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Why Good Website Content Really Matters for Small Businesses

Let's be honest. Most people aren't going to spend twenty minutes reading a business website. When someone is looking for a product or service, they usually want to know a few basic things: What do you do? Can you help me? And how do I get started? If they can't find those answers pretty quickly, there's a good chance they'll move on to another website. That's why the words on your website matter more than you might think.

Your Website Is Often the First Impression

Think about how often we look something up before deciding whether we want to do business with someone. We check out the website. We look at the pictures. We read about the services. Sometimes we even look for reviews. We're trying to get a feel for the business before we decide whether we're comfortable reaching out. Your website is doing the same thing for your customers. And you don't need a fancy website filled with big words to make a good impression. You need one that is clear, helpful, and easy to understand.

Talk to Your Customers Like People

One of the biggest mistakes I see in business writing is trying too hard to sound professional. Sometimes a business description has so many big words in it that you finish reading it and still aren't completely sure what the business actually does. Your customers shouldn't have to figure it out. Tell them. If you make something, tell them what you make. If you provide a service, explain what you do and how it can help them. And most importantly, talk to them like they're people—not like they're a business proposal. Your personality matters, too. A small local business doesn't necessarily need to sound like a huge corporation. In fact, sounding human can be one of the things that makes people remember you.

You Don't Have to Say Everything at Once

It's easy to look at a blank website page and think, “What am I supposed to put here?” The answer isn't necessarily everything. Your homepage doesn't need your entire business history. Your services page doesn't need your life story. And your About page doesn't need to explain every single thing you've ever done. Give each page a job. Tell people what they need to know, and then give them somewhere to go if they want to learn more. Keeping things simple can actually make your website much easier to use.

Don't Make Your Customers Guess

This one sounds obvious, but it's easy to overlook. If you want someone to contact you, tell them how. If you want them to request a quote, give them a button or a form. If you want them to book an appointment, make it easy to find where they can do that. People shouldn't have to search your entire website to figure out what they're supposed to do next.

Good Website Writing Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

At the end of the day, your website has one very important job: Help the right people understand who you are, what you offer, and how you can help them. You don't need complicated language to do that. You don't need to sound like a giant corporation. You just need to sound like you, while making sure your customers can find the information they're looking for. Because sometimes the best business writing isn't the writing that sounds the most impressive. It's the writing that makes someone stop and think: “This is exactly what I've been looking for.”