Website and Blog Copywriting for People Who Write Their Own Pages
Most website and blog copy describes the business instead of speaking to a reader. Visitors read 2 lines, can’t tell whether the page is for them and leave.
I rewrote this book from scratch to fix that one page at a time, from the homepage to the last line of a blog post, with a worked rewrite and an exercise in almost every chapter.
- 16 chapters
- in 4 parts, about 120 pages
- 14 rewrites
- before and after, with notes
- 16 exercises
- one at the end of every chapter
- 1 checklist
- plus a swipe file and a glossary
Why Most Web Copy Gets Ignored and what this book teaches instead
Copy written for everyone reads as if it was written for nobody. The fix is a set of decisions you make before and while you write.
How web copy usually gets written
- “We are a passionate team delivering innovative solutions,” which fits every company and tells the visitor nothing.
- A page aimed at every possible reader, so it speaks to none of them.
- Keywords bolted on afterwards until the page reads like it was written for a machine.
- Buttons labeled “Submit” and “Learn More”, so the visitor has to guess what happens.
- A recap and “Happy blogging!” where the next step should be.
What the book teaches instead
- One reader per page, described in their own words.
- A decided message: the promise, the proof and the objections, settled before the first line.
- A first screen that says what it is, who it is for, what it does and what to do next.
- Buttons that say what happens, such as “Book a 20-minute call.”
- Endings that give one judgment or one next action, then stop.
16 Chapters in 4 Parts in the order you would use them
The book follows a page from the first decision to the published copy. Each chapter opens with a common problem, explains the fix and ends with an exercise for your own site.
Before You Write
- What Copy Has to Do
- Know the Reader First
- Decide the Message
Website Copy
- The Homepage
- The About Page
- Product and Service Pages
- Landing and Sales Pages
- Buttons, CTAs and Microcopy
Blog Copy
- Titles and Headlines
- Introductions
- The Body
- Writing for Search and AI Answers
- Endings and the Next Step
Editing and Testing
- Editing Line by Line
- AI Writing Tools
- Testing Copy Honestly
At the back: a copy review checklist, a before-and-after swipe file, a glossary and the books I would read next.
Look Inside the Book real pages from the second edition
Chapter 4, The Homepage, is free to read in full before you buy. It shows exactly how every chapter works.
What’s New in the Second Edition
Every chapter is new
The first edition was a 27-page primer. This edition covers each page type in depth, from the homepage to the last line of a blog post.
Built to use, not just read
It has 14 before-and-after rewrites, 16 end-of-chapter exercises, 20 comparison tables, a copy review checklist and a swipe file.
Search, AI and testing
New chapters cover writing for search and AI answers, using AI writing tools carefully and running A/B tests you can trust.
Who This Book Is For and who should skip it
Worth reading if
- You write your own homepage, About page or service pages.
- You run a blog and want posts that earn the click and lead somewhere.
- You build sites for clients who hand you weak copy or none at all.
- You have a page that gets traffic and no sign-ups, bookings or sales.
- You want plain steps you can apply this week, with exercises to check your work.
Look elsewhere if
- You already write direct-response sales letters for a living. You will know most of this.
- You want guaranteed conversion lifts. The worked examples use made-up businesses, so none of them comes with a result.
- You need keyword research or technical SEO. The book stays at page level.
- Your offer or traffic is the real problem. Better copy cannot fix the wrong product or the wrong visitors.
- You want a print copy today. The second edition is on Kindle first.
Get the Second Edition
$4.99 on Kindle
Kindle edition · 16 chapters, about 120 pages · Amazon shows your local price before you buy
- Pick one reader for each page and write in their own words
- Write a homepage first screen that answers 4 questions in seconds
- Turn features into outcomes on product and service pages
- Write button labels, forms and error messages that say what happens next
- Write blog titles, introductions and endings that lead somewhere useful
- Edit in 3 passes and test copy without fooling yourself
The first edition (2024) was a short primer co-written with Siddharth Sharma. This edition is a complete rewrite by me, so you get the full method in one book.
Payment and delivery happen on Amazon. The Amazon link is an affiliate link, so I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How to Get the Most From It one page at a time
- 1
Read Part 1 first
It takes an evening and gives you the reader, the message and the proof that every later chapter uses.
You leave with: a one-page message brief.
- 2
Pick your worst page
Choose the page with traffic and no action. That’s where a rewrite shows results fastest.
You leave with: one page worth fixing.
- 3
Work through its chapter
Read the chapter for that page type, then do the exercise at the end on your own copy.
You leave with: a rewritten page.
- 4
Run the checklist
Check the new draft against the copy review checklist before you publish it.
You leave with: a review pass you can repeat on every page.
Buying Questions answered plainly
Still unsure? Read Chapter 4 first. It’s free and shows how the whole book works.
What’s different from the first edition?
Everything. The first edition was a 27-page primer published in 2024. I rewrote the second edition from scratch, and it now covers each page type in depth, with 14 before-and-after rewrites, 16 exercises and new chapters on search, AI writing tools and testing.
Can I read some of it before I buy?
Yes. Chapter 4, The Homepage, is free to download as a 12-page PDF on this page. It shows exactly how every chapter works.
Does it cover writing for AI search?
Yes. Chapter 12 covers writing clear answers that search engines and AI tools such as Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT search can quote. Chapter 15 covers using AI writing tools without losing your voice.
Are the examples from real businesses?
No. The businesses in the worked examples are made up and labeled that way, so you can focus on the copy. The rules, numbers and sources in the book are real.
Who isn’t it for?
Professional copywriters who already write direct-response sales letters for a living. It’s written for people who write their own site and blog copy.
Do I need anything else with it?
A page of your own to rewrite. If you want the strategy around the writing, Marketing Essentials for Bloggers covers positioning, topic strategy and conversion.
Hey, I’m Gaurav
I spent years writing web copy that described what I’d built and wondered why nobody responded to it. The fix, when it finally landed, was embarrassingly simple: decide who the page is for and write to that person. The first edition of this book, co-written with Siddharth Sharma, was that lesson in short form. The second edition is the full version.
- 18 years building on the web, and a WordPress Core Contributor
- 2,000+ articles published on gauravtiwari.org
- 850+ clients served through my agency, Gatilab
Rewrite the Page That’s Losing You Readers starting with your homepage
Read Part 1 in an evening, then spend the next one rewriting your worst page for one specific reader.
From the Workbench
Notes on WordPress, publishing, search, and independent products, sent when something real comes off my bench.