Why your website copy sounds like everyone else's (and what to do about It)
Photo by David Rotimi on Unsplash
Rather hear me ramble about this? Head over to Episode 2 of my podcast, Turn Your Mess Into Your Message, where I talk through the common paths to bland website copy and how to fix it. Give it a listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get podcasts.
Your website exists. It's out there doing something. Maybe you DIY'd the copy yourself, or a designer threw something together, or you plugged your way through a template someone gave you. But now you're looking at it thinking... this just doesn't feel right.
It's not that it's bad, exactly. It's just bland. Generic. Like you could swap your business name with three of your competitors and nobody would notice the difference.
If that's hitting a little too close to home, you're not alone. And more importantly—it's fixable.
The Very Normal Path to “Blah” Copy
Let me walk you through some scenarios that are so common with the clients I work with. Tell me if any of these sound familiar:
You DIY'd everything. You wrote the pages yourself, section by section, page by page. Depending on how hard writing feels for you (especially pre-AI days), maybe it was a battle. Maybe it wasn't so bad. But now you're looking at it and thinking, um… I don't know if this is actually what we need to say.
You followed a template. You found a website copy template online and filled in the blanks. It gave you structure, sure, but it also gave everyone else in your industry the exact same structure.
A VA or marketing person pieced it together. Maybe someone on your team tried to whip something together, refine it a little here and there. They did their best, but they're not in your brain. They don't have the full picture of your message.
Your designer "handled the copy too." Look, there are amazing designers out there who truly understand the importance of copy—I work with them all the time. But it's also super common to go to a website designer to get your website done, and the copy kind of takes a back seat in comparison to the visuals.
You worked with a generic marketing agency. They gave you templated copy, or fairly templated copy. They did little tweaks here and there, but nothing that really captured you.
You used AI to flesh it out. You got ChatGPT (or whatever AI you use) to give you some feedback, maybe rewrite some sections. But it still doesn't feel right. It doesn't actually represent your voice, your message, your clients.
Sound familiar? You're in good company. Most business owners go through at least one of these situations before they reach the point where they're like, okay, time to actually figure this out.
The Signs It's Time for a Change
Maybe you've reached this point where you realize you're avoiding sending people to your website. For example, in your social media content, you're not linking to your website because it doesn't represent where you currently are or where you're going.
I recently heard this from a client who told me she'd been avoiding linking to their website in their social media content because the site was basically the opposite of how they wanted to position themselves now. Super common.
Or maybe you're getting too many inquiries about work you no longer do, or clients who just aren't the greatest fit anymore are still filling out your inquiry form. Whether that's budget reasons or niche reasons, you've shifted your focus, and your website hasn't caught up.
Why "Just Writing Some Words" Doesn't Cut It
Here's the thing: all this misalignment, genericness, lack of brand voice and message... it's essentially because your website copy doesn't just happen by whipping up some words.
Just like you probably wouldn't expect a brand designer to just slap together some random colours and give you a brand identity, when it comes to creating solid website messaging, there are so many steps that go into message development and voice development.
If we're not giving the same amount of attention, strategy, planning, and solidifying to your voice and copy—the same amount you'd probably give if you worked with a visual brand designer—then you're going to be left with that more generic, "it's there, but is it really us?" messaging.
The Industry Jargon Trap (Or the Cotton Candy Problem)
When you haven't defined your message and voice, you often start to fall into one of two traps:
Trap #1: Relying On Industry Jargon. Because that's how you know how to talk about your field. That's what feels professional and refined. You want to look official and sound official on your website, whether you're thinking that consciously or subconsciously.
But here's the question: what does "professional" even really mean? I think defining that is a huge component of figuring out your brand voice. You can be professional without being buttoned up and ultra-refined if you don’t want to be. But you also can be—maybe your brand is kind of buttoned up and official. We've got to figure out where you stand.
Trap #2: Using Cotton Candy Phrases. Maybe you're not using complicated industry jargon, but you're relying on these overused, slightly cliche phrases that are all over the place in your industry. They look cute, they sound cute sometimes, but there's no substance there. There's no voice, no message—at least not one that sets you apart and makes a name for your nuance—because ANYONE in your industry can use the exact same phrases.
Try This: Start Defining Your Voice Right Now
Want to start getting clarity on your brand voice? Here are a couple prompts to work through:
First: What does "professional" mean to you and your brand? What does it not mean? Do a brain dump in your journal, Google doc, or wherever you like to capture thoughts. Defining what it does NOT mean is really important here.
Second: Go look at some of your existing content or copy. Try to find things that feel the most like the voice you want to put forward and embrace. I often hear from people that their social media content—their more off-the-cuff stuff—feels a bit more aligned with their voice than their website copy, because on their website they're trying to be more official and buttoned up than they really want to be.
Find some stuff you've already written and ask yourself: Why does this feel aligned? What about this feels on brand? How could I take this and bring it into my website copy?
If you've got nothing that feels on brand? Check out a couple competitors and note what about their voice is NOT aligned with the voice you hold and want to represent. What about their voice isn't you, isn't your brand?
Making a Name for Your Nuance
Look, it's totally cool if you're feeling a little blah, or not super stoked on your copy right now. The good news is you're aware of it, and that's a great first step to turning up the dial.
When you finally take your message and your voice and your words and pair it all together—all those little bits—that's when you make a name for your nuance. That's when you turn your “mess” into a message on your website that you can feel really awesome about.
The path from generic to distinctive isn't about having some massive unique selling proposition or being the first to do something. It's about pulling together all the nuanced bits of how you think, how you work, and what you believe—and giving that a clear, cohesive voice on your website.
Want to dive deeper into why your copy might be feeling generic? Check out Episode 2 of my podcast where I talk about this way more in-depth!
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If your website copy is sitting in the back of your mind going, "Hello? Help?" Good news: that's fixable. Click here to book a discovery call with me and let's chat about what it would look like to create messaging that actually moves your people—in all the right ways.