Dawn McGuigan

Websites are one of the most important communications and promotional tools for any organisation. But, if website copy isn’t clear then it’s working against not for your business.

I’ve spent the last few days browsing an array of websites in an attempt to clear my personal and business to-do lists. I’ve looked at double-glazing suppliers, business mentors, childcare providers, business insurance and professional networks – and something struck me on my digital travels.

Confusing copy.

Yep, a lot of these websites confused rather than converted me. And, that was because they were unable to describe clearly and concisely what they did.

Copy was packed with jargon and elaborate vocabulary when simple descriptions would do. B-2-B websites were particularly guilty of suffocating their propositions with layers of woolly adjectives.

I was reminded of the episode of Friends in which Joey wrote a letter using a thesaurus on every word. The results weren’t good:

Even if your customer is an expert in their field and understands the related technical terminology, they want to know precisely how you can help them. Quickly.

There’s one question your website homepage needs to answer to fulfill that need and avoid visitors leaving in seconds. You ready? Here it is…

So, what do you do?

Imagine you’re asked this question at a networking event or you bump into an old school friend who asks what you’re up to now. How would you answer it? Would you use the same words and phrases that are on your website? If not, you need to take another look at your website.

Because answering this question is the key to ensuring your website provides a clear description of what your business does.

Once you’ve established that, you can move on to using other copy and content to convert web visitors to prospects, partners and/or customers.

But, focus on answering that question first.

Here’s how you can describe what you do simply.

All you need is a verb, a product/service, a customer and a problem to fix. I use this technique to help my clients define their brand positioning statement and this four-pronged version is great for tightening up web copy.

1. A verb – how you do it
2. A product/service – what you provide
3. A customer – who you do it for
4. A problem to solve – what you fix for your customer

Let’s try it.

For example, an insurance broker might say:

We find (the verb) low-cost home insurance (the product/service) to help homeowners (the customer) save money (the problem to solve).

It’s clear, concise and I know exactly how the broker can help me.

Try this with your business and see how simple you can make your proposition. Put it on your homepage and I guarantee you’ll supercharge the power of your website to convert visitors into viable prospects.

If you’d like some help to improve your website content, get in touch at hello@dawnmcguigan.com.

Post originally published in August 2020.