Write the way you'd talk to a customer in person
The single most useful test for any sentence on a small business website is whether the owner would say it out loud, in a normal voice, to a customer in their kitchen. "We deliver bespoke solutions tailored to your needs" fails the test. "I'll come round, look at the boiler and tell you what it'll cost before I start" passes. The first sentence reads like every other small business website. The second reads like a real person. Buyers can tell the difference in the first paragraph.
The four rules
Four rules cover most of the writing work on a small business website. They're not creative writing rules. They're plain rules a non-writer can follow.
Rule 1: short sentences
Most sentences should be under twenty words. Very few should be over thirty. Long sentences look fine on a desktop and become unreadable on a phone. Short sentences read fast, scan well and survive being read by a tired person at the end of the day.
Rule 2: plain words
Use the words a customer uses. "Boiler" not "central heating system." "Books" not "financial records management." "A 15-minute call" not "a discovery consultation." If a word would only ever appear in a marketing brochure, delete it.
Rule 3: specific over general
"We've worked with 47 tradespeople across the south west" beats "we work with many businesses." "Your books ready by the 10th of every month" beats "timely reporting." Specifics build belief. Generalities don't.
Rule 4: one idea per paragraph
Each paragraph carries one idea. If a paragraph runs more than four lines on a phone, it almost certainly carries two and should be split. Short paragraphs aren't dumb writing. They're considerate writing for someone reading on a small screen with one thumb.
- "bespoke", "tailored", "solutions", "holistic", "unique"
- "passionate", "world-class", "cutting-edge", "innovative"
- "synergy", "leverage", "empower", "unlock"
- "a discovery call" (use "a 15-minute call"), "reach out" (use "get in touch")
The read-aloud test
Open any page on your site. Read it out loud. Mark every sentence you wouldn't say out loud to a real customer. Rewrite those sentences in the words you'd use in person. Almost every small business website improves by twenty per cent on the first pass of this test, and the rewrite takes less than an hour per page.
Page-shape: the question order
Buyers read small business website pages in roughly the same order, regardless of the page. They want to know, in order: is this page for me, what exactly do I get, how does it work, who am I dealing with, what does it cost, what do I do next. Pages written in that order convert. Pages written in the order the owner finds it easiest to write - usually starting with the company history - don't.
The five-minute service-page rewrite
Most service pages improve dramatically with a five-minute rewrite of the first three lines. Replace whatever's there with the same three-line shape as the home page clarity block. Who it's for, what it does, what to do next. "Monthly bookkeeping for trades businesses turning over £80k to £400k. One bookkeeper, fixed monthly fee, books ready by the 10th. Book a 15-minute call." Then keep the rest of the page as it was. The first three lines do most of the work.
Three real before-and-afters
The bookkeeper
Before: "We provide comprehensive bookkeeping solutions tailored to your business's unique needs." After: "I do the books for trades businesses turning over £80k to £400k. One person, fixed monthly fee, your books ready by the 10th." The second version sounds like a real person, names a specific buyer and offers a specific outcome. Enquiries went from one a month to four.
The plumber
Before: "Bristol Plumbing Solutions delivers a comprehensive range of plumbing services to discerning clients across the wider Bristol area." After: "I'm Mark. I look after the plumbing for forty-three landlords across north Bristol. Same-week appointments, fixed prices on the ten most common jobs." The second version is one person, one promise, one place. Callbacks went up by two a week.
The homewares shop
Before: "At HomeStudio we curate beautiful pieces for the modern home." After: "Honest homewares, made in small batches by a team of three in a workshop in Leeds. Free UK delivery over £40. Two-year guarantee on every piece." The second version is concrete, local and reassuring.
What to do this week
Pick the single page on your site that most strangers see after the home page. Read it out loud. Rewrite the first three lines in the shape of the clarity block. Delete every word from the words-to-delete list. Read it out loud again. Publish. Don't touch the rest of the page until you've done the same to the next two pages.
Make the offer clear: this chapter is mostly the principle in writing form. The previous chapter built the home page. The next chapter, Designing for trust on a small budget, dresses the words on the page in a look that earns belief.
