Unless you have a dedicated Content Strategist or Copywriter, I'd say it is your job.

I think great design starts with great copy.

Copywriter or not, every designer should work to improve their writing skills.

I run into this often. My contract clearly states that I don't touch copy. And if I do, its charged at a billable rate.

Depends.

Short copy, yeah I'll fiddle with that.

However, there's no way I'm writing a client's sales page.

First of all, it's presumptuous to think I could even write an effective sales page for a client. Second, an expert would charge 4, 5, even 6 figures for a really good sales page. In other words, it's not just something you tack on your to-do list next to designing buttons.

As they say, you get what you pay for. If your client wants expert copy, they should pay someone to write it, just like they payed you for your service.

I agree that it sucks big time when you have to design around bad copy. Sometimes you don't even want to use a project in your portfolio because the copy is so horrible.

Still, you have to draw the line somewhere. Or you have to figure out a way you can offer the service.

I'd love to hold a client's hand and help them have the world for nothing, but that's not reality. If you want the best you either have to pay for it or learn it yourself.

I fix web copy sometimes but I always consult with our copywriter to make sure it's good to go.

Also: Noticing bad copy ≠ Being a copywriter

Have spent more time than I ever expected crafting words. I definitely don't mind when it comes to supplemental copy in an interface.

My primary goal is to achieve clear, explicit, and friendly communication. That's definitely something I consider to be in the wheelhouse of design (amongst many other things).

I feel less qualified to make informed decisions surrounding copy that is for marketing/landing pages or specific conversion goals.

Absolutely! But more that they give me NO copy.

So what I do is, rather than use Lorem Ipsum for headings, write witty tag lines. Usually stupid and punny so they have to change it.

I find it a bit of fun and helps the creative juices flow.

If the clients gives you bad copy and isn't paying you to change it, then don't change it. Let the copy be bad.

Don't do work you aren't getting paid for.

There's no doubt, you're definitely getting a rough deal. This could just be a sign of so much changing in 12 months but...shouldn't sites be built around the content? So hiring a copywriter (or content designer as we're becoming known) would be the client's job, given their content needs hammering into shape. Or they could ask you to team up with one.

It's not uncommon for a client to write their own copy though - happens a lot. To be fair, they know their businesses better than anyone else, so it's only right that they get all the facts down. But the most effective approach is to take these facts and give them to a writer. I either let a client provide me with the raw material like this, or get all the facts myself from an interview. At that point, I can start looking at structure, and fleshing the whole thing out, considering tone of voice, etc.

Hell of a lot to expect of someone who's also designing and building your site though. And that cloning thing is still a bit tricky.

I have the same challenge. The design process is more than just aesthetics, it's about seeing the big picture, it's about the Brand experience. So having a clear brand strategy before designing is key, this way the content is coherent and valuable to the user.

I deal with this as well, typically in print designs. While copywriting is not explicitly stated in my job description, it is explicitly within my power to change up headings/etc to fit better with the design and to normalize content between designs. When I typeset smaller things (such as newsletters or notices) I end up changing wordy and unclear copy in the interest of space and clarity. I see my job as effectively communicating through design and the words are part of that.

I like writing. If I hadn't become a designer, I absolutely would have been an English major (but what do you do with a BA in English?). However, I am not trained in copywriting. I would love to get better at it. How?

Yeah right, writing is part of the design process... A lot of designers seems to believe that they're great copywriters nowadays, resulting in the same crappy headlines everywhere : An endless list of "the most advanced %productName% ever" or "%task% made beautiful". Learning how to write is just as long and hard as learning how to design, moreover, being effective at selling stuff also requires some serious marketing skills.

Of course there are a few guys out there that aren't only Unicorns that poops beautiful design and code, but also Chimeras that writes like Ernest Hemingway while traveling around the world in 80 days. But hey, I think most of the people can't be great a everything, time spent honing one skill is time not spent on another.

This being said, if your client accepts to pay for some writing it's great for you, otherwise i wouldn't lose a minute on this. Being a freelancer is already hard enough.

When it's freelance work, you should let the client know about this and ask for a copywriter budget.

When working for an agency, try to write something meaningful to help copywriter what you were thinking, they'll love you for that.

I have found that making suggestions to copy will more likely than not win your clients approval. For me it's usually a case of wordiness as opposed to bad copy. If both are the cause I might mention my opinion to the client. After all they hired you for your input and hopefully value.