Web Copy vs. Web Content – What is the Difference?

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If you own a website, you might have already heard of the terms ‘web copy’ and ‘web content’. But do you even know what these terms mean?  Or what is the difference between these two?

You probably don’t know, and that’s why you’re here reading this post. Searching the net for an answer might get you dozens of them. There are a lot of ‘correct’ definitions out there. Nevertheless, I will try to offer you the best possible answer. So, what the hell is the meaning of these ambiguous terms?

What is Web Copy?

First of all, let’s elucidate what copy means: copy is the text / words you use in order to sell your services/products. Look at the website copy as a guide for your visitors. When someone accesses your website they will instantly be greeted by this text and guided throughout the entire content on web.

what is web copy

The copy is designed to convince and encourage the visitor to take action. By action I mean to buy one of your products/services or to subscribe. Having a well thought-out copy is extremely important. Your brand gets advertised through the means of this text, so make sure it’s well written. A few examples are:

  • The sponsored posts
  • The Facebook ads
  • E-mail Newsletters
  • Every text that’s used to promote or sell something

What is Web Content?

Web content usually means every image, video, podcast, and text that’s present on your website. Every piece of information embedded in your website goes into this category. Nevertheless, there is a major difference between copy and content.  

The web cont. is mostly used to market your brand and educate your audience while the copy is used only to sell. Through the means of content, you create a bond with your public, a long-term relationship that at some point may turn out to be profitable for your company.  

By creating valuable and entertaining posts, you will easily attract new customers to your website. Therefore, learning how to establish a connection with your public through your content is vital if you wish for a quick business growth.  

If you are constantly delivering valuable content people will slowly get to know you and a community will be established around your brand. Eventually, this will undoubtedly lead to a successful development of your business activities.

John Smith, content creator at Bestessays wishes to share his experience: “A few years ago, when me and my team just started working as content creators, we encountered problems when trying to explain what website copy and website content means to our clients, almost all the time. Most people didn’t even hear about these terms. Nevertheless, we still had to do the explanation. Nowadays, people are more accustomed to online terms, so we can easily explain copy content as the text that sells, and the content as the one who educates and creates relationships.”

Tips for Writing Great Copy

Injecting personality into your copy is probably one of the hardest things that one can do. This is the opinion of most of the professional content creators, not just mine. Knowing how to create a unique personality through the use of simple words definitely represents a challenge. Here are a few tips or improving your copy:

  • Use metaphors
  • Use ‘you’ and ‘I’ instead of ‘you’ and ‘we’
  • Try to make your writing more conversational

The best advice would be to have fun while writing it. Laugh, make jokes, and feel comfortable. This is the only way of creating a bond between your brand and the client. Be systematic when it comes to writing a copy. You know you have only a few words to spare, therefore you should make them count.

Tips for Writing Great Content

You shouldn’t try to be clever or creative. People don’t have time to elucidate your clever word games. Being clever means that you ask people to think while they are reading your content. People don’t want to think, they need the exact information that they are looking for.

They want it short and in simple words. This is how the world works these days, so don’t try to change it, just give people what they want. Your content should be written in such a way that a 10-year-old could understand it.

Most people are lazy. You probably aren’t, but most are. So, in this case, you should focus on writing for lazy people as well. How to do that?

First of all, don’t force your visitors to make an effort to read your content, so ensure to use short sentences and paragraphs, to avoid jargons, to skip meaningless words, and to use the word ‘you’ when you communicate with them. Lastly, keep your posts short and concise.

Summarize the core ideas at the end of each post. Repeating certain concepts is incredibly useful when you wish to send a message. When you are talking about an interesting topic in one of your articles, explaining the main subject at the end of the post might be useful for the reader, and he will appreciate it.


As you can see, these terms are not so hard to grasp. From now on, you have no excuse not to know what copy and content mean on web. Let’s put it simply again for the last time.

Web copy is exclusively used to drive the user to certain actions (opt-in, sales, etc.), while web content is used to educate your readers and to develop long-term relationships with your customers. Both are extremely important for your development as a brand, so ensure taking care of them both in a balanced manner.

Brenda Savoie is a content marketer, private English tutor, and desperate dreamer. Writing her first romance novel. Seeking contentment through mindfulness. Check her blog BestWritingClues. Find her on Twitter and Facebook



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