Most business copy is written to sound professional. Good copy is written to get a result: a click, a call, a sale. Those are not the same thing, and the gap between them is where most of your customers quietly slip away.
You don't need to be a "natural writer" to close that gap. Copywriting is a set of learnable tactics. Use the ten below on your website, emails, ads and posts, and you'll get more from the traffic you already have.
Write to one person, not "everyone"
Copy aimed at everyone lands with no one. Before you write a word, picture one real customer: what they want, what keeps them up at night and what they'd type into Google at 11pm. Then write as if you're talking to them across a table.
"Accounting services for businesses of all sizes."
"Self-employed and dreading January? We'll file your tax return so you don't have to."
Sell the outcome, not the features
People don't buy a drill, they buy the hole — and really, the shelf that finally goes up. Features tell people what something is. Benefits tell them what it does for them. Lead with the benefit and use the feature as the proof.
Read each line of your copy and ask "so what?" as your customer would. Keep asking until you hit something they actually care about. "12-hour battery" → so what? → "Lasts a full working day — no charger in your bag."
Write headlines that earn the next line
Most people read the headline and nothing else. Its only job is to make the right reader want the next sentence. Strong headlines usually do at least one of these: promise a clear benefit, spark curiosity, name the reader or call out their problem.
Be specific — vague words cost you sales
"Fast", "quality" and "great value" are claims every competitor makes, so readers skip them. Specifics are believable because they're checkable. Swap every vague word for a number, a time, a name or a detail.
"Fast, reliable delivery."
"Order by 2pm, on your doorstep tomorrow. 98% of parcels arrive on time."
Say "you" far more than "we"
Pages that open with "We are a family-run business established in…" are talking about themselves. Your reader only cares about their own problem. Flip the focus: count your "we", "our" and "us", then rewrite until "you" and "your" win comfortably.
"We pride ourselves on our attention to detail."
"You'll get a spotless finish, checked twice before we leave."
Show the problem before the solution
Jumping straight to "here's what we sell" skips the moment the reader nods along. Name their problem first, show you understand why it hurts, then present your offer as the way out. It's called Problem–Agitate–Solve, and it works for emails, ads, posts and sales pages.
- ProblemName it in their words: "Your website gets visitors, but nobody gets in touch."
- AgitateShow what it's costing them: "Every quiet week is money spent on ads that walked straight past you."
- SolvePresent your fix: "Our one-day copy rewrite turns those visitors into enquiries."
- AskTell them the next step: "Book your free review — slots this week."
Back every claim with proof
Readers are sceptical by default, and they should be. Anyone can say they're the best. Proof does the convincing for you: reviews with real names, results with real numbers, before-and-after photos, recognisable clients, awards and accreditations. Put proof right next to the claim it supports, not on a separate testimonials page nobody visits.
Find your three best reviews and pull out the most specific sentence from each. Add one beside your headline, one beside your price and one beside your call to action.
Take the risk off the table
Even interested buyers hesitate when it feels risky: what if it doesn't work, what if I'm stuck, what if it's a waste of money? Answer those fears directly. Guarantees, free trials, no-obligation quotes, easy cancellation and clear refund terms all lower the bar to saying yes. Only promise what you'll genuinely honour.
Make one clear ask — and a reason to act now
Give people one thing to do, not five. A single, specific call to action beats a menu of options every time. Then give an honest reason not to put it off: limited spaces, a seasonal deadline, a price rise, or simply what waiting costs them. Fake countdown timers damage trust; real reasons build it.
"Click here for more information."
"Book your free garden survey — only 4 slots left before Christmas."
Edit it lean and easy to skim
People scan before they read. Short sentences, short paragraphs, clear subheadings and bullet points make copy easier to take in on a phone. Cut every word that isn't earning its place, then read it aloud. Anywhere you stumble, your reader will too.
Aim for most sentences under 20 words, paragraphs of three lines or fewer, and one idea per paragraph.
Nobody reads copy. They read whatever is about them — and skip the rest.
The copy checker
Paste in a headline, web page, email or post. It checks your copy against six of the tactics above and tells you what to fix first. Nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Paste some copy to get started.
Your checks
This is a quick rule-of-thumb check, not a replacement for testing with real customers. A high score means you've covered the basics — the market decides the rest.
This week's quick wins
Tap each one as you finish it. Your progress saves in this browser.
- Rewrite your homepage headline around the outcome your customer wants
- Run the "so what?" test on your main service page
- Swap three vague words for numbers, times or details
- Count your "we" and "you" — rewrite