UX Writing for Websites: The Words on the Buttons Decide More Than You Think

UX writing for websites concerns the smallest words on a page: the text on buttons, the labels above fields, the messages that appear when something goes wrong, the line beneath a price. These fragments, often called microcopy, rarely get attention in a project, because they are written last by whoever happens to be nearby. Yet they carry a surprising share of the work. A confusing label causes an abandoned form far more often than an ugly colour does.

Say what will happen

A button should describe the result of pressing it. "Submit" tells a person nothing, while "Send my enquiry", "Book this table" or "Pay £45.00" gives certainty. Where an action cannot be undone, such as deleting an account, say so plainly and name what will be lost. A good test is whether someone could understand the button with the rest of the page covered.

Use plain English

Write the way you would explain things to a sensible friend. Choose short, common words over formal ones: "use" rather than "utilise", "help" rather than "assistance". Keep sentences short and put the most important information first. The government's content design guidance, widely used across public services, favours plain language because it works for everyone, including people reading under stress or in a second language.

Write errors that help

A message such as "Invalid entry" shifts blame onto the user. Explain what is wrong and how to fix it, in a calm tone: "That email address is missing an @ sign. Check for typing mistakes and try again." Place the message next to the problem, keep what the person has typed and, where the fault is yours, apologise and say what you are doing about it. Never blame the visitor for your own system's failure.

Help before the mistake

The best error message is one that never appears. Add short hints beneath fields where people commonly stumble: the format of a date, the limit on a file, the reason you ask for a phone number. Keep hints brief and visible, not hidden in placeholder text that vanishes as soon as typing begins. Explain why you need sensitive information, as this reassures people and tends to improve completion.

Be consistent

Use the same word for the same thing everywhere. If it is a basket on the product page, do not call it a cart in the checkout. Decide whether it is sign in or log in, and keep to it. Create a short style guide listing preferred terms, the tone to use and the phrases to avoid, and share it with everyone who edits the site. Consistency reduces mental effort, and it is the cheapest way to appear professional.

Match tone to the moment

A playful line might be fine on a confirmation page and wrong on a payment failure. Keep humour for situations where nothing is at stake, and be straightforward when people are worried or in a hurry. Avoid exclamation marks as a substitute for warmth.

Test it with real people

Accessibility lives in the words too

Link text should make sense when read alone, as screen reader users often navigate by a list of links: "Download the price list (PDF, 2 MB)" is better than "Download". Form labels, instructions and error messages must be associated with the fields in the code, not merely placed near them. Avoid relying on position or colour in your wording, as in "click the green button on the right", which means nothing to someone who cannot see the page. Provide alternative text for images that carries the same information.

Keep a living glossary

Collect the words and phrases you have settled on, with examples of good and bad use, in a document that everyone can find. Add to it whenever a debate is resolved. New staff and freelancers then write in the same voice from their first day, and the site stays coherent even as it grows.

Ask several people to complete a task and listen to the words they use, since your labels should echo them. Read your copy aloud, and check it for screen readers, where link text such as "click here" is meaningless out of context. Review the words whenever the process changes. If you would like help with the microcopy on a site, we are happy to go through it line by line.