How to write website copy that gets enquiries

Most website copy fails for the same reason. It describes the business instead of helping the reader. The page opens with a line about passion and quality, then a paragraph about the team, then a grid of services with two words under each. Nothing on it answers the question the visitor actually arrived with.

Good website copy does three things. It tells the reader they are in the right place within a couple of seconds, it answers the questions standing between them and getting in touch, and it makes the next step obvious. Everything else is decoration.

Start with the question, not the sentence

Before writing a single line, write down the questions a real person has when they land on the page. Not marketing questions. Practical ones.

• Do you do the specific thing I need?
• Do you work with businesses like mine?
• Do you cover my area?
• What does this cost, roughly?
• How long does it take?
• What happens if I get in touch?

Now write the page as answers to those questions, in the order a person would ask them. That single move fixes more websites than any redesign. Copy is not a description of your business. It is a conversation you have already had a hundred times, written down.

Earn the first screen

The top of the page has one job: confirm the reader is in the right place. Say what you do, who you do it for, and where. Plainly.

A heading like "Crafting exceptional experiences" tells nobody anything. "Accountancy for owner-managed businesses in Somerset" tells them everything they need in order to keep reading. The second one is not less ambitious. It is more confident, because it does not need adjectives to prop it up.

Under the heading, one short paragraph. Not a mission statement. One or two sentences that add the detail the heading could not carry, such as the size of client you suit or the thing you are known for. Then a button that says what happens when it is pressed. "Book a call" beats "Get started" because the reader can picture it.

Say the thing you are tempted to leave out

Almost every business has one piece of information it avoids putting on the site. Usually price. Sometimes lead time, minimum project size, or the fact that you no longer do a service people still ask for.

Leaving it out does not remove the question. It moves the answer to an email you now have to write, or to the competitor who published it. Giving a range, a starting point or a worked example filters out enquiries you did not want and earns trust from the ones you did. You do not have to publish a full price list. "Most projects start at around X" is enough for a reader to decide whether to keep going. Vagueness reads as evasion, and people can smell it.

Cut every word that carries no information

Read your draft and delete anything that could appear on a competitor's site without changing meaning. "Passionate", "dedicated", "bespoke solutions", "we go the extra mile", "second to none". These words are not wrong, they are just empty, and a page full of them reads like a page written to fill space.

Replace them with something only you could write. Instead of "we pride ourselves on communication", write "you get one named contact, and we reply within a working day". Instead of "quality workmanship", name the standard you work to or the guarantee you offer. Specifics are the only proof copy can carry on its own.

Two more habits worth keeping:

• Short sentences. If a sentence has three commas, it is probably two sentences.
• Front-load the point. Put the conclusion first and the explanation after. People scan, and scanning only picks up the start of things.

Structure a services page properly

A services page that lists nine services with a sentence each will rank for nothing and convince nobody. If a service matters enough to sell, it deserves its own page.

The shape that works, on each individual service page:

1. What the service is, in one plain paragraph.
2. Who it suits, and who it does not.
3. What is included, as a list.
4. How it works, step by step, with rough timings.
5. What it costs, or the range and what moves it.
6. Proof, such as examples of work or a review from someone in that situation.
7. The next step.

That structure is also exactly what search engines and AI assistants need in order to summarise your page accurately. Clear headings, direct answers under them, real detail. Write for the reader and the machine benefits too. It rarely works the other way round.

Write the way you talk, then tidy

The fastest way out of a blank page is to record yourself answering the question the page is about, as if a client had just asked it on the phone. Transcribe it. You will have your structure, your natural phrasing and most of your objections handled in about four minutes of talking.

Then edit. Remove the false starts, break it into headings, and cut it by a third. What you are left with sounds like a person, which is the point. Your reader is comparing you to two or three other businesses, and voice is one of the few things they can judge before they meet you.

A quick test before you publish

Cover up the logo and read the page. Could a competitor swap their name in and publish it unchanged? If yes, it is not finished. Then hand it to someone who does not work with you and ask them what you do, who for, and what it costs. If they cannot answer all three from one read, the page needs another pass rather than a new design.

Common questions

How long should a web page be?

Long enough to answer the questions and no longer. Service pages usually need 600 to 1,200 words to cover scope, process, price and proof. A contact page might need 80. Padding a page to hit a word count adds nothing, and readers can tell.

Should I write my own copy or hire someone?

Write the raw material yourself, because the detail lives in your head. Bring in a writer to structure, sharpen and cut it. That split usually produces better work than either party alone, and it costs less than a full write from scratch.

Does keyword-stuffed copy still work?

No. Repeating a phrase into every paragraph reads badly and no longer helps rankings. Use it naturally in the heading and once or twice in the body, then spend the rest of your effort answering the question thoroughly. Coverage beats repetition.

Want a hand with it?

We write copy as part of every site we build, because a beautiful page with weak words is a slow way to lose enquiries. If you would like us to look at what you have got, or start from scratch, take a look at how we approach web design or get in touch and tell us which page is not pulling its weight.