Case Study: How Can A Writing Agency Help Improve Your Website?

CASE STUDY: HOW CAN A WRITING AGENCY HELP IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE?

Your website can make or break your appeal to customers and clients. Modern tools can help you make beautiful and elegant web pages, but your site’s functionality and visuals are only half the battle. Your web copy is the other half. Compelling copywriting can be an intricate and challenging task, even for those specializing in it.

However, with the help of a writing agency, drafting high-quality copy for your website becomes far less daunting.

This case study will explore the stories of two past clients of The Writers For Hire who learned precisely the above. Names have been withheld to respect contractual obligations.

Case A

Case A concerns a Texas-based university and first-time client for The Writers For Hire (TWFH). Hereafter, we will refer to them simply as “the university.”

The Problem

The university felt that the site’s state painfully reflected its age and needed to be overhauled. Major concerns included the lack of standardization between individual pages and the difficulty this created for prospective students seeking course and degree information. Upgrading to a modern aesthetic was also imperative.

The Solution

The university enlisted the aid of marketing firm Richards/Carlsberg to handle the site redesign. It was through Richards/Carlsberg that the university came into contact with TWFH as subcontractors.

While Richards/Carlsberg would handle the general points of the site’s modernization, redrafting the hundreds of pages of copy required was the task of the TWFH.

TWFH worked with the university and Richards/Carlsberg to break the project down into three phases to be completed over the next three years.

In phase one, the university prioritized which departments would have their new sections launched alongside the new site.

All other departments would be covered across the two following phases.

Phase one’s scope ultimately consisted of 300 pages of copy produced over three months.

From there, TWFH took the reins, working with Richards/Carlsberg to develop a standard page template for each department in the university. This measure alleviated the incongruency in the old site and established the foundation for the system TWFH built next.

TWFH assembled a team of 10 writers headed by one project manager. This team was then subdivided into teams of one to two writers, each assigned to cover individual departments. Each sub-team and the project manager met with the head of their assigned department to determine the driving message of that department’s section.

TWFH then created an assignment for each page in their project management system, Wrike, where they would track it over time. Within each assignment was also an accompanying form where the university linked any relevant legacy content from the old site.

TWFH began its copy drafting process by pulling from this legacy content and building off of it, minimizing the amount of input required from the university. TWFH also performed the roles of editors for the provided legacy content, allowing the university to identify and fill gaps in information that had been long present on the old site.

TWFH’s aid did not stop at merely editing and building on legacy content. Throughout phase one, the writing agency assisted the university in revising and improving its style guide, expanding it to 25 pages in length.

Finally, the university and Richards/Carlsberg reviewed each page upon completion, requested any necessary edits, and then gave final approval.

This basic process was then repeated through each phase of the project.

The Results

The university’s new site consisted of nearly 1,000 pages of fresh copy by the end of the three-year project. The first phase proved the most time intensive, as the writing agency familiarized itself with the needs of its new client. TWFH’s streamlined process enabled the following phases to be completed in a fraction of the time, down from three months to one.

Case B

Case B concerns a major Texas-based pipeline company and long-time client for TWFH. We will refer to them hereafter as “the PSP.”

The Problem

Much like the university client of Case A, the PSP felt that their original site was inadequate for their needs. As industry leaders in pipeline services and engineering with an extensive company history, they desired a website that would adequately reflect this pedigree. Of primary concern was improving the site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance and making the company’s online presence more competitive.

The Solution

As an existing client for TWFH, regularly commissioning work such as internal industry magazines, it was only natural that the PSP reached out to the writing agency directly for this project. TWFH’s task was to produce 700 pages of new copy for the site in six months.

Given the PSP’s relationship with TWFH, there was already a team of writers dedicated to them. Likewise, many of the tailor-made solutions for the PSP’s copy needs were already in place.

TWFH used these existing resources to quickly assemble a team of five writers, a senior editor, and a project manager for the job.

Where Case A required a top-down, more hierarchical solution for their needs, a more granular approach was appropriate for the PSP.

Working with TWFH, they organized the project on a departmental level, giving each section relative freedom in how they wanted to present their work.

Again, like Case A, the team was divided into sub teams assigned to each department. They then met with their respective department head to determine the driving message of the copy, as well as what pre-existing copy to reincorporate. They wrote the pages, edited them, and sent them back to the client for approval.

TWFH also assisted the PSP in identifying and filling all gaps in information found throughout the process. At the end of the project, TWFH performed a complete QA (Quality Assurance) according to the existing style guide, which needed no revision.

The Results

TWFH delivered all 700 pages of copy for the PSP’s new site promptly and efficiently. The project’s timetable was reduced drastically because TWFH was already familiar with the client, and had an existing team and system to handle their needs; it could be completed in a single phase, unlike in Case A.

Conclusion

Whether old or new, clients can rely on The Writers For Hire to go above and beyond to meet their clients’ needs for website copywriting. Each solution produced is tailor-made for the client, working closely with them to incorporate requests and feedback every step of the way.