UX writers and the magic of user-friendly microcopy
UX writers and the magic of user-friendly microcopy
UX writers help users navigate a website or app. They create targeted "microcopy" texts to make users' lives easier. At the same time, UX writers can suggest specific actions to users—as requested by the client—and thus encourage them to take action. Microcopy is tiny—but with enormous potential for user-friendliness, especially in the age of AI search. I'll show you what UX can achieve for your website.
UX writers help users navigate a website or app. They create targeted "microcopy" texts to make users' lives easier. At the same time, UX writers can suggest specific actions to users—as requested by the client—and thus encourage them to take action. Microcopy is tiny—but with enormous potential for user-friendliness, especially in the age of AI search. I'll show you what UX can achieve for your website.
What to expect in this article
What does UX mean?
UX is short for User Experience . In German , UX refers to the user-friendliness of products in general. The term is most often used in connection with websites, apps, or other software applications.
A UX-optimized website fulfills its purpose perfectly or even exceeds expectations. The better the user experience, the more enjoyment the user gets from the product. With optimal UX, people use a product willingly, repeatedly, and recommend it to others. You can read more about UX in general in the Gründerszene glossary .
What does a UX writer do?
Everyone wants to feel safe, liked, loved, and valued. A UX writer can convey this feeling through their writing. How? By writing as if they were talking to a good friend. By building trust and encouraging action.
A few basic rules for UX writing are:
- Welcome your users.
- Use language and phrases from your user's everyday life.
- Address your user by name. Personalize the text accordingly.
- Make people smile and laugh.
- Be courteous and polite, use pronouns of address, engage the user, and if it fits, even rhyme. Pascal.
- Praise users and compliment them when they have done something well.
- Avoid jargon, extremely technical language, or internal company terms that might discourage users from further engaging with your application.
Of course, there's much more to consider when writing UX texts. But I think you've gotten a taste of UX writing.
What is microcopy?
Microcopy is a key component of UX texts: literally translated, microcopy refers to tiny text snippets that enhance the user experience on a website, in an app, or in software. These are letters, words, or sentences that help the user and guide them through the application. Specifically, these are:
- 404 pages
- Buttons
- Confirmations
- Email subject lines
- Error messages
- Form fields
- Progress information
- Hover information/notes
- Placeholder
- Page navigation
- Page title
- Tooltips
- …and several more.
Furthermore, microcopy is also important for reducing user anxieties in the broadest sense: it builds a relationship and trust between the user and the application. UX writing also encourages action.
UX writing – more than microcopy
Besides microcopy, there are of course other areas where UX copywriters are in demand. A website or app isn't just made up of buttons and error messages.
Short & Long Copy
This includes somewhat longer and lengthy texts on a website. For example, product descriptions, teasers, tutorials, FAQs, SEO texts , and so on.
Botcopy
UX copywriters also write dialogues for voice services like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, which have been used by more and more people in recent years. Botcopy also includes the texts that chatbots use to communicate with users.
Concept copy
A large part of UX writing is understanding the customer and their needs. To achieve this, the UX writer creates personas, designs as-is scenarios, writes storyboards, and formulates hypotheses for user testing.
SEO & Microcopy – the content marketing dream team
Let's say you have a website. User-friendly microcopy from a UX writer ensures one thing: your customers will find everything they're looking for on your website – and maybe even a little more. Jackpot, high-five, mission accomplished!
But let's take a step back. Specifically, to the moment when customers are still searching for your website. They're probably using a search engine. And this is precisely where organic SEO comes in: if your website is not only user-friendly but also search engine optimized, people will find your business more easily when they search for you on Google. Since Google's Web Vitals update in 2021, good UX writing and thus high usability have definitively become a concrete ranking factor.
In short: SEO, content marketing , and UX drive customers TO your website. UX texts guide your customers THROUGH your website. So, UX is officially important for being found online. Do you understand what I mean by a "content marketing dream team"?
What can Microcopy from a UX writer do for your business?
One word: A lot.
- People who find what they're looking for on your website become your customers. Your sales increase.
- People you guide and to whom you offer added value stay longer on your website. Your revenue increases.
- People who feel comfortable recommend you to others and are happy to return themselves. Your sales increase.
Just think for a moment about how great it is when your sales increase. If the topic of UX writing fascinates you as much as it fascinates me, then let's talk about how we can make your website even more user-friendly!
What customers ask me about user experience…
How do UX and content SEO work together?
UX writing and SEO complement each other.
Strategic SEO content brings customers to your website. UX writing guides them smoothly through your website – and, if all goes well, directly to the shopping cart or your contact form.
