{"id":1459,"date":"2020-10-28T19:36:45","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T02:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/?p=1459"},"modified":"2025-11-25T02:39:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:39:28","slug":"essential-ux-and-microcopy-writing-tips-to-drive-conversions-and-increase-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/essential-ux-and-microcopy-writing-tips-to-drive-conversions-and-increase-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential UX and Microcopy Writing Tips to Drive Conversions and Increase Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Design and writing tips to increase your sales<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1460\" src=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Design and writing tips to increase your sales\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pexels-pixabay-268460-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/abstract-bright-close-up-color-268460\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to creating a seamless user experience, many eCommerce brands and retailers overlook the value of copywriting. While design, performance, and aesthetics are vital, so is the way you approach your messaging. In many ways, it\u2019s the glue that binds a web page, landing page, or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/apps-every-retail-store-owner-should-use-to-run-their-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mobile app<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an online business owner, investing in your UX and microcopy writing efforts will help you drive more conversions and increase your sales.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, we consider the importance of UX and microcopy writing and look at a mix of practical tips that will make your online store or website more engaging and, as a result, more valuable.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Why are user experience (UX) and microcopy important?<\/b><\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, every dollar invested in UX offers in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/The-Six-Steps-For-Justifying-Better-UX\/RES117708\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">return of $100<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014that equates to an ROI of 9,900%.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By taking the right measures to offer your customers a seamless, engaging, and personable online browsing or shopping experience, you will increase your chances of repeat custom.<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toptal.com\/designers\/ux\/ux-statistics-insights-infographic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">88%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of people are less likely to return to a website after a bad user experience, you can\u2019t afford not to invest in your UX strategy\u2014and microcopy should be an integral part of your efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Good UX and microcopy writing:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is incredibly cost-effective, especially if you know how to do it yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offers an excellent ROI.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Helps develop your unique brand voice and tone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guides potential customers through your online store or website without confusion or friction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sparks engagement and encourages customer loyalty.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Conversion-boosting UX and microcopy writing tips<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you understand the value and importance of UX and microcopy writing, let\u2019s look at how to do it effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But before we do, here\u2019s a quick definition of UX and microcopy for your reference:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Microcopy is the term used for all of the smaller, actionable, print-sized written content on a website, landing page, app, or any other form of digital touchpoints. Examples of where you would find or interact with UX and microcopy include CTA buttons, small print, cursor instructions, captions, error messages, thank you pages, social media buttons, etc.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>Adopt a design-first mentality<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first rule of good UX and microcopy writing is that you must adopt a design-first mentality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What this means is that it\u2019s essential that you look at the design of the entire page when you\u2019re writing microcopy. Scan the page as a prospective customer, looking at every design element.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re writing instructional copy to fit under an email address entry box, for example, look at the content above it and consider where the content would fit best to create a natural flow. If there is a header above the email input box along with a little intro content, you could place your instructional microcopy under the box with a short message telling your user what to do and why to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Enter your email address for access to exclusive news and details.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, this is direct, actionable, and offers people a real incentive to take action\u2014which brings us to our next point.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Speak it out loud<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective UX and microcopy must be conversational. If it&#8217;s natural, personable, and sounds human, people will respond to it. So, when you&#8217;re writing a piece of UX and microcopy, say it out loud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your text doesn&#8217;t sound natural and conversational, you should go back to the drawing board and make tweaks until it does.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could use a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/usabilitygeek.com\/10-free-screen-reader-blind-visually-impaired-users\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">screen reading tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (an automated voice that reads your text back to you) or get a colleague to read your copy back to you. Doing so will give you the perspective you need to ensure your microcopy is as natural, conversational, and personable as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Deliver the message first<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we say, \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deliver the message first,\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">we mean that you should, by all means, be clever, funny, or witty when possible but <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">never at the expense of what you&#8217;re trying to say.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your copy dilutes the core message, you&#8217;re likely to confuse the reader, hindering the user experience and reducing your conversion rates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, if you\u2019re a walking boot retailer and are looking to write engaging UX and microcopy for a newsletter signup loading screen, this will prove confusing:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>XX% (**this would be the loading percentage icon**)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><i>We\u2019re just walking up that hill.