Written by Bob McClain, Web Copywriting Expert

As a website copywriter, I’ll admit that my prejudice is to consider graphics just the pretty stuff on the page. Like most writers, I want to believe that only the writing is important and that you could dress a website up in a burlap sack and my words could still sell ice cubes to Eskimos.

However, if a world where 60% of the people are visual and aren’t willing to read a lot of copy no matter how brilliantly it’s written, there are times when copywriting shouldn’t be the first priority.

For instance, I just created a website to get new Lasik surgery patients for a client here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My client runs a Lasik surgery clinic just outside the city limits of Minneapolis.

My client was spending an outrageous amount of money on advertising but wasn’t sure what kind of return he was getting for his money.

I created this new website to be instantly on the first page of Google for Lasik Eye Surgery Minneapolis (the website is only two weeks old and it’s already on the first page of Google for that keyword phrase). But the copywriting was really only for the search engines. I wrote the copy to reinforce for the search engines that this website was all about Lasik eye surgery information.

This contrasts greatly with most Lasik websites which are just big sales pitches.

However, the most important thing about the website is the graphic on the Home page (which I may also put on all the pages.) If you look at the Home page of Lasik eye surgery Minneapolis, you’ll notice that the first thing that grabs your eye is the big red arrow. And that forces your eye to follow it to the primary offer and purpose of the website.

A free eye exam to let the visitor know if they are a candidate for Lasik.

I really don’t want them to read the copy. It wasn’t put there for them. (Although, I made sure all the copy was quality so if they do read it, they will be sold on using this clinic or at least feel comfortable that this website is trying to help.)

You will also notice that there is no mention of the actual eye clinic on the page. Their name and logo are nowhere to be found. This was intentional. I want this website to appear to be completely neutral with no sales intent. Just a website designed to help people searching for Lasik eye surgery in Minneapolis.

Sometimes, you are much further ahead creating a website that has only one purpose. Get people to call right now or email you right now or fill out a contact form right now. Impulse is a wonderful thing. Take advantage of it.