Web Copywriter Job Profile: Training, Role, Progression, Salary

Do you love writing and dream of a professional career change? Then web copywriting might be the perfect fit for you! Discover everything you need to know about this increasingly popular profession. I'll explain the role of a copywriter on the Internet, the prerequisites, web copywriting courses, related jobs, and the salary you can expect.

🚀 Quick read: essential information about the web copywriter profession

• Role of the web copywriter: writing content for websites.
• Prerequisites to become a web copywriter: love for writing, excellent spelling, curiosity, adaptability, computer skills.
• Web copywriting training: self-taught, free, paid.
• Web copywriting jobs: SEO copywriter, copywriter, storyteller, editor, translator, community manager, content manager, developer, SEO specialist.
• Web copywriter salary: between $25 and $100 per hour for a freelancer and between $1,500 and $3,000 per month for an employee.

👀 What is the role of a web copywriter?

The role of a web copywriter is to write content intended for publication on a website. As such, they adapt to the editorial strategy implemented by the company they work for and write texts accordingly.

To successfully complete their task, they conduct thorough research to find high-quality sources of inspiration and perform continuous monitoring to stay informed about market trends. They continuously analyze the competition's evolution and stay up-to-date with the relevant industry news.

In collaboration with the digital marketing team, the web copywriter creates relevant content for various communication channels of their employer, such as:

• static pages;
• blog posts;
• news articles;
• product descriptions;
• white papers;
• newsletters;
• etc.

To achieve the company's business objectives, they use different writing techniques. They can optimize their texts for SEO and improve internal linking, engage in copywriting to increase sales, or use storytelling to connect with the reader.

More generally, the web copywriter can also be a source of proposals. They know how to conduct Keyword Research or create a content calendar for future publications. They can also update published texts to adapt them to current events or web writing rules.

🤖 What is an SEO copywriter?

A web copywriter is not necessarily an SEO copywriter! Indeed, the latter has a deep understanding of search engine expectations to promote the organic ranking of content on the web.

Website owners do not all need SEO optimization for their content. This is especially true for short product descriptions, viral articles (short-term visibility), or government websites.

An SEO web copywriter will focus on pages that require long-term visibility on Google. They optimize their content to naturally (ideally!) integrate an expanded semantic field and keywords in the most important text areas (titles, introduction, metadata, etc.).

They also know how to create a high-quality HTML structure for their texts and configure images and their attributes according to search engine guidelines. The SEO copywriter also helps indexing robots crawl websites in a targeted manner by adding relevant internal links to their content.

🛣 How to become a web copywriter?

If you want to become a copywriter on the Internet, you first need certain prerequisites. Before training in web copywriting, the ideal candidate must:

• love writing;
• master spelling, grammar, and syntax;
• be curious;
• know how to adapt;
• be comfortable with computer tools;
• have a good internet connection.

If you think you have all these qualities, then you are probably ready to become a web copywriter! You can learn the profession self-taught by browsing the multitude of content available on the Internet and watching the many YouTube videos on this subject.

In parallel, you can also gain experience by writing on copywriting platforms, such as Textbroker or Scribeur. By doing so, you learn to follow an SEO content brief and receive feedback on the quality of your work.

However, learning the web copywriting profession this way takes time. Moreover, it can be challenging to sort through the free information. That's why the best way to become a web copywriter is to follow a course, online or in-person.

👨‍🎓 What training to become a web copywriter?

Even if you write well, I believe it is essential to train in the web copywriting profession. Indeed, writing for the Internet differs from academic or journalistic writing.

Online readers have specific requirements, and SEO competition is fierce. If your writing style does not meet the standards of digital reading, you risk losing your audience quickly.

Web copywriter: training

A good web copywriting course should last at least a few weeks, if not several months. Beware of miracle sellers who promise results in a week or guarantee exceptional revenue.

For a web copywriting course to be effective, it must include practical exercises. These should be corrected, and you should have access to a team with whom you can discuss your needs and difficulties.

The price of a web copywriter course varies. However, expect to invest at least a few hundred dollars for quality education. If you cannot benefit from funding through an employment agency and cannot afford this amount, you can always opt for self-taught learning or a free course.

Web copywriter: free training

Honestly, there is no free training to become a web copywriter. Or at least, not of quality! However, if you cannot afford a paid course, you can combine free offers.

This will take time, and you will have to sort through the information. But with perseverance, you can certainly succeed! Also, consider subscribing to YouTube channels of recognized trainers to get free advice.

If you want to follow this path, I recommend setting aside some money each month. You can then take a paid course and deepen the areas covered during your free learning.

SEO copywriter: training

Once trained in web copywriting, you can specialize in a specific area. Some SEO specialists or SEO copywriters offer courses tailored to web copywriters to specialize in organic search optimization.

This will allow you to later offer a value-added service to your copywriting work. You will discover Google's algorithms and writing recommendations to improve the visibility of your writings (such as Google EAT).

As a result, you become an essential member of the editorial team of a company that wants to be visible in the SERP (search engine results pages). You also have the opportunity to increase your rates, which allows you to quickly recoup the cost of this type of training.

Copywriter: training

Copywriting is another web copywriting specialization you can pursue. If you have a sales mindset and know how to use words to impact your audience, this profession may interest you.

You can then offer your services to find catchy slogans and attention-grabbing phrases that attract the company's prospects for which you work. If you become excellent in this profession, you can charge your services several hundred dollars per hour!

Storyteller: training

Storytelling is becoming increasingly popular. This art of narration is particularly suitable for "about us" pages on websites. It can also be used for writing certain types of blog posts.

Taking a specialized writing course in this area is necessary to learn how to tell a captivating story for your audience. You will discover the narrative techniques used by novelists and learn to adapt them to web content.

✌ How to be a good copywriter?

To be a good copywriter, you need experience! Once you have completed your web copywriting training, embark on various projects and try to write as many texts as possible in different styles and content.

In your various assignments, you can discover your affinities with certain types of writing and specialize in a topic that suits you. Because a good web copywriter is a copywriter specialized in a specific field!

Moreover, a good web copywriter never stops learning and training. Indeed, writing requirements are constantly evolving, as are optimization and sales techniques. Keeping up-to-date and knowing all aspects of your profession is a significant advantage.

✨ What jobs are related to web copywriting?

We have already seen the most common specializations of the web copywriting profession: SEO copywriter, copywriter, and storyteller. However, once your career is underway, you can diversify your offer.

With experience, you can easily become a content editor or content manager. If you have specific language skills, you can also start a career as a translator.

Additionally, in the era of social networks, community managers (community animators) are in high demand. However, even if you master writing content for websites, I recommend taking a specialized course in this field.

Another frequent request for a web copywriter is to master CMS (website creation platforms). As a result, you can complement your services by training in website development. Furthermore, if you enjoy SEO, there are opportunities to evolve into an SEO specialist role.

💰 What is the salary of a web copywriter?

Web copywriting rates are very variable. It depends on your level of training, your area of expertise, the services offered, and your professional status. Often, texts are billed per word (between 5 and 50 cents per word). However, hourly or flat-rate pricing is also becoming more common.

If you want to become a freelance web copywriter, you can set the rates that meet your needs. However, you must remain competitive! Depending on your specialization, you can estimate your hourly rate in a range of $25 to $100 per hour.

Note that if you start your own business, it takes at least one to two years to fully live off your new activity. Plan to gradually launch your business or have the necessary financial support for your development.

If you are an employee, the salary of a web copywriter varies between $1,500 and $3,000 per month. This depends, of course, on your experience, skills, the size of the company that hires you, and your activity rate.