Writing Website Copy That Sounds Like You
Most website writing sounds the same. Quality service. Great prices. Happy customers. Nobody ever picked a business because of those words. Here are three short exercises that get your own words onto the page, and a few free ways to check the result before it goes live.
Exercise 1: Talk it out first
The best words already exist. You use them every time you answer the phone. So start by talking, not typing.
- Pick a question customers ask you every week. For example: "How does this work?" or "Why should I pick you over the shop down the road?"
- Answer it out loud for two or three minutes, as if a customer had just walked in. Talk to a friend, or into the voice recorder on your phone.
- Turn the recording into text. Google Docs can type for you as you speak: open a document in Chrome, Edge or Safari, then choose Tools, then Voice typing. See: Type and edit with your voice
- Read the text and underline the phrases that sound most like you. Those phrases are your raw material. Keep them, even if they are not polished.
- Repeat with two or three more common questions. You now have the start of your home page, your services page and your FAQ.
Exercise 2: Write to one customer
The first rule of plain language is to write for your audience. Your audience is not "everyone". It is the person who needs you today. Pick one and write to them.
- Think of one real customer you liked working with. Write their first name at the top of the page. Nobody else will see it.
- Write down the problem they had on the day they first called you, in their words, not yours.
- Make your headline about that problem. "We opened in 1987" is about you. "Get your weekends back" is about them. Your history is fine, but it belongs further down the page.
- List the questions people ask you most often, on the phone and by email. Answer each one on the page, in the order they usually come up. See: Write for the reader
- End every page by telling them what to do next and what happens after. For example: "Call us. We will come out and give you a written quote."
Exercise 3: Cut the jargon and the filler
Now edit. Go through your draft line by line with these five checks.
- Circle every word a customer would not use. Swap in the everyday word. If you truly need a technical term, explain it where you first use it. See: Avoid jargon
- Cut filler words like really, very, totally and completely. The sentence almost always gets stronger without them. See: Short and simple
- Say who does what. "We call you back the same day" beats "Calls are returned promptly". See: Writing for understanding
- Use the same word for the same thing every time. If you say "estimate" in one place and "quote" in another, readers wonder if they are different.
- Replace every vague claim with a specific one. "Fast service" means nothing, because everyone says it. "A quote within one business day" is a promise. Numbers, names and places are what people believe and remember.
Test it before it goes live
You know your business too well to judge your own copy. These checks take less than an hour.
- Paste your text into a free readability checker. It highlights long, hard sentences. Fix the worst ones. You do not need to fix every highlight. See: Free online readability checker
- If you write in Word for Microsoft 365, it can show a reading level too: on the Home tab, choose Editor, then Document stats. If you do not see it, turn on Show readability statistics in Word's proofing options and run a spelling and grammar check. See: Get your document's readability and level statistics in Microsoft Word
- Read every page out loud. Anywhere you stumble, a reader will too.
- Ask a customer or a friend to read one section, then tell you in their own words what it means. Do not correct them. Wherever they got it wrong, rewrite that part. See: Paraphrase testing
- Ask yourself a question from Google's own checklist: after reading this page, will someone feel they learned enough to reach their goal? If not, add what is missing. See: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
Common questions
Should my website sound casual or professional?
It should sound like you on a good day with a customer. Plain language is not "dumbing down". It means using words your customers already use. A lawyer and a landscaper will sound different, and both can be clear.
Can I use AI to write my website copy?
You can use it to help, but read every line before you publish. Google warns that AI tools can produce mistakes and asks site owners to fact-check and review AI-written content, including page titles and descriptions. Start from your own recorded answers so the copy still sounds like you.
What reading level should I aim for?
There is no single right number. Write for the people who actually buy from you. Use a readability checker to find sentences that are too long, then fix the worst ones. Readability scores are a guide, not a rule.
Sources and further reading
- Plain language guide series (adapted from PlainLanguage.gov) · Digital.gov, U.S. General Services Administration
- Principles of plain language · Digital.gov
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content · Google Search Central
- Google Search's guidance on using generative AI content on your website · Google Search Central
- Voice and Tone (an example of a written brand voice) · Mailchimp Content Style Guide
- Readability and document stats · Hemingway Editor Help
Talk it out, write to one real customer, cut the jargon, then test it on someone who is not you. Your own words, made clear, beat any brochure.