# What is Copywriting?

> Copywriting is writing the words on your website and marketing so they clearly explain what you do and persuade the right customers to get in touch.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/copywriting
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: copy, website copy, web content, content writing.

‘Copy’ is the marketing word for text. Copywriting is writing it on purpose: headlines, service descriptions, button labels, the ‘about us’ page, and the lines Google shows in search results.

Good website copy answers the questions customers really have, in their language: what do you do, where, how much roughly, how quickly, and why should I trust you. It is specific and plain, not full of slogans.

It also carries the words people search for, which is why copywriting and SEO overlap so much.

## Why it matters for a small business

The words do most of the selling. A beautiful design with vague copy like ‘quality solutions for all your needs’ gives customers no reason to choose you. Clear, specific copy about your actual work, area and guarantees wins enquiries from people comparing you with two other tabs.

**Example:** ‘We offer a wide range of plumbing services’ becomes ‘Leaks, boilers and bathroom fits across Exeter. Gas Safe registered. We turn up when we say we will.’