So you’re ready to invest in the skills of a professional web copywriter, you clever, and extremely sensible business owner, you. Or perhaps you’re not quite there yet, teetering on the edge of a decision – should you put together some text for your website yourself, saving a chunk of hard-earned cash, or should you outsource the (often arduous) task of web copywriting to someone more qualified than yourself (we can’t all be good at everyfink’ right?).

Wherever you’re at in the decision making process around hiring a web copywriter, there’s probably one question that will carry a lot of weight, perhaps making the difference between a hard yes, and a hell no…

How much does a website copywriter cost?

Prices for Website Copywriting Can Vary – a Lot!

The answer to your million dollar question – how much does a website copywriter cost – isn’t simple. Nothing ever is. How will it cost to hire a website copywriter? How long is a piece of string, mate?

Website copywriters come in all shapes, and sizes, with different skill sets, and levels of experience. So it stands to reason that how much hiring a website copywriter costs will depend on a number of factors.

For starters, if you run a business in particularly complex niche, you may want to consider hiring a web copywriter who works exclusively in your industry. Perhaps a sensible decision, but certainly one that’s going to mean a bigger financial investment.

You may also want to work with a web copywriter who has built up several years of experience, and can show samples of working on web copy with a range of clients, helping them achieve a standout tone of voice, and engaging copy that’s informative, and fun to read. A web copywriter who’s well established, with a great reputation, will obviously charge more than a rookie you’ve pulled off Upwork, but the results are likely to hit the nail on the head first time (as the saying goes, if you buy cheap, you often buy twice).

How much a website copywriter will cost also depends on the scope of your project. I’ve worked with start ups at the very beginning of their business journey, who need support with the whole shebang – tone of voice, brand persona, and every single word of their web copy from scratch, from headlines to CTA’s, from ‘about us’ page, to a series of killer blog posts to get them started on their SEO journey.

If you’re already reasonably happy with your web copy, but think it needs refreshing in line with a rebrand, or change of direction for your business, this type of editing work is likely to cost you a lot less than having your web copy rewritten from scratch. And if it’s just a page or two your after, rather than a full site, this is likely to save you money when hiring a web copywriter, too.

Finally, if your business already has a set of tone of voice guidelines that your web copywriter can apply, the work will likely cost you less than if your web copywriter needs to build brand of voice support into your web copywriting project. As a tone of voice copywriter, I heartily recommend getting some support with ‘how your brand sounds’ as well as ‘what is says’ when you write your web copy, as this can be applied to all of your future marketing materials, and will help you stand out from the competition.

Hiring a Web Copywriter is an Investment, Not an Expense

Businesses are surviving in tough economic times, and we’re all looking to cut costs, here and there. But this should never mean that we’re willing to cut corners when it comes to running our companies. Scrimping on the things that matter – and great web copy is vital for a site that brings in business – is a false economy, as you’ll end up spending elsewhere to compensate for crappy web copy. This is an important fact to remember, when thinking about the cost of hiring a web copywriter.

View web copywriting as a sensible, long-term investment, rather than an annoying, immediate expense, and this will help you part with your cash more confidently. So instead of asking ‘how much will a website copywriter cost?’, ask yourself ‘how much can I reasonably afford, to ensure that my web copy is well-structured, appeals to my target audience, has an engaging, and appropriate tone of voice, contains the relevant keywords to help my site rank on Google, and is fun to read, while selling the benefits of my offer.

Great web copy doesn’t happen by accident, and happens most often when business owners are prepared to pay an experienced web copywriter a fair fee, to create bespoke copy that helps them stand out from the competition. Cheap copy might fill the empty space, but it won’t get results.

Yes, you’re going to be parting with a wad of cash for your web copy, whether you’re looking for a few tweaks to add some personality, or a full site rewrite to get rid of underperforming text, but the money will be well spent, leading to more site visitors, greater engagement, an increased number of inquiries, and total confidence that your website is boosting your business, not talking trash about you, behind your back.

How Much Do You Charge for Website Copy?

As a copywriter, and a business owner, I believe in being transparent when it comes to my pricing. It’s also my job to explain to potential web copywriting clients the value that my work can bring to their companies, so that they appreciate the investment their making, rather than feeling nervous about handing over their cash.

