Here's the thing nobody tells you when you're building a website: the words matter more than the design.
You can have the most beautifully laid out, fast-loading, professionally photographed website in your industry — and it will still fail if the words on it are unclear, inward-focused, or forgettable.
The good news? Great website copy isn't about writing talent. It's about perspective — specifically, the ability to shift from your own perspective to your customer's. If you can explain what you do to a friend over coffee, you can write your own website copy. Here's how.
The one mistake that kills most website copy
Open almost any small business website and you'll find the same problem: the copy is about the business, not the customer.
- “We were founded in 2009.”
- “Our team is passionate about quality.”
- “We take pride in delivering excellence.”
None of those sentences answer the only question your visitor is actually asking: What's in this for me? Your customers don't care what you do. They care what you do for them. Every line of copy on your website should answer — explicitly or implicitly — “What does this mean for me?”
Before you write a single word, write this sentence about your business:
We help [specific type of customer] achieve [specific outcome] so they can [deeper benefit].
For example:
- “We help Chicago HVAC companies get found on Google so they stop depending on word-of-mouth to fill their calendar.”
- “We help solo therapists launch a website that looks professional and takes online bookings so clients can find and book them without a phone call.”
That sentence is your compass. If a line of copy doesn't connect back to it, cut it or rewrite it.
The structure: what pages you need
Before you write anything, map out your pages. Most small business websites need five:
- Homepage — answers “What is this place and is it for me?”
- Services (or Work) — answers “What exactly do you offer?”
- About — answers “Who are you and can I trust you?”
- Contact — answers “How do I take the next step?”
- Optional: FAQ or Blog — answers the questions you keep getting asked
Don't add pages for the sake of it. Every page should have a reason to exist and a clear next step for the visitor.
How to write each page
Homepage
Your homepage has one goal: give the right visitor enough clarity to keep reading or take an action. The headline should say what you do and who you do it for. That's it. Don't be clever. Be clear.
- “Building tomorrow, today.”
- “Affordable websites and SEO for Buffalo Grove small businesses.”
The subheadline can add a little warmth or a key differentiator: “No contracts. No tech jargon. Just a site that works.” The body copy should briefly address what you offer, who it's for, and one reason to trust you — keep it to three to five short sentences. Every section should end with a clear next step: a button, a link, a phone number. Don't assume visitors will figure out what to do next. Tell them.
Services page
This is where most business owners over-explain. Resist the urge to list every feature or detail. For each service, write:
- What it is (one sentence)
- What problem it solves (one sentence)
- What the outcome looks like (one sentence)
- Who it's best for (optional, but powerful)
Example for a bookkeeping service: Monthly Bookkeeping. We handle your books every month so your records are clean, your taxes are easy, and you're never guessing where your money went. Best for small businesses with $150K–$1M in annual revenue that have outgrown doing it themselves. That's it — no need for a 400-word description of your process.
About page
Here's the counterintuitive truth about About pages: they're not about you. They're about why a visitor should trust you. The best About pages answer:
- Why you started this business (the real reason, not the polished one)
- Who you specifically help and why you're good at it
- What working with you is actually like
- One or two personal details that make you feel human and real
You want the reader to finish your About page thinking “This feels like someone I'd actually want to work with.” Keep it conversational. Write how you speak. If you wouldn't say “I am passionate about delivering innovative solutions” out loud to a client, don't write it.
Contact page
This page is often an afterthought, which is a mistake — it's the page where interest converts to action. Keep it simple:
- A short, friendly headline (“Let's talk.” “Ready to start?” “Ask us anything.”)
- One to two sentences of encouragement
- Your form — name, email, and one open-ended question, nothing more
- An alternative: a phone number or email address for people who hate forms
- Expected response time: “We'll get back to you within one business day.”
Removing friction from your contact page is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your conversion rate.
Practical tips for writing it yourself
Talk it out first
If you're stuck staring at a blank page, record a voice memo instead. Explain what you do as if you're talking to a friend who doesn't know your industry. Then transcribe it and clean it up. The conversational version is almost always better than the written-from-scratch version.
Swap “we” for “you”
Read through your draft and count how many sentences start with “We.” Now rewrite them to start with “You” or speak directly to your customer. This single change makes copy feel dramatically more relevant.
- “We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services.”
- “Got a burst pipe at 2am? We're available 24/7 — one call and we're on the way.”
Write benefits, not features
Features describe what something is. Benefits describe what it does for the person using it.
- Feature: “We use responsive design.” — Benefit: “Your site looks great on every device: phone, tablet, or desktop.”
- Feature: “We offer monthly reporting.” — Benefit: “You'll always know exactly how your site is performing, in plain English.”
Use real customer language
Think about the exact phrases your customers use when they describe their problem to you — the words they use in emails, the questions they ask in your first conversation. Those words, their words, not your industry terms, are the most persuasive words you can put on your site. If multiple clients have said “I just need a site that doesn't embarrass me,” put that on your website.
Keep paragraphs short
Online readers scan before they read. Long paragraphs are a wall of text that gets skipped. Aim for no more than two to three sentences per paragraph. Use bullet points for lists of features, steps, or benefits. Use bold to highlight the most important line in each section.
What to do when you're really stuck
Sometimes the problem isn't a blank page — it's that you're too close to your own business to write about it clearly. A few approaches that work:
- Ask your best clients. Call three customers you love working with and ask: “How would you describe what I do to someone who's never heard of me?” Write down exactly what they say. Their language is probably clearer than yours.
- Look at your reviews. Google reviews, Yelp, email testimonials — wherever customers talk about you in their own words. Pull the phrases that come up most often. Those are your headlines.
- Hire for one page, not all of them. If writing isn't your strength, you don't have to hire a copywriter for the whole site. Hire someone to write your homepage only — usually $200–$500 — and use that as a template for the rest.
One last thing: done is better than perfect
The most common website copy mistake isn't bad writing. It's waiting too long to publish because the copy doesn't feel finished. Your website can be edited after it goes live. In fact, the best websites are constantly refined based on what visitors actually do and say. A clear, honest, slightly imperfect version of your words published today is worth infinitely more than the perfect version that never gets finished.
Write it. Publish it. Read it again in a month and make it better.
Writing the words is one thing. Making sure they're structured and presented in a way that actually converts is another. If you want help with both, that's exactly what our consulting sessions are designed for. Start a conversation →
