If the content on your website sounds like it could belong to any financial institution, you’re not alone. 

Many credit unions fall into the trap of using the same well-worn phrases, like “friendly service” and “on-the-go convenience” without getting to the heart of how their products and services will actually help members and prospects solve their problems. 

We believe your website copy should do more than just check boxes. It should tell your story in a way that clearly guides your members to open an account, apply for a loan, or take the next step in their financial journey with you. 

In this guide, we’ll break down how to write website copy that resonates, converts, and drives real results. 

Develop your brand’s unique voice and personality 

If your copy sounds generic, the culprit is probably a lack of brand voice. A brand voice is often determined by your organization’s core values. If your values are transparency and empathy, for instance, your voice would likely be more friendly than formal, and more uplifting than playful. 

Your voice then determines how you write your copy: your word choice, sentence structure, and even your use of punctuation. 

It’s important that key copy on your website is written in your brand’s voice because it’s what makes you you and not your competitor. Beyond acting as a differentiator, your voice’s consistent presence on the website is what builds affinity and trust with your members. 

If you’re wondering where to start, ask different stakeholders from different teams to define core values or principles (if they haven’t already been established). Then, brainstorm together a person who would embody those characteristics. In what manner would they speak? What would they say to a member who is concerned about their credit score? Apply those findings to your website copy. 

Avoid using financial jargon

We’re all used to the terms and acronyms by now—share account, unsecured loan, collateral, LTV, overdraft, APY. But will your members and prospective members know what you're talking about?  

To avoid using jargon, focus on writing clear and simple language your members can understand. 

The number one rule in writing for readability is to write for a 7th grade reading level. Another is to avoid using yourself as a benchmark for readability. To test your own assumptions, you can use tools like Hemingway Editor or readabilityformulas.com to gauge whether your content is simple and comprehensible. 

Frontload actionable words that align with your value proposition (not keywords)

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, web users on average read only 28% of words on a web page. With our tendency to scan for the information we’re looking for, the first few words that pop out at users visually and informationally hold the key to whether or not they will engage with the rest of the page’s content. 

You might be tempted to frontload SEO-optimized keywords. And though there is a place for that, it should not be what drives your copy, especially if your goal is to engage and convert members.

Practically speaking, this means fewer "marketing" headlines that make big promises or sound like a slogan. It means more headlines that point to the action the visitors would want to take—and make it clear what's in it for them. 

Break up or pare down long blocks of text 

You have a lot of information you need to communicate to your members. But long blocks of text, especially online, aren't going to do the job. Your visitors are more likely to tune out, scroll past, or leave your website entirely.

One of UX Writing’s primary rules is to write no more than 4 lines of text (if you really need that much), each line containing about 50-75 characters. You can use tools (mentioned above) to help cut down redundant words and unnecessary phrases. When there is a lot to say, use bullet points, numbered lists, columns with headers, and other strategies for "chunking" your copy.  

Prioritize pain points over promotions

We are living in a world saturated with marketing and promotions. What our users want and need from us is a solution to a problem they have, not a generic promotion with a catchy slogan. 

To write copy that resonates with users, you have to first understand their true pain points. What are they coming to you for? What are they frustrated with most? How do they want to feel or be talked through this problem? 

User research is a powerful way to get to the bottom of your users’ needs. It doesn't have to be involved or expensive. A pizza party and informal conversation with dozen members or prospects will give you a surprising number of insights.

Make sure you also leverage your member service representatives and branch staff for insights. What are members concerned about most? Where are you seeing the largest volume of complaints? 

Resist the urge to simply list out your product’s features. Instead, lean into how your product benefits members and is designed to address their pain points. 

Structure your pages with a content-first mindset

An emerging concept that's gaining traction in the UX community is the idea of content-first design, whereby content plays the most active role in shaping the entire page. Traditionally, the approach has been to design the product (in this case, websites) first and then add copy at the very end, forcing it to fit into the design. 

The content-first design approach essentially treats content as the north star. The words and messages that the users need to navigate are put in place first. 

According to the UX Design Institute, this approach improves the user experience because it gives users the information they need to carry out the actions they're looking to take.

So if you have the flexibility to rearrange your page, consider collecting the content to include on that page first before considering design elements such as images. If you're redesigning an entire website, don't wait until just before launch to load in your copy. Determine your copy early on so it can inform the design and functionality of the new site.

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