Writing Website Copy That Turns Visitors into Enquiries
Website copy has a harder job than most writing. It is read on small screens, in spare moments, by people who are comparing you with three or four other options in different tabs. They are not obliged to read a single word. Copy that works respects that and gets to the point.
The good news is that you do not need to be a natural writer to improve the words on your site. You need a clear idea of who you are talking to and a willingness to cut.
Know exactly who is reading
Before writing a line, describe your typical customer in a sentence or two. Not a demographic, but a situation. "A homeowner whose kitchen tap has been dripping for a week and who wants it sorted without a fuss." "A café owner who needs a new menu printed before the spring." Write to that one person.
Thinking of a single reader changes the tone immediately. Sentences become shorter and warmer. You stop using phrases such as "solutions for all your requirements" because you would never say that to someone standing in front of you.
Headlines that answer the first question
The headline at the top of a page is read far more often than anything beneath it. Its job is to confirm that the visitor has landed in the right place. A good headline usually names the service and either the place, the benefit or the type of customer.
- Weak: "Welcome to our website"
- Better: "Garden design for small town gardens"
- Stronger still: "Garden design that makes a small plot feel twice the size"
Subheadings matter almost as much. Someone scrolling quickly should be able to read only the headings and still understand what you offer, who it is for and how to get in touch.
Lead with benefits, back them with features
Features describe what something is; benefits describe what it does for the reader. "Our websites are built with responsive code" is a feature. "Your site will look right on any phone your customers use" is the benefit. Lead with the benefit, then give the feature as proof for anyone who wants it.
A simple test is to read each sentence and ask "so what?". If the answer is not obvious to a customer, the sentence needs either a benefit adding or deleting altogether.
Cut the waffle
First drafts are almost always too long. Common culprits include:
- Opening paragraphs that warm up before saying anything useful.
- Stacks of adjectives such as "high-quality, bespoke, professional".
- Repeating the business name in every other sentence.
- Explaining the history of the company before explaining the service.
Try deleting your first paragraph entirely and see whether the page still makes sense. Surprisingly often it reads better. Then go through line by line and remove any word that does not change the meaning.
Write the way people speak
Plain, conversational English is easier to read and feels more trustworthy. Use "you" and "we". Prefer short words to long ones: "help" rather than "facilitate", "about" rather than "in relation to". Contractions such as "we'll" and "you're" are fine on most small business sites and make the tone friendlier.
Reading copy out loud is the quickest way to find clumsy sentences. If you run out of breath or stumble, the reader will too.
Answer objections before they are raised
Every customer arrives with doubts. Is this going to be expensive? Will they turn up when they say? What happens if I am not happy? Good copy deals with these calmly and early, rather than hoping nobody thinks of them.
A short section of common questions, written in plain language, does a lot of quiet persuading. So does being upfront about price ranges, even if you cannot give an exact figure without seeing the job.
Ask for the enquiry
It sounds obvious, but many pages simply stop. After explaining a service well, tell the reader what to do next and make it easy. "Email us a photo of the problem and we'll reply with a rough price the same day" is far more inviting than a bare "Contact us".
Place that prompt at the end of every main page, and once near the top for those who have already made up their mind.
Edit with fresh eyes
Leave a draft overnight before publishing. Ask someone who does not know your business to read it and tell you, in their own words, what you do and how to get in touch. If they hesitate, the copy needs another pass. Clear, specific, honest words will outperform clever ones almost every time.