Copywriting case study

Detailed, aspirational website copy for a Bristol estate agent

For Boardwalk

Spring 2023

Words by Bonnie

The project

Estate agency Boardwalk worked with me to create area guides for the most exciting suburbs of Bristol.

Both residents of Bristol who are looking to move to a new neighbourhood, and people who are moving to Bristol from (London, probably) elsewhere in the UK all need to know about each area. The guides cover what makes each suburb special, including specific architecture, regular local events, legendary local businesses, the best nearby schools, the features of nearby parks, the most celebrated restaurants and cafes, transport links, and general highlights.

"We want a deep dive into each area of the city in the form of guides exploring some key spots and everything that makes Bristol so iconic. We all love your writing and think it would be a perfect fit for us."

The brief

The brief was for me to write one page of website content per suburb, covering all the important details a new resident would need to know. It’s Boardwalk’s aim to become a hub of inspiration for homeowners, building on their existing aspirational content.

It was imperative that the website copy was packed with SEO keywords due to the highly competitive nature of property sales.

My to-do list

On-brand tone of voice

Website content

SEO research

External and internal links

The approach

Once I’d got the brief, it was go, go, go on the research. I already knew lots of the areas of Bristol so I first drew on my existing knowledge, and then I got busy on Google. An important part of my preparation was exploring what competitors, both local and afar, have on their websites. I found some extremely poor SEO practice and lots of copied copy, which isn’t a good sign. The final part of my research was gathering area- specific SEO keywords ready to weave through the copy.

Then it was time to write completely original SEO website content, using Boardwalk's aspirational tone of voice.

Once version one was done, I sent the pages to Boardwalk with a bespoke presentation video to talk through every section of the copy.

The results

Boardwalk handled all edits in house with their talented marketing team. They paired my words and their impressive photography of Bristol homes and streets to create a series of lovely area guides.

The overall is approachable, but high- end and aspirational, highlighting the jewels in each neighbourhood.

Project highlights

Nerdy language technique

"Great schools and nurseries, a safe community, and a Waitrose right at the end of your road."

Ok, this line is pretty straightforward, but there’s actually a lot going on here. This area of Bristol is a) expensive, so people are likely to have the income to shop in Waitrose, and b) full of large houses, ideal for affluent families. So, I’m emphasising the education and safety of the area. Also, the use of “your” is a little cheeky, but I’m putting the reader bang in the middle of the copy.

"The copy is wonderful! It was so easy to work with you, we really appreciate you turning around so quickly. It was so helpful to have the video presentation of the copy- thanks so much!"