‘Of course, our website copy tells people what our company does,’ I hear you say.
Slightly different question: Does your website copy describe what your company does using the same words and phrases your clients would use?
Because that’s the thing, the words you use and those your potential clients use might not be the same. And it’s a crucial distinction if you want your business website to appear in searches.
When you are in the flow of writing about what you do, talking about your services and offer, it’s tempting to make it sound, well, a bit more flash. You might want to use technical terms or marketing lingo.
Here’s an example. I came across a company name, and I wanted to check what they did. I had an inkling were an office fit-out business.
So I Googled the company name to find their website and clarify what they did.
After spending 10 minutes scrolling through various pages on their website, I was still not 100% sure if they were an office fit-out company.
Fancy phrases vs clear and simple
The reason? Nowhere on the website did it mention ‘fit-out’. Instead, they used phrases like ‘end-to-end workspace solutions’.
If you were looking for a company to fit out your new office, would you search for ‘end-to-end workspace solutions’? Or would you search for ‘office fit-out company’?
It’s not unusual for B2B website copy to leave visitors confused about what the business actually does.
So why write it like that? My theory is the need to impress due to a misguided notion that it will make a business stand out.
Limits visibility
Instead, it potentially limits website visibility. Fancy phrases generally don’t get used in searches. If your website copy doesn’t include the keywords your clients would use to describe your business, then you won’t be found.
And it won’t matter how compelling your website is.
When writing your website copy, put yourself in your clients’ shoes and use the language they would use to describe you. Or another way of looking at it is to imagine you are explaining what you do to friends or family.
It’s not dumbing down, rather it is being clear and simple and leaving a potential client in no doubt what it is you do.
There are plenty of other ways to make your company stand out, and for your website copy to sell your services. You need to make sure people can find you first.
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