Your website might look polished. That doesn’t mean it’s persuading anyone.
If sales are slipping, it might not be what you’re selling… it could be your website.
Here are five signs your web copy is quietly driving people away…and what clients tell me about them.
Sign 1: People land on my site and leave straight away. They don’t ‘get’ it
It’s natural to want to talk to customers about what you do. What’s harder is stepping into your customer’s shoes and explaining what it does for them. But if people can’t tell what’s in it for them, they’ll leave your site straight away.
For example, let’s say you sell sheets. Your website says they’re polyester-cotton. Job done, right? Not quite.
Saying what the sheets are made of is only half the story. It’s not enough to persuade someone to buy.
It might be obvious to you why poly-cotton is a good option…but that’s not what people are buying.
What they actually want is sheets that don’t crumple in the wash and feel soft on the bed. So, start with that. Start with the outcome they can picture.
Bottom line: Give the customer an outcome they can imagine.
Sign 2: I keep answering the same questions via email or phone
If you’re receiving emails asking the same question, you have a copy problem. Same goes for messages that begin with, ‘I looked on the website but couldn’t find X.’
‘But my solutions are tailored,’ you might say. ‘I can’t list everything I do.’
That may be true. But you can give people enough clarity to make an informed enquiry.
That might mean an FAQ page, clearer homepage positioning or better navigation (like a Search option in the menu).
Bottom line: Anticipate what customers are looking for and answer it before they ask.
Sign 3: I get visitors who stay on the site but don’t do anything
If visitors are on your site and they don’t reach out, book or buy from you, you have a problem. It’s really unlikely that what you’re selling isn’t worth it, because even interested buyers hesitate. If you don’t clearly tell them what to do next, they often do nothing.
That’s why you need clear prompts throughout your site.
Not all calls to action have to be ‘Buy now.’ They can invite someone to book a call, download a guide or join your mailing list.
If you have a long page, include more than one. No one wants to scroll back to the top to take action.
Bottom line: Make your next step obvious and easy.
Not sure whether your calls to action are working? That’s something a professional web copy audit reveals quickly. Read more about web audits here.
Sign 4: My site has a lot of text, but I’m not sure it’s actually convincing people
Jargon doesn’t impress buyers. It confuses them, or worse, bores them. There’s nothing worse than a website that goes on and on but doesn’t actually say anything.
Even if your competitors are writing endless reams of industry-speak, don’t follow their lead.
Instead, use the language your customers use. What do they say after working with you? What problem were they trying to solve when they found you?
Bottom line: Clear beats clever every time.
Sign 5: I haven’t updated my website in years
No-one expects you to be a content creator churning out blogs each month. That’s my job. But having a slow or out of date website can be a real red flag for visitors.
If your site is slow, I can guarantee you that no one is going to wait for your beautifully rendered logo to load.
If your content hasn’t been updated in ages, that’s not necessarily a problem. But if your most recent blog post is over 18-months old, customers are going to see that as a big hint you are poor at customer communication.
And if your business has changed (even slightly) and what you’re saying on your socials doesn’t match what’s on your site, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Don’t post about professional head shots and link to an old landing page that talks about product photography. That sort of disconnect will cost you.
Bottom line: Review your website regularly. On your phone. While cooking dinner. It’s probably how your customers are browsing right now.
Your website should be working for you, not against you.
If you recognised your business in one or two of these signs, you don’t necessarily need a redesign. You may just need a tweak here and there.
A web copy audit will show you exactly where your website is stifling sales and what to fix first (usually your Home and About pages).
Need help with your website?
Book a call and let’s make sure your website is working as hard as it should be. After all, it’s your digital ‘shop window’.
