When done right, a considerable amount of effort is put into how a website will look to visitors—the layout of text and images, what sorts of colors and graphics will be used within the site, and how web surfers will seamlessly transition from one page to the next. Let me start by saying that each and every one of these design aspects is important to a well crafted website and should be given a good amount of time to get them just right. But often, perfecting the website’s copy—the text written for the site—can hold up the entire design process. Without clear, concise text, your website is like a car without wheels: it may end up looking great but it is not driving customers to your business.

Copy hold-ups can come in many forms. One potential delay could come from a client who believes that their company has the time and resources to write the copy themselves. This is one of the most challenging kinds of setbacks. Oftentimes, it’s a cost-saving measure (companies want to save money by doing their own copywriting rather than hiring an outside writer), but it’s not unusual in these cases for the responsibility to get spread around to multiple people within a company, none of whom are dedicated copywriters, and whose individual schedules and other responsibilities prompt them to put off the writing task to get to it when they feel they have extra time. The copy/text for the site is not being written, and so the website designers are left to fill the pages with placeholder text in an effort to continue to move forward with the web design project. Ultimately, the designers need to wait for the company-provided copy to move forward, and everyone ends up frustrated by the delays in the website creation process.

Website design can also be held up by inexperienced copywriters who don’t take the time to learn about the client’s individual business, its target customers, and the things that make that business unique, all of which are important things to know about a company. These inexperienced writers can over-commit their time and under-deliver on the copy. A good copywriter should make an effort to learn as much as possible about all aspects of the client’s business so that they can translate those aspects into customer benefits.

The solution to delays in website copywriting is quite simple: give the responsibility of writing website copy to someone who wants it and who will do the job right, and well, the first time. If you have a talented person within your company who can create dynamite copy and is motivated to the task, give them the responsibility. Those are the people who are great to work with and will rarely cause your project to be delayed. If none of your company’s employees fit these needs, hire an experienced copywriter to simplify the process and take the burden off of your shoulders.  Ultimately, the quality of copy on your site is as important as the overall “look” of your site – make sure you give the responsibility to someone who can get the job done on schedule so the copy does not hold up your website.