How to Write Web Copy That Sounds Like You

One of the most common problems with small business websites is that the writing doesn’t sound like the person behind the business. It sounds like a brochure. Formal, cautious, and oddly impersonal. Visitors notice, even if they can’t quite put their finger on why it feels off.

Write the way you speak

If you wouldn’t say it in a conversation, don’t put it on your website. Read your copy out loud. If it sounds stiff or unnatural, rewrite it until it doesn’t. The best web copy sounds like a confident, knowledgeable person talking directly to someone they want to help.

Drop the jargon

Industry language makes you sound like everyone else in your field and alienates the customers who aren’t insiders. Use the words your customers use, not the words your competitors use. If a twelve-year-old couldn’t understand it, simplify it.

Talk about your customer, not yourself

Most businesses write about themselves: what they do, how long they’ve been doing it, what their values are. Customers don’t come to your website to learn about you – they come to find out if you can solve their problem. Lead with them, not with you.

Be specific

Vague claims like “high quality” and “excellent service” mean nothing because every business says them. Specific detail is what builds credibility. “I’ve been building websites for thirty years” is specific. “I deliver on time” is not – but “I’ve never missed a launch deadline” is.

Your personality is a competitive advantage. There are plenty of people who do what you do. There’s only one who does it the way you do. Let that come through in your writing.