Hiring a website copywriter: brief, pricing models and AI-written text
Most website projects aren't delayed by design or development but by missing copy. Owners know exactly what they do, but writing it so a stranger understands it in ten seconds is hard. This article shows when a copywriter pays off, how to brief one so the text sounds like you, and what to watch with pricing, AI and rights.
When a copywriter pays off
If the website should bring enquiries, the service pages are the most important text the business has. A copywriter pays off especially when nobody on the team writes regularly, when several services must be clearly distinguished, or when the site appears in languages you don't speak natively.
Writing it yourself is realistic if you have a clear template and someone edits. Our service page checklist gives the structure; many clients supply rough drafts that we then edit.
The brief decides the quality
A copywriter can only write as well as they understand your business. A good brief includes:
- Who the page is for and what problem those customers have, in their own words.
- What exactly you offer, with price range, process and limits.
- Why customers choose you: real reasons from conversations, not clichés.
- Objections that keep coming up in sales conversations.
- Proof: projects, figures, certificates, testimonials you may use.
- Search terms the page should be found for, and the action you want at the end.
Pricing models
Copywriters charge per word, per page, per hour or as a package for the whole site. Per-word prices are common on content marketplaces and suit simple content. For service and home pages a page or project price makes more sense, because the main effort is understanding and structuring, not typing.
Compare quotes by what's included: interview or written brief only, keyword research, revision rounds, meta titles and descriptions, transfer of usage rights.
AI-written text: a tool, not a replacement
Google evaluates content on quality and usefulness, not on whether AI was involved. Mass-produced pages without added value do violate its spam policies, though. In practice: AI is good for outlines, variations and proofreading. The substance, meaning your experience, prices, processes and examples, has to come from you and be checked by a person. AI copy without that substance sounds like every competitor's.
Usage rights and process
Text is protected by copyright. Have exclusive usage rights for website, advertising and translations granted in the contract, or reusing the text later can lead to disputes.
Our website packages include editing your copy; writing from scratch is quoted separately by scope. To save time, combine both: a one-hour interview, then copy from us, approval by you.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does website copywriting take?
- For a company website with five to ten pages, expect two to four weeks including interview and one revision round. Internal approval usually takes longest.
- Do I need SEO copy or normal copy?
- Good website copy is both: it answers the questions customers type into search, in plain language. Repeating keywords without substance tends to hurt.
- Can you translate the copy too?
- We adapt copy for German, English and Ukrainian rather than translating literally, and check the search terms for each language.
Sources
Send us your existing copy or bullet points. We'll tell you what can be edited, what should be rewritten, and give you a price.
Have my copy reviewed