As a copywriter, I’ve seen my fair share of genius copywriting examples and not-so-great ones. I’ve also seen my fair share of absolutely cringe-worthy, bad copywriting examples that make me roll my eyes.
The worst part about these terrible copy examples is that they’re like a Trojan horse. They might seem like great copy on the outside, but they’re actually pretty harmful to your business.
So, unless you’re a copywriter or know something about conversion copywriting, they’re extremely hard to miss.
That’s why, in this article, I’m sharing with you five bad copywriting examples that make your website copy, ad copy, and email copy cringeworthy and that you should avoid at all costs.
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5 Bad Copywriting Examples You Thought Were Good Copywriting
I often land on websites that clearly show whoever wrote them didn’t understand what great copywriting is.
There are a few things all these websites have in common - things many business owners consider to be effective copy while, in fact, they’re the exact opposite.
Because of this, 99% of these websites sound exactly the same. These businesses likely share the same issue: low conversions due to a complete disconnect from their audiences.
Here are a few copywriting mistakes many business owners aren't aware of. In fact, most small business owners think these are good copywriting examples when, in fact, they aren't.
Example 1. Making it all about you
The biggest copywriting mistake you can ever make is making your copy all about you. It should never be about you.
Websites that lead with a we-focused language and statements that constantly praise them as the best company under the sun get an instant eye roll from me.
Why? Because no one cares. No one cares how many awards you’ve won, how many years of experience your team has, or that you think you’re an “expert” and a “leading company” in your field.
Your potential customer doesn’t want to read copy that praises you in every sentence. All they want to know is how you can help them solve their problem and whether you can do it efficiently.
💡 How to fix it:
Change from “we” to “you.” Instead of saying, “We’re experts in SEO with 20+ years of experience.” say, “Rank your website on the first page of Google with an expert SEO team by your side.”
See the difference? The first sentence is solely about you. The second is about your customer while still positioning your team as experts.
Example 2. Using generic and vague phrases
Being vague in your copy is another one of the most common copywriting mistakes I often see businesses make.
I follow a simple rule with every piece of copy I write: if a word or phrase doesn’t add any value or meaning to the copy, it must go.
Empty words that aim to sound clever and vague phrases that don’t really mean anything are a waste of space and will only confuse your reader. Often, these words or phrases may sound sophisticated and smart, but they add little substance to the copy and can make your message less clear.
To illustrate, I’m talking about phrases like:
“We’re the number #1 ranking SEO company in Melbourne.” Right… but why should I care?
“Our team is creative, dynamic, and results-driven.” Sure… but what does this mean?
“We take pride in the awards we’ve won over the years.” Great for you… but, again, why should I care?
“Trust our company to deliver results.” Hmm… why should I?
These generic phrases only water down your message and make you sound like every other average company. Instead of helping, they take away from your image as a successful company.
💡 How to fix it:
Be ruthless. Analyze every word and sentence in your copy and ask yourself what it means. Does it add any value to the copy? Does it contribute to making your copy clearer and your message more understandable? If it doesn’t, get rid of it.
Example 3. Stuffing your copy with keywords
Look, I get it. There’s no point in having a website if it’s just laying there completely forgotten, covered by dust. If you want your website to rank for your target keywords, your copy needs to be optimized for those keywords.
But that doesn’t mean you should write your website copy with the sole purpose of ranking for those keywords.
If you do, it’ll lead to:
Overstuffing your copy with keywords,
Copy that doesn’t sound natural,
Sacrificing your messaging for the sake of fitting in a few more keywords,
Wasting headlines on keywords instead of impactful messages.
What do you think is the impact of a headline that says “Best Web Design Agency London” for a potential customer looking for web design services?
There’s none. Zero. Nada.
It’s boring and doesn’t invite the customer to read further.
So what if you ranked on the first page of Google for “web design agency London” if most of the leads that click through to your site will close it within the first 5 seconds?
💡 How to fix it:
Don’t write for the search engines. Write for your target audience and sprinkle it with relevant keywords whenever it feels natural. Customers first, Google second. Not the other way around.
Example 4. Focusing on selling features
I remember one episode of Good Girls (in case you haven’t watched it, it’s a very entertaining Netflix series). In this episode, one of the protagonists, Beth, shows up at her husband’s car dealership to help him sell cars.