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whereas, this will prove informational and engaging:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>XX% (**this would be the loading percentage icon**)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><i>The page is loading. We\u2019re walking up that virtual hill, won\u2019t be long.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>Don\u2019t write under a CTA box or button<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call to action (CTA) buttons are essential in guiding a customer through your site and encouraging conversions. The copy contained within your CTA buttons should be short, sweet, and tell the reader exactly what to do (we&#8217;ll cover more on effective copywriting soon).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That said, unless there&#8217;s a particular reason to do so, avoid placing any additional microcopy under your CTA as it will detract from the messaging and cause friction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Remember: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your CTA button content is the microcopy\u2014anything extra is usually surplus to requirement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Avoid big text blocks and double negatives<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When interacting with a web page or product page, most people scan rather than read everything in depth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To ensure your UX and microcopy deliver the right message to your users at the right time (and ultimately, increase your sales), you should avoid using big blocks of text.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you&#8217;re writing microcontent, you should always aim to create the biggest impact with the fewest words. Another essential microcopy writing tip is avoiding the use of double negatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Double negatives cause people to stop and think to break down a message. When this happens, you hinder the user experience. Doing so will lower your conversion rates and, as a result, your sales.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, as a working example:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><b>No:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I do not want to unsubscribe.<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Yes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to keep my subscription.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Write consistently and actively<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as you would with your logo, imagery, and main copy, you must ensure that your UX and microcopy are as consistent as possible. Not only should your microcopy be logical, guiding your users through their journey with ease, but it must also remain in-line with your brand\u2019s style or tone of voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While microcopy primarily exists for functional purposes, it\u2019s also a chance to showcase your brand\u2019s personality and keep your website visitors engaged at every twist and turn. So, if a piece of microcopy seems out of place when you\u2019re testing a page, take measures to fix it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should also aim to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammarly.com\/blog\/sentences\/active-vs-passive-voice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">use the active tense<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (this will prompt positive action and display confidence) wherever possible, being direct while placing the objective at the front of the message.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example:<br \/>\n<\/span><b>No:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tap here to get your exclusive 10% discount.<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Yes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get your 10% discount right here.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Provide disclosure to avoid information overload<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Particularly when it comes to eCommerce or retail stores or sites, there is a lot of information to deliver in a small space. But cramming too many instructions or too much information into a single web space can cause information overload, which, in turn, will cause people to leave your site and go elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this in mind, sometimes, using your UX and microcopy to create disclosure will yield the best results. For example, if you have a product page with a title, subtitle, product description, and item specs, you could use drop-down boxes to hide pockets of information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By doing so, you will give the customer the choice to click on the box and engage with the information they feel is relevant, using your microcopy messaging to guide them through the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Micro messages like \u2018Read the products specs here\u2019 or \u2018Find out why you need to buy\u2019 positioned in the right place will make your product page cleaner, more engaging, and easier to navigate without overwhelming the user with information. As a result, you will encourage more conversions and boost your sales.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCreativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep.\u201d\u2014<\/span><\/i><b><i>Scott Adams<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making your UX and microcopy conversational while delivering clear, concise messaging at the right moment of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-boost-your-brands-customer-experience\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer journey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will boost your bottom line while growing your audience over time. Follow these UX and microcopy writing tips, keep it consistent, and you will be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking to upgrade your online store and make it more user-friendly, our mobile-optimized and completely <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/solutions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customizable online store templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will help you create an engaging digital shopfront that will keep your customers coming back for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/about\/contact-us.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact us<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more information, and we\u2019ll be happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Design and writing tips to increase your sales &nbsp; Source When it comes to creating a seamless user experience, many eCommerce brands and retailers overlook the value of copywriting. While design, performance, and aesthetics are vital, so is the way you approach your messaging. In many ways, it\u2019s the glue that binds a web page, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}