You can talk about your work for an hour in the pub. Put you in front of a blank page headed “About Us” and suddenly you’re writing sentences like “we pride ourselves on delivering quality solutions”. Everyone does it. Here’s a formula that stops it.
The one rule that fixes most website copy
Good website copy is about the reader, not the business. That’s the whole secret.
Open your current site and count how many sentences start with “we” or your company name. Now count how many start with “you” or “your”. If the “we” pile wins, your copy is a mirror when it should be a window. The visitor has a leaking tap, a slow laptop or an empty booking diary. They want to know one thing: can you fix my problem? Every sentence should move them towards a yes.
A quick test we use on client sites: could a competitor paste your homepage text onto their site and nobody would notice? “Quality service, competitive prices, customer satisfaction” fits every business in Britain, which means it sells none of them.
The PAS formula: problem, agitate, solution
Writing copy for websites gets dramatically easier with a structure. PAS is the one we reach for most, because it matches how people actually decide.
Problem. Open with the thing the visitor is already worrying about, in their words. Not “Welcome to Smith Plumbing”, but “Boiler making a noise it shouldn’t?”
Agitate. Briefly show the cost of leaving it. Not scaremongering, just honesty. “Left alone, a kettling boiler usually gets worse, and winter is exactly when it picks to quit.”
Solution. Present your service as the fix, with proof and a next step. “We diagnose most boiler faults in one visit. Call before 10am and we’re usually out the same day.”
Three moves. You can write a whole service page with them, and the reader feels understood before you’ve mentioned yourself once.
For the features themselves, borrow FAB: feature, advantage, benefit. “Powerflush included (feature), so your radiators heat evenly (advantage), which means no more cold spots in the kids’ rooms (benefit).” Owners stop at the feature. Customers buy the benefit.
Before and after: a real-style trade page
Here’s the difference in practice, on a made-up but painfully familiar electrician’s homepage.
Before: “Welcome to JR Electrical Services. We are a professional, reliable electrical contractor with over 15 years of experience delivering quality solutions to domestic and commercial clients. We pride ourselves on our high standards.”
Fifty words, all about them, nothing a visitor can act on.
After: “Need an electrician who turns up when they say they will? JR Electrical covers Stockport and Wilmslow, fixes most faults in one visit, and leaves your fuse board labelled so you’re never guessing again. Fully certified. Get a free quote by 5pm today.“
Same business. But now it’s about you, it’s specific, and it ends with something to do.
Seven rules for every page
- One page, one job. A service page sells the service. Don’t make it also tell your life story.
- Headline states a benefit or names the problem. “We’ve been trading since 2009” is neither.
- Short sentences, short paragraphs. People scan on phones. Walls of text don’t get read, they get left.
- Cut the jargon. Write “we’ll make your site show up on Google”, not “we optimise your organic search presence”.
- Be specific. “Most jobs finished within a week” beats “fast turnaround” every time. Only claim what’s true.
- Add proof near the promise. A genuine review or accreditation next to the claim it supports.
- One clear call to action, repeated. Decide the one thing you want (call, quote form, booking) and ask for it plainly, more than once.
These rules bite hardest on your homepage, which has the most jobs to do in the least time. We’ve broken that page down separately in what should be on your homepage, and if you’re sending paid traffic anywhere, read what a landing page is before you spend a pound, because ads pointed at general pages waste money.
When to write it yourself, and when to hand it over
If you’ve got the time and this article has unstuck you, write it yourself. Nobody knows your customers better, and PAS plus the seven rules will carry you a long way.
If the page has sat half-written for three months, that’s your answer too. MarketingDone4U writes the copy for every website we build, and it’s included in the monthly price, with professional copywriting for five pages on the £99 a month Starter plan (12-month minimum term, managed service, hosting and professional email included). Take a look at our web design service to see how that works, and where copy fits in the wider build in our guide to small business website design.
One warning either way: new words deserve an honest look at the page around them. If the design underneath is dated, fresh copy is lipstick. Our guide to website redesign costs helps you judge whether it’s a rewrite or a rebuild you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best formula for writing website copy?
PAS (problem, agitate, solution) is the most reliable structure for small business pages. Open with the visitor’s problem in their words, show what it costs to ignore, then present your service as the fix with one clear call to action. Pair it with FAB (feature, advantage, benefit) when you describe what’s included.
How long should website copy be?
As long as it takes to answer the visitor’s questions, and no longer. A service page usually lands between 300 and 600 words, while pages targeting search queries often run longer because they answer more. Length matters less than scannability: short paragraphs, clear subheadings, and a call to action visitors can’t miss.
Should website copy be written in first or second person?
Lead with second person. “You” and “your” keep the copy focused on the reader’s problem, which is what sells. Use “we” sparingly, for proof and process (“we fix most faults in one visit”). A page dominated by “we” reads like a brochure; a page built around “you” reads like help.
What is a call to action on a website?
A call to action is the instruction that tells a visitor what to do next, like “Get a free quote” or “Book a survey”. Every page needs one clear primary action, repeated at natural points down the page. Vague CTAs (“Learn more”) convert worse than specific ones that state what happens next.
Can I pay someone to write my website copy?
Yes. Freelance copywriters typically charge per page or per day, and quality varies with price. MarketingDone4U includes professional copywriting in every website plan, starting with five pages of copy on the £99 a month Starter package, so the writing gets done as part of the build rather than becoming your homework.
Want this done for you? See our web design plans, or compare every service and price in one place.
