5 Questions with Annie Maguire, Conversion Copywriter

Annie Maguire is a website conversion copywriter for small & mid-Sized businesses. I came across Annie’s work from a LinkedIn post showing before and after headline examples that explained the reasoning behind each change. Seeing those examples made me an immediate fan of her work. You can check those examples out here.

And if you need help writing your own headlines she offers an excellent 1-hour workshop on writing headlines that engage using real-life examples.

Without further ado, here are 5 Questions with Annie Maguire…

1. What made you decide to focus your practice on small & medium-sized businesses?

Working with small & medium-sized businesses allows me to make a bigger impact in a more tangible way.

I also love working directly with founders because they’re really connected to (and passionate about) their products/customers. They talk to their customers. They’re excited to share information and answer questions. And they’re more invested in the project than, say, the CEO of a Fortune500 company.

Big companies also tend to have a lot more red tape, stakeholders, and bullshit to navigate which tends to make the projects slower, more frustrating, and less enjoyable. 

2. How is website conversion copywriting different from other types of website copywriting you see out there?

Website conversion copywriting is focused on building a customer experience that supports the visitors’ goals and the goals of the business.

This involves copy of course, but it’s more about selecting specific types of content that align with the objectives, and arranging it in a way that’s intuitive, enjoyable, and frictionless for the visitor.

Like other types of copywriting, you’re still focused on clarifying the message, making it persuasive for the target audience, improving tone/style, etc, but there’s a much bigger strategy/UX/design component.

It’s sort of like designing a physical store; it’s not just about the words on the windows, but figuring out which items to showcase, where to put them, how to arrange them so they’re most appealing, making sure the register is clear and accessible, and so on.

With conversion copywriting, you’re also evaluating success based on specific results, like lead gen, sales, traffic, etc (vs other types of website copywriting where the success metrics may be less clear or intangible). 

3. Do you see the rise of AI helping or harming the practice of copywriting?

I think it depends on how it’s used. 

For example, I use AI to help me quickly sort/analyze customer research, to identify keywords for a landing page, to help me avoid grammar mistakes, etc.

It helps me get the information I need faster so I can start writing sooner. But I don’t use it to do my thinking/writing for me.

Where AI has the potential to harm is if people stop thinking/writing and just use AI instead (which would be a shame as writing helps develop critical thinking skills, strengthens your ability to sort/analyze information, communicate clearly, etc … the benefits are endless!).

In terms of impacting the copywriting industry, AI is sort of like the “cheap/fast” solution (much like Fiiver, Upwork, etc).

It can write all of your website copy, but it’s not going to provide you with the same depth, specificity, and creativity as working 1-on-1 with a conversion copywriting expert. It’s never going to give you the same level of quality or customization.

It goes back to the question of what makes conversion copywriting different from other types of website copywriting – it’s a highly specific skill that combines psychology, research, writing, content strategy, analytics, user experience, design, and more. 

If you use AI to just “spit out” some copy, you lose all of those other elements that make the words effective in the first place.

4. How important of a role does brand identity play in conjunction with copywriting when you’re helping small & medium-sized business clients to attract customers?

I think brand identity from a design standpoint is very important. You can have the best website copy in the world, but if your design is dated, clunky, ugly etc, the copy won’t be as effective.

From a copy standpoint I think brand identity (i.e. tone of voice, mission/values, etc) is less important. The more important elements are: (1) Clarity of the message and (2) An intuitive/frictionless UX.

If you focus on those two things in combination with good design, you’ll be in a much better place than obsessing over whether or not the “tone” or your “story” is perfect.

5. What is one simple thing you’d recommend businesses do on their own today to help improve their website’s conversion rate?

That’s a tough one! I have two:

#1: Make sure all of your hero sections on every page of your website are clear, scannable, and include at least 1 CTA (ideally your primary CTA, though that can vary depending on the page, goals, etc).

#2: Make sure your primary navigation is aligned with your business goals and the goals of your visitor; trim out content that doesn’t align. Make sure navigational labels are clear/intuitive. Remove extraneous options (aim for 5 or fewer nav options and limit drop-down menus if possible).

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• To learn more about Annie Maguire visit anniemaguire.com

• You can also connect with Annie on LinkedIn here.

• For an in-depth look into Annie’s approach to conversion copywriting check out this interview on the Growth Boss Podcast.

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