Website swipe copy.

It’s the big new thing.

In case you haven’t seen the term before:

Swipe Copy refers to copy provided by another professional intended to be copy and pasted into your website, email automatons, or social media presence.

We like to emulate what works – so when we see someone successful offering premade posts or web content, we tend to jump at it. Except….. we don’t necessarily think about the implications further down the line of using other people’s content as our own.

First – using duplicate copy on your website that exists on other sites decreases your chances of ranking in searches, which… is bad.

Swipe copy is bad for your SEO

Google doesn’t know the difference between plagiarism, and legitimately purchased copy, it just knows that it’s the same words, across multiple sites.

And the more sites are using it… the worse it gets for SEO.

“Well that’s fine for my website, but Gabrielle, SEO doesn’t matter on Facebook®!”

Well… yeah, you’re kind of right, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other issues with using other professionals’ copy on Facebook® and other social media platforms.

Social Media Swipe Copy is bad for your brand

Just because someone’s content works for them… doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. This is because it wasn’t created for your brand – it was created for THEIRS.

And it worked for them, probably brilliantly, which is probably part of why you’re in their audience to find out about their content in the first place.

But that’s the problem – your content, on Facebook®, other social media platforms, and on your website especially, needs to be created FOR your audience. YOUR clients. YOUR people. And your people… they don’t need what someone else’s people need. Your audience, your people, your future clients, will ALWAYS respond better to content that is original, and is optimised for THEM.

You might be thinking… I don’t have time to write all of my copy, I have to leverage what’s out there for me!

And – you’re still right! You DO need to leverage what’s out there, because there’s not nearly enough time in the day to sit staring at blank pages trying to fill them, if that’s not your cup of tea.

The next time you’re tempted to use swipe copy, I want you to remember:

• There are copywriters out there who can create BRANDED, ORIGINAL copy for you, not only for your website, but for your social media as well! If you’re a photographer, check out Adrienne DeMarco with APD Photography for social media copy! 
• There are CONTENT PROMPTS that will make your writing easier. If you’re looking for a prompt set, I have a free one you can grab that prompts 30+ ORIGINAL, UNIQUE pieces of content for your site or social media presence, with no copy-pasting necessary.
• Having original copy that belongs to YOU is WORTH your time, because it will help with both client acquisition and future client relationships.

A got part of the time, your copy is the first introduction your future clients get to your business.

So it should be an introduction to YOUR business. Not an introduction to… whoever you bought that post from.