Ask most business owners what’s holding up their new website and the answer is the same: the words. You can talk about what you do all day, but the moment you sit in front of a blank page, everything sounds either boring or like a brochure.
The good news is that great website copy isn’t about being a great writer. It’s about being clear. Here’s the simple process I share with clients.
1. Start with your customer, not your business
Before you write a word, answer three questions about the person you most want to work with:
- What problem are they trying to solve when they find you?
- What are they worried about, or what has gone wrong before?
- What would a great result look like for them?
Your website exists to answer those questions. Everything else is secondary.
2. Say what you do in one plain sentence
Write one sentence that says what you do, who it’s for and where you are. For example: “Custom wedding cakes for couples on the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers.”
It doesn’t have to be clever. Put it near the top of your homepage, close to your headline, so nobody has to guess.
3. Talk the way you’d talk to a client
Imagine a new client has just sat down across from you and asked, “So, how does it work?” Record yourself answering on your phone, then transcribe it. That’s your first draft, and it will sound far more like you than anything you’d write from scratch.
If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a client, it doesn’t belong on your website.
4. Turn features into outcomes
“Gel extensions with a 3-week wear time” is a feature. “Nails that still look fresh at your best friend’s wedding three weeks later” is an outcome. Customers buy outcomes. Keep the feature, then add what it means for them.
5. Use the words your customers use
Listen to how clients describe what they need in emails, DMs and reviews. Those exact phrases are often what they type into Google too. If clients say “eyelash extensions” and your website only says “lash artistry”, you could be missing searches.
6. Keep it easy to scan
Most people skim, especially on phones. Help them:
- Use short paragraphs of two or three sentences.
- Write headings that say something, like “What happens at your first appointment”, not just “About”.
- Use bullet points for lists of services, inclusions or steps.
- Put the most important information first.
The page-by-page shortcut
Homepage: what you do, who it’s for, why you, one clear next step. Service pages: what’s included, who it suits, how it works, FAQs, next step. About: your story, why you do it, what it’s like to work with you. Contact: how to reach you and what happens after they do.
7. Answer the questions people are too shy to ask
How long does it take? Do you service my area? What do I need to prepare? Roughly what does it cost? Every unanswered question is a reason to leave. A short FAQ section on each key page does a lot of heavy lifting.
8. Finish every page with a next step
Tell people exactly what to do next and what will happen when they do it. “Book a free 15-minute call and I’ll talk you through your options” is far more inviting than a lone “Contact us”.
9. Edit, then edit again
Once you have a draft, cut it by a third. Remove anything vague (“we’re passionate about quality”), anything repeated, and anything your customer doesn’t need to make a decision. Then read it out loud. Wherever you stumble, simplify.
You don’t have to do it alone
Words are one of the hardest parts of any website project, which is why every Femme Creative project starts with a Blueprint that guides you through what to say on each page. If you’re planning a new website, explore my web design services or start a conversation. Already have a website and not sure your words are working? Book a complimentary audit.
