Calls-To-Action & Microcopy

Web copy is often misunderstood to be only articles or big chunks of text on pages. However, web copy is everything that is written on the NHS Wales website – from a heading to a button label

Introducing Microcopy

What are some examples of microcopy?

• Labels on forms instructing users on how to complete a field
• Button labels for calls to action, buy buttons, or to send a form into an NHS Wales team
• Error messages
• Text in your footer or header
• Subheadings
• Image captions or image ALT title text
• Help text
• Small print

The Importance of Microcopy

Microcopy is important on a website, for the same reason it exists – it helps a user interact with your content, or to complete a task. However, microcopy often falls by the wayside as something that isn’t considered important, or might be done as an afterthought.

Make sure your microcopy, wherever it may be, is written with the same level of intent and objective as your main copy or text blocks. This not only helps the user experience, but helps the NHS Wales bottom line, especially with regards to usability and user satisfaction.

What makes good microcopy?

• Brevity. Make it short. Always. It’s the ‘micro’ in ‘microcopy’.
• Make it scannable. Ideally start it with a keyword that relates to the purpose of the copy, or if a call to action, a verb. Everything we’ve already learnt, but applied to those smallest pieces of text.
• To the point, but also with the NHS Wales tone of voice, where possible. Error messages are a great example of this, or calls to action at the bottom of a blog post.