"We leverage innovative solutions to deliver best-in-class results." If that sentence is anywhere on your website, I need to have a conversation with you. Nobody talks like that in real life, and nobody wants to read it either. Your website copy should sound like a real person talking to another real person.
§Write Like You Talk
Here's a trick: record yourself explaining what your business does to a friend. Then write down what you said. That's your website copy. Not word for word, obviously — clean it up a bit. But the tone, the rhythm, the simplicity? Keep all of that.
If you're an electrician, you don't tell your neighbor "We provide comprehensive electrical solutions for residential properties." You say "I fix wiring and install outlets." That's the energy your website needs.
§Focus on the Customer, Not Yourself
Most business websites are full of "we" statements. We do this, we do that, we're the best at whatever. Flip it around. Instead of "We provide fast AC repair," try "Your AC broke in July? We'll be there today." Now the customer is in the sentence. They can picture themselves in the scenario. That's way more persuasive than a list of your credentials.
§Kill the Jargon
Every industry has its own language, and it's easy to forget that your customers don't speak it. A roofer knows what "flashing" is. A homeowner might not. A web developer knows what "responsive design" means. A bakery owner probably doesn't. Use the words your customers use, not the words your industry uses.
Read your website out loud. If any sentence makes you stumble or sounds like something you'd never actually say to someone's face, rewrite it. Good copy is invisible — people read it and just understand. Bad copy makes them work for it, and they won't.
§Keep It Short and Honest
Short paragraphs. Short sentences. Say what you mean and stop. People scan websites — they don't read every word. If you can say it in ten words, don't use thirty. And don't make promises you can't keep just because they sound good. Honesty is the most persuasive thing you can put on a website.