As much as I’d like to definitively answer the question ‘how much does a website copywriter cost’ in this article, it’s simply not possible, as my prices for web copy are bespoke. Each client is different. Some have strong ideas about the tone of voice they’d like to achieve with their web copy, and the information they’d like to include. Some do not, and need a lot more hand-holding when it comes to getting the right brand voice. Some clients believe that their web copy needs only a few tweaks, and are surprised when I recommend a full site overhaul instead. In truth, it’s often easer to write original web copy, than to wade through a site with badly written text, weeding out the bad copy from the few gems it contains.

When you get in touch about your web copy, I’ll ask you a series of questions that determine the scope of your web copywriting project, and help me assess how much support you’ll need. This will allow me to figure out how much your web copywriting project will cost, how long it will take, and what I need from you to get cracking. Prices are always fixed for web copy, so you know upfront what you’re going to pay. I offer different levels of support, and can put together a package that’s tailored to the needs of your business. If you’re on a fixed budget, I can also let you know what can be achieved inside that amount.

Can you offer some price guidelines for web copy

To give you some idea of how much it costs for web copy, I’ve put together some guidelines for pricing, that will help you determine whether my services fall within your budget (or to start saving for some wonderful web copy, I’ve worked with clients who have saved up over several months, and even years, to work on their web copy with me – yes folks, I am that good).

Website copy

Writing original web copy, and rewriting existing text, often take similar amounts of time, incurring similar costs. Despite what some people think, it’s never easy or straightforward to ‘insert some sparkle’ or ‘jazz up my web copy’. Often text needs to be completely redone with a brand new tone of voice in mind, and this is time consuming.

For copy on a simple website, of up to ten pages, I usually charge between £1,500 and £3,000, plus VAT. For individual web pages, for instance your ‘about us’ page, or ‘FAQ’ page, prices start from £350, plus VAT. Generally, the larger and more complex your website, the more you’ll pay. For landing pages, prices are bespoke, and I’m always happy to provide a quote, based on some basic details.

Tone of voice guidelines

Before writing your web copy, especially if you’re a start up, or a business in the midst of a rebrand, you’ll want to think about doing some work on your tone of voice, alongside asking how much a website copywriter costs. Your tone of voice is how your business ‘talks’ – the language choices you make, whether you’re formal or informal, corporate, funny, witty, dry, irreverent….the list goes on.

Some businesses want to incorporate some head-scratching about tone of voice, or brand voice as it’s also known, into their web copywriter project, while others want a stand-alone Tone of Voice Guide, to help them apply the right brand voice to other marketing materials, and to help them solidify how their brand sounds, filling them with confidence when they write about their work, and ensuring continuity with their copy.

If you’re looking for some tone of voice support, I can build this into your web copy package, but for a tone of voice guide alone, or on top of your web text, I charge from £1,000, plus VAT, for a written document, packed with direction on how to sound authentic, when writing about your brand. This ‘brand bible’ will last for years, and can be added to, or adjusted, as your business grows. It’s a super sensible investment when thinking about how much to spend on hiring a website copywriter, and if it’s within budget, go for it!

Web copy reviews

If you’re not sure what your web copy needs, the best place to start is with a web copy review. In this process, I will take a look at your whole site, including any blog posts you’ve written, and advise you on what’s working, and what needs to changed. You’ll receive a document packed with actionable insights, detailing the changes that you need to make, all of which you can make yourself, or hire me to make on your behalf.

Business owners make the same mistakes again and again, when it comes to writing great web copy. A web copy review will highlight where you’ve fallen into some of the common traps when penning your website text, and will allow you to make positive changes that will see your site performing better, overnight.

How much does a web copy review cost? The bargain price is £600, plus VAT, money well spent for peace of mind that your web text is performing as well as it could. I’ll also include a quote for completing the work that’s needed, but there’s no obligation to hire me as your web copywriter.

A bit of advice on your site, or a quote for web copywriting

I don’t give out bucket loads of free advice on web copywriting, as time is money, and I’ve got a mortgage to pay (and two kids to furnish with iPads, iPods, and iPhones). I am, however, more than happy to take a quick look at your website, or have a chat about what you want to achieve with a new site, and offer some initial advice, and a quote for the work – for free.

Website copywriting costs money, there’s no getting around that, but I’m always keep to help clients get the most value from my time as possible, and to keep costs affordable.

Drop me a line and give me some basic details about what you need, or call me on 07983 688635, and we’ll get to grips with your requirements.