Start With How You'd Say It Out Loud

Most website copy is written in the voice people use for job applications — stiff, formal and a little bit nervous. You sit down to describe your business, the pressure kicks in, and suddenly you're "providing bespoke solutions" instead of saying what you do.

Here's a simple test. Picture a customer in front of you, asking what you do. Write down the answer you'd actually give. Something like: "We fit and repair boilers across south Manchester, usually within a day, and you'll know the price before we start." That's your homepage copy. It answers the question people came to your site to ask.

You don't need to sound like a big corporation to be taken seriously. You need to sound like someone who knows their trade and can be trusted with a customer's time and money.

Cut the Jargon and Say What You Mean

Jargon creeps in because it feels professional. In practice it makes readers work harder, and most won't bother. If a sentence needs reading twice, rewrite it.

A few common offenders:

• Solution — usually means product, service or simply "thing". "Our software solution" becomes "our booking system".
• Leverage, utilise, facilitate — all of these mean "use" or "help". Say that instead.
• Bespoke solutions — describe what you build: "websites shaped around how your shop already works".
• State-of-the-art, cutting-edge — say what the thing does. "Real-time stock updates" beats "cutting-edge technology" every time.
• We're passionate about — replace with what you do about it. "We answer the phone on Saturdays" is more persuasive.

Keep any technical term your customers genuinely use. If you're a plumber talking to plumbers, use the trade words. If you're talking to homeowners, drop them.

Short Sentences Do the Heavy Lifting

On screen, long sentences lose readers. Aim for roughly 15 to 20 words, with one job per sentence.

• Break at and, which and because — they often hide two sentences wearing one coat.
• Put the useful bit first. "We deliver within 48 hours" beats "As part of our ongoing commitment to customer service, deliveries are made within 48 hours."
• Vary the length. A short sentence lands hard; a longer one can carry detail without feeling cramped.
• Use contractions. "We'll" and "you're" read like speech, and speech feels trustworthy.

Keep paragraphs to three or four lines, too. On a phone, a wall of text is a leaving-do for visitors.

Be Specific Instead of Impressive

"We offer a comprehensive range of digital services" says nothing. Nobody can picture it, and nobody can decide whether they need it.

Compare that with: "We build websites for cafés, plumbers and small shops. Most projects take three weeks and start at £1,200." Now the reader knows whether they're in the right place.

Before you publish, check the page answers these:

• What exactly do you do?
• Who is it for, and where do you work?
• How long does it take, and roughly what does it cost?
• What happens next if someone gets in touch?

Prices and timescales scare small businesses, but vagueness scares customers more. Even "from £X" or "typically two to three weeks" filters out bad-fit enquiries and saves you time.

Keep the Sales Talk Honest

Exaggeration is the fastest way to lose a reader. Claims like "the UK's leading", "world-class service" or "guaranteed results" invite suspicion, because everyone knows they can't all be true.

Swap boasts for evidence. Years trading. Jobs completed. A plain promise about response times. "We reply to every email within one working day" is a small claim, which is exactly why it's believable.

Be honest about limits, too. "We mainly work with businesses under 50 staff" is more useful than pretending you serve everyone. If most jobs take a week, say most — not all. Readers forgive a caveat. They don't forgive a let-down.

Read It Aloud, Then Ask Someone Else

Reading copy aloud is the quickest editing tool there is. Your ear catches what your eye skips: the phrase you'd never say, the sentence that runs out of breath, the paragraph repeating what you already said.

Then do one more pass and cut roughly a tenth of the words. Almost every first draft can lose a few.

Finally, ask a real customer or a friend outside your industry to read your homepage. Then ask two questions: "What do we do?" and "Would you get in touch?" If they hesitate, the copy needs another look — not the reader.

Write plainly, promise only what you deliver, and keep the tone as friendly as you'd be on the phone. That's what makes a website sound human, and human is what sells.