Notes to show that your website copy is costing you money and business

If you’re wondering ‘how much do website copywriting services cost’, you’re focusing on the wrong question. The real one is: how much does poor copywriting cost in the long run?

Or the even more brutally honest question: how much is your current website copy already costing you?

And, if you haven’t invested in professional website copywriting services, the answer is… probably a freakin’ lot of money.

6 reasons why your current website copy is costing you business

The following reasons are based on the copywriting mistakes that I’ve bumped into the most when visiting new websites.

1. Your website copy confuses your visitors

One of the most common website copywriting mistakes?

Being vague AF.

Either by using meaningless buzzwords or by trying too hard to sound cute and clever.

As Donald Miller from Building a Storybrand always says:

What do we mean by that? (I’m just gonna try using ‘we’ as if Donald and I were best buddies or something)

Here’s an example:

If you were to see this, would you understand what they’re actually selling?

I wouldn’t.

And here’s the thing: their leads haven’t got time to figure it out.

Why should they waste it trying to decipher it like an Agatha Christie murder when they can easily jump onto their competitors’ websites that immediately clarify it?

If you’ve mainly relied on overused buzzwords (e.g. cutting-edge, synergy, etc.) or tried to sound cute and clever (e.g. ‘Your journey starts today’ when you’re actually selling toner), then your website copy is definitely costing you business.

2. It doesn’t show the benefits of what you offer

Another popular mistake is describing every single feature of your product as if trying to win a game of Taboo and failing to convey what this will mean for your audience.

For example, if you say ‘Our cutting-edge lamp relies on multi-colour and wireless technology’, your audience will probably go: so what?

How about something like this, instead?

‘Every day, a different colour to match your mood and create the perfect ambience… without annoying wires getting in your way.’

And I know what you’re thinking: ‘But this is obvious when you say multi-colour and wireless!’

But here’s the thing. Or better, two:

It might not be as obvious as you think for someone who’s seeing your products or services for the very first time
It might be obvious if they stop to think about it, but they’re probably not going to do it. And, even if they do, they might draw a different conclusion altogether.

You’ve gotta TELL them. Even better: show them

3. It’s too corporate-sounding & all about yourself

I get it.

You love what you do and are so excited to tell your entire company history to your leads or get them to go through your values as if they were watching an internal PowerPoint presentation.

Unfortunately, they don’t care about all that.

They want to know what you can do for them.

Of course, you still need to tell them something about yourself (both to set yourself apart from competitors and to build trust), but the focus should be on your audience.

Here’s an example of bad website copy that is probably costing business to this company:

Company centric website copy that's costing you money

Why should I care about what they’re passionate about? And why should I want to ‘get to know them’?

The CTAs that your leads are actually interested in are those that will lead them to some kind of transformation by solving their pain points: for example, ‘Let’s fix it!’, ‘Book your first session today!’, and so on.

Sorry, but I haven’t got time to get to know your entire team.

4. It fails to connect with your audience

When your target customers arrive on your website and read the first paragraphs, they should have an ‘OMG, they’re talking about me’ epiphany.

This can’t happen if you’re trying to appeal to everyone.

To really connect with your audience, you must know their pain points, language, and how exactly your offer can solve their problems.

Your copy should also show some degree of empathy (‘hey, this company really gets me!’) and almost mind-reading-style knowledge (‘woah, that’s exactly what I think about this!’).

They won’t come across if you’re shouting to the masses.

5. It’s preventing new customers from finding you on Google

Some people already know you from socials or other sources, and that’s great.

However, the rest of the planet doesn’t.

They don’t know your name. They don’t know what your logo looks like. They don’t even know you exist! What they do know, however, is that they need the type of products or services that you offer.

So, they won’t type your company name, but, if they’re looking to go out for a pizza and they’ve just moved to Manchester, they’ll type something like ‘best pizza in Manchester’ or ‘Manchester pizzeria’.

If your website doesn’t include the right keywords, your target customers won’t find you!

Basically, your current website copy is costing you business because it’s not helping you attract people who’re literally already interested in what you do.

6. It’s not designed with the sales funnel in mind

Your website copy should help move your visitors down the funnel:

Starting from the top (tap into their pain points)
Letting them slide down to the middle (showing them how you can solve them and why you’re the best person/company to do so)
Helping them reach the bottom (painting a picture of how good life will feel once they’ve invested in you and offering them an unmissable call to action)

If this wasn’t taken into consideration when creating or outsourcing your current copy, then the words on your website haven’t been actively moving your leads down this path.

For example, this is a company’s entire home page:

Website copy costing business by failing to include the funnel

All about the company, nothing about the benefits they can bring, no call to action whatsoever. What should their visitors do once they get to the bottom of that page?

Investing in new website copy for your badass female-founded business 🔥

Of course, like office equipment or brand new software, website copy is an investment, but it’ll still cost you less than your current words are costing you right now!

This is because it will actively help you generate more business.

As a website copywriter & brand messaging consultant, when I write new copy for my clients (=ambitious female entrepreneurs), I mainly focus on:

Clarifying their core message

Crafting above-the-fold copy that immediately conveys what they do, who for, and what this means for their target audience
Showing empathy and showcasing expertise
Setting them apart from their competitors
Building trust without it sounding like they’re bragging
Focusing on why their leads can’t afford to miss out on their products or services
Offering a clear, compelling call to action
Researching the right keywords and including them strategically to help their websites rank higher