Copywriting tends to be an underappreciated art in web design and marketing.
Words can look boring next to fancy designs and animations. But here’s the thing about copywriting on managed service provider (MSP) websites: a poorly designed website can still perform decently with great copywriting, whereas a wonderfully designed website will almost certainly fall flat if the copywriting is bad.
At Tech Pro Marketing – my MSP web and marketing company – we’ve built hundreds of websites. This is one of the most important realities we instill in our clients before we begin a website build. More importantly, every step of the design is done to highlight the copy.
But this approach only works if the copywriting is A+.
Text on a website may not look flashy, but it’s one of the most crucial elements in an MSP’s business ecosystem. In this post, I want to explain what A-level website copy looks like to an MSP – and the role it plays. Let’s get started.
It knows its role in the business
This probably sounds a little obvious – but you’d be surprised how often the role of copywriting gets misconstrued on MSP websites.
The purpose of an MSP website is not to educate people on all the nuts and bolts of the services you provide. This can be saved for a sales call – or you can send a prospect educational material about this later in the onboarding process.
The primary role of an MSP website is to book strategy calls.
To achieve this, the copy on the website needs to be crystal clear in explaining the who, what, where, why, and how.
For an MSP, this would involve:
- Who – the target clients you serve (example: growing businesses in the Dallas, TX area).
- What – the main services you provide (example: security-focused managed IT services).
- Where – the location you serve (example: Dallas-Fort Worth area).
- Why – the reasons businesses should work with you over the next IT company (example: 20 years in business, 200+ happy clients, 10-second average response time, etc.).
- How – a way to get in touch with you (CTA button to schedule a consultation).
If your copy covers these bases with 100 percent clarity, you’re a big step ahead of many MSPs.
It instantly adds credibility to the MSP
What makes SmarterMSP.com a credible website?
The copy on the blogs and website is error-free, concise, and professional.
When I entered the job market, it was a common notion that any typos, grammatical errors, or mistakes on a resume or cover letter would instantly send your application to the trash can.
As a business owner who has hired and fired people, I can affirm this is true. When I see a cover letter, resume, or introduction email with errors, it tells me the prospective employee doesn’t care about the quality of their work.
The same logic applies to your MSP website; an error here could send a hot lead to your competitor.
Your website is the first impression many client prospects have with your MSP. When you invest in A-level copywriting, it shows that you value quality and do not cut corners. Poorly written copy says the opposite. In other words, the website copy is a subtle indication of what they can expect if they hire you.
It’s easy to read
This one boils down to best practices. Readability is key in any website copywriting project.
A-level copy follows a handful of rules:
- Sentences are concise with little to no fluff.
- Most sentences are no more than 20 words.
- Paragraphs are no longer than 3-4 lines.
- Bullet points are used when necessary.
- There are no more than 2-3 paragraphs in a row without a section header.
Generally speaking, people don’t spend a whole lot of time on web pages – and no one likes to read a big wall of text. Your MSP’s website copy needs to get the main points across clearly and be easy to scan.
It focuses on benefits over technical nuances
This is a big one. A really big one.
When you’re speaking to a prospective client, you’re not (usually) speaking to another IT expert. Business owners hire MSPs to deal with all the technical aspects of keeping their computers running seamlessly day after day.
In other words, the IT industry jargon shouldn’t be plastered all over your website.
Instead of focusing on your “cutting-edge” network monitoring capabilities or “advanced ticketing software,” discuss how these capabilities add genuine value to a business. For example, this may involve promoting “99.8 percent average client uptime”, “6-second average response time”, “10K+ cyber threats stopped”, and so on.
At the end of the day, most of your prospective clients don’t care about the tools you use.
When you hire a plumber, do you care about what kind of wrenches they use? No, you just want to know your pipes won’t leak.
The same logic applies to IT clients. They want to know their systems will not get hacked, will work perfectly day after day, and will help them grow. Your copy needs to clearly communicate this.
Over to you
The copy on your MSP website plays a key role in turning interest into paying clients. The saying “you get what you pay for” especially applies to copywriting – there’s no way around it.
If you’re on a tight budget, we recommend investing the bulk of your money into A-level copywriting. If you have exceptional copy, the design can be simple.
Is your MSP website not giving you the results you want?
My web team can help. Send me a message on LinkedIn or get in touch through my website.
Photo: PeopleImages Yuri A / Shutterstock
