Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August, 2018 and was updated and republished in January, 2026.

Copywriting is essentially writing content, known as copy, to sell an idea, product, or service. It’s a vital component for any marketing or advertising campaign and is everywhere, from adverts, billboards and websites to brochures and catalogues. Copywriting can be misunderstood and is often mistaken for copyright which is an entirely different thing altogether!

So what does good copywriting look like? Ultimately good copy gets results, whether that’s selling a product or service, or growing the number of subscribers to your newsletter. To get results you need to:

• Inform your reader, in clear language, what it is you are selling.
• Engage your reader. For a reader to care about what you tell them they must be drawn in.
• Inspire your reader to take the desired action.

Here are some advantages to having good copy:

Good copywriting helps your brand image

You want to look your best when it comes to the image of your brand. Good copywriting helps you to portray your company in the best light, from creating compelling narratives that will engage and connect with your audience, to using a consistent Tone of Voice (TOV) that shows your company’s personality.

Brand image is how a company wants people to perceive them and is reflected in the way they write. For example, a company that wants to be perceived as fun might write with a witty TOV, while a law firm might write in a more formal style.

Good writing is also a key ingredient in copywriting. This may be the first (or only) impression of you a potential client will get and bad spelling and grammar doesn’t look good. It shows a lack of attention to detail and therefore a potential client may wonder if you’ll also make mistakes in your work.

Builds credibility and authority

Well written copy that is engaging and without errors looks professional and builds upon your credibility. Furthermore, producing regular and relevant quality content in your field instils confidence and places you as an industry expert.

Trust is a key factor when people are deciding what to buy and from whom, so your copy is engaging people with your brand. There are lots of ways you can build trust through your content, from making sure everything is spelled correctly and having a consistent writing style, to sharing valuable information in blog posts or newsletters.

Good copywriting turns readers into customers

Readers like good quality content and they are more likely to take the desired action after reading relevant content that resonates with them. Good copywriting turns boring words into engaging narratives that draw the reader in.

📖 Further reading:

• 5 Copywriting Tips to Engage Your Readers
• 12 Common Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid

Helps people find you online

A vast amount of content is published on the web every day and you need to make sure that your readers can find you. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about making your content visible in search engine results.  Being visible relies on having keywords within your content that clients will be searching for.  For your content to rank higher than your competitors it needs to be high quality and authoritative.

As I update this post in 2026, AI is changing the way people search online. They are using chatbots such as ChatGPT or Perplexity to find information, and Google now offer an AI response at the top of search results, called AI overview. People are getting the answers they need without having to visit the websites the information came from.

SEO experts seem to be taking an Everything Optimisation approach, where it’s not just about search engines anymore but also getting found in other places such as voice search (e.g. Siri or Alexa), social media platforms (e.g. YouTube or Reddit), shopping platforms (e.g. Amazon), and AI chatbots (e.g. chatGPT or Google Gemini).

But if chat bots are providing information and removing the need to visit a website, how is this going to affect businesses going forward? I’m not sure of the answer (yet), but the consensus seems to be that this is an evolving part of SEO. The focus is still on creating good quality content that readers find useful or entertaining.

Gets results

Finally, the whole point is to get results. Making sure that your marketing campaign, website, or brochure is well written will engage more readers, making them more likely to take that all important action (e.g. buying your product, signing up to your newsletter, or booking an appointment) and thereby improving your results.

However, it doesn’t all stop at one piece of copy. Consistency is a key factor in building a brand presence, for which you will need a solid content marketing strategy. While the words you write are really important, without a good strategy, they will only get you so far.

Does human copywriting still matter now we have AI?

This actually deserves a post of its own, so I’ll keep this brief. If you’re interested in my early thoughts on AI copywriting, see my blog post on the topic – my thoughts haven’t really changed much!

In short, I think human writing is more important than ever. A.I. copywriting tends to the generic as it can’t bring in experience or make connections the way a person can – this adds personality to a piece of copy and makes it relatable.

There is also another aspect to consider, that there is a lot of mediocre content on the internet. This is what the A.I. models have been trained on. On top of that, we are now at the point where A.I. is training itself on its own outputs, which isn’t a recipe for show stopping copy! With this in mind, A.I. copy is just going to get more generic and bland, which is why I think the creative skills only a human can bring to the table are now more important and valuable than ever.

If you need help with your content, feel free to get in touch. As a copywriter, I’ve worked with a range of clients on their copy, helping them to meet their content goals.

Further reading

Want more copywriting insights? Here are some more blog posts you might like:

• AI vs The Copywriter. Who Can Sell Your Business Better?
• Why Hire a Professional Copywriter?
• How to Blog More Consistently

About the Author

Hi, I’m Anita, a freelance copywriter based in Wolverhampton, UK.

I write copy for business owners who want to connect with customers through their content, but don’t have the time to make it happen without a little help.

You can find out more about me here:

• My Services
• About Me

How to get in touch:

📧 Email me at hello@anitacopysmith.co.uk
📝 Fill in my contact form
👋 Say hello on LinkedIn