what you sell? (Y/N) 5 to 6 yes (Write it in-house): your inputs are ready. Hand the briefs over and let design start. 3 to 4 yes (Bring in a copywriter): the foundation is there. Close the specific gaps before the first design review. 0 to 2 yes (Copy and design together): the copy needs to be built alongside the layout, not handed over to it. Plan a content-first redesign → |
FAQ
How long does website copywriting take in a redesign?
For a growing business, plan on three to six weeks of copy work for a typical redesign. That’s about a week for the owner interview and message hierarchy, one to three weeks of drafting depending on how many page types you have, and time for review rounds. Starting copy before design keeps that time off the critical path.
How much of the website copy should the business owner write?
Usually very little. The owner’s job is to supply the reasons customers buy, the objections and the proof, then approve the drafts. Owners who try to write every page themselves often become the reason a project stalls, which is why conversion-focused web design builds the owner interview into the process.
Can we use AI to write our website copy?
AI can speed up first drafts once the briefs exist, but it can’t supply what makes your copy credible: your real customer reasons, objections and proof. Use it to draft and tighten, then edit hard for jargon and anything generic. A page that could describe any competitor won’t convert for you.
How many words should each page of website copy have?
Fewer than most teams expect. Unbounce’s 2024 benchmark data puts the median-converting education landing page at about 363 words, and its ecommerce analysis found that pages under 300 words tend to convert best. Homepages and product pages can run longer when every section answers a real buyer question.
