Most small business websites are not badly designed. They are badly written. The layout is fine, the photos are fine, and then the words say “We pride ourselves on quality workmanship and excellent customer service”, which every competitor also says, and which tells the reader nothing they can act on.
This guide is about how to write website copy that does the job a good salesperson would do on the phone: understand what the person wants, show them you can deliver it, remove the reasons to hesitate, and tell them exactly what happens next. It works for a plumber, a solicitor, a bakery, a physio clinic or a software firm. The details change. The method does not.
Start with the reader's job, not your story
People do not visit your website to learn about you. They visit because they have a problem or a want: a leaking boiler, a wedding cake, a sore back, a lease to review. Your copy has to meet them there. The fastest test is to read your homepage opening and ask whether a stranger would know, within five seconds, what you do, who it is for and where you do it.
Before writing a word, list the three to five situations that bring customers to you. A dog groomer might have “first groom for a puppy”, “matted coat that needs sorting” and “regular six-weekly tidy”. An accountant might have “first self-assessment”, “just gone limited” and “VAT threshold coming up”. Each of those is a different reader with a different worry, and good copy speaks to each one by name.
The headline formula that works for almost any business
Your main headline has one job: confirm the visitor is in the right place. Clever lines, puns and slogans usually fail that test. A plain structure works better: what you do, for whom or where, plus one specific reason to pick you.
| Business | Weak headline | Stronger headline |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician | Powering your future | Electricians in Exeter. NICEIC registered, same-week call-outs for fuse boards and rewires |
| Café | Welcome to our little slice of heaven | Breakfast, brunch and proper coffee on Fore Street, open from 7.30am |
| Accountant | Your trusted financial partner | Fixed-fee accounts for sole traders and small limited companies |
| Physio | Helping you live your best life | Physiotherapy for back, neck and sports injuries. Appointments this week |
| B2B manufacturer | Innovation through excellence | Precision sheet-metal parts in runs of 50 to 50,000, quoted in 48 hours |
Replace adjectives with evidence
“Reliable”, “professional”, “friendly”, “high quality” and “competitive prices” are claims every reader has learned to skip. They are not wrong; they are simply unproven. The fix is to replace each adjective with the fact that would make someone believe it.
Instead of “reliable”, say you text the day before with an arrival window and turn up inside it. Instead of “experienced”, say how many years, what you trained in and what kinds of jobs you do most. Instead of “competitive prices”, show a “from” price or explain how you quote. Specifics feel honest because they can be checked.
There is a legal angle too. The CAP Code, which the Advertising Standards Authority applies to marketing claims on your own website, expects you to be able to back up objective claims. “Cheapest in Devon” or “the UK’s leading…” needs evidence you actually hold. Specific, true statements are both more persuasive and safer.
How to write a service page
Service pages do most of the selling and most of the ranking, because they match what people search for. A good one reads like the answers to the questions a customer would ask if they rang you. Use this order:
- What it is, in the words customers use. “Boiler servicing”, not “heating system maintenance solutions”.
- Who it is for and when they need it. The situations that trigger the purchase.
- What is included, and what is not. Scope removes a lot of anxiety.
- What it costs, or how pricing works. A range, a “from” price or the factors that change the price.
- How it works, step by step. From first contact to finished job, including how long each stage takes.
- Proof. A relevant review, photo, qualification or example of similar work.
- Common questions. Parking, mess, guarantees, cancellations, payment.
- One clear next step. Call, book, request a quote, with what happens after they do.
Write the way you talk to customers
The best test for tone is to imagine explaining the service to a customer standing in front of you. You would not say “we offer bespoke solutions tailored to your requirements”. You would say “tell me what you need and I will tell you honestly whether we can do it and what it will cost”. Write that.
Short sentences help, especially on a phone. So does “you” rather than “our clients”. Keep paragraphs to two to four sentences and use subheadings a skim-reader can scan. Most visitors will not read every word; they will read headings, the first line of each section and anything bold, then decide.
Jargon is fine only where your customers use it themselves. A B2B buyer searching for “ISO 9001 certified CNC machining” wants those exact words. A homeowner searching for “damp in bedroom wall” does not want to read about “hygroscopic salts” until you have shown you understand the problem in their terms.
Deal with objections before they become reasons to leave
Every service has a handful of reasons people hesitate: cost, trust, disruption, time, the fear of being upsold or talked down to. Good copy names them and answers them. A salon might address “I have not had my hair cut professionally in years and I am nervous”. A builder might explain how they protect floors and who to call if something goes wrong. A solicitor might say plainly that the first call is free and carries no obligation.
An FAQ section is the obvious home for this, but the strongest answers sit next to the point of doubt. Put the guarantee next to the price. Put the “we clean up every day” line next to the photos of the job.
Words and phrases that quietly cost you work
- “Welcome to our website”. Wastes the most valuable line on the page.
- “We are passionate about…”. Everyone says it; it proves nothing.
- “Solutions”, “bespoke”, “one-stop shop”. Vague words that make readers work to understand you.
- “Contact us for more information”. Tells them to do more work with no reason why.
- “Established in 1998” as the first line. History belongs on the about page unless it is your main selling point.
- Walls of text with no headings. Most mobile readers will not scroll through them.
- Claims you cannot prove, such as “the best” or “number one”.
A copy checklist before you publish
Good copy is the part of a website most owners find hardest to do for themselves, because it is hard to see your own business from the outside. If you would rather hand it over, every Nerdsharks site is written for the business from scratch, based on a conversation with you rather than a form to fill in.
- Can a stranger tell what you do, for whom and where within five seconds of landing?
- Does every service have its own page written in customer language?
- Has every vague adjective been swapped for a checkable fact?
- Is there at least one piece of proof on every page that asks for action?
- Have you answered the top five questions customers ask on the phone?
- Does every page end with one obvious next step, and say what happens after?
- Have you read it aloud? If you stumble, the reader will too.
- Is the spelling British and consistent, and are your phone number and area correct everywhere?