As she watches in horror as her husband spectacularly fails to sell a car to a woman with a baby in a stroller, Beth decides to step in and sell the vehicle herself, which she succeeds at.
Beth’s husband failed to make the sale because he was focusing on the technical features of the car that the woman didn’t understand. 400 horsepower? What does that even mean?
The reason why Beth succeeded at selling the car was that she focused on presenting the benefits the woman cared about, like a big trunk where she could fit both her groceries and her baby’s stroller or the fact that she could push a car seat back to make more space for her child’s car seat.
How does this relate to website copy?
Don’t write only about the features. Write about the benefits.
Your target audience rarely cares about the features of your product. They mainly care about how it can help them solve their problem. They care about the benefits - and the features are just a vehicle for delivering those benefits.
💡 How to fix it:
To write compelling copy, think about one benefit for each feature. For instance, if you’re selling time management software, it could go like this:
Feature: Time tracker. Benefit: Know how much time you’re spending on each task.
Feature: Weekly reports. Benefit: Measure your productivity.
Feature: Hourly billing. Benefit: Track how much money you’re earning with precision.
Example 5. Addressing the wrong audience
I often see websites with long copy that should instead be a blog article. Let me illustrate this with an example.
If you’re an SEO agency writing about what SEO is and why it’s good for your business on your homepage, all you’re doing is wasting space.
If a lead finds your website through a Google search that says “SEO services in New York,” it means they already know what SEO is and are looking for an agency to help them with it.
It means that they’re not only problem-aware (they know they need help with SEO) but also solution-aware (they decided to hire an SEO agency).
If they didn’t know what SEO is and why they need it, they wouldn’t be searching for SEO services in the first place, would they?
So, following this logic, writing a section on your homepage about what SEO is isn’t necessary. It takes up the space you could otherwise use to talk about how you can help your potential customers achieve the results they’re looking for.
But Karolina, we’re doing it because we need to rank for the “what is SEO” keyword on Google.
Sure. Then, write a blog post that targets this keyword. That's what content marketing is for: to educate your audience on these types of TOFU (top of the funnel) topics.
For most businesses, website copy should be addressed to a problem-aware audience.
“What is SEO?” is something you’d explain to an unaware audience, which can be done in an in-depth blog article.
Writing to an unaware audience on your website while all the leads landing on it are solution-aware creates a huge disconnect, resulting in missed opportunities for converting these prospects into customers through impactful messaging.
💡 How to fix it:
Think about where your potential customers are on their awareness scale.
For businesses that sell a new, innovative solution to an existing problem, website copy should be addressed to a problem-aware audience and explain the benefits of the solution they’re offering.
For businesses that sell an existing solution to an existing problem, website copy should be addressed to a solution-aware audience and explain why their product or service is the best choice.
A Self-Centered Approach Is the Root of Terrible Copy
I know, it’s harsh. But I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t point out the harsh truth and call things by their name.
Many businesses end up with a completely disastrous website copy (or ad copy and email copy) due to their desire to present themselves as superior to their competitors and highly professional.
Of course, we all want to stand out from our competition, position ourselves as authorities in our fields, and appeal to our potential clients.
But focusing on how YOU want to present yourself, how YOU want to be perceived, and how high you want to show up in Google search results is often the root of copy that fails to connect with its audience.
Shifting your focus from yourself to your target audience will instantly help you write compelling copy that sells and resonates with readers.
The Difference Between Good Copy vs. Bad Copy
What I mean by bad copywriting isn’t a poorly written text with grammar mistakes.
What I mean is copy that doesn’t connect with its target audience and does a poor job of conveying a persuasive sales message and creating a positive brand perception.
Good copywriting, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Contrary to what you may think, effective copy isn’t about writing sophisticated, almost poetic sentences that sound clever and professional.
It’s about using words that convey a clear and persuasive message, resonate with your readers on an emotional level, and inspire them to take action.
So, here’s the ultimate difference between good copywriting and bad copywriting:
Bad copy is all about you. Good copy is all about the customer.
Keeping this in mind will help you write any piece of copy ten times better. Hiring a copywriter can help you avoid bad writing and make sure that your sales copy actually converts.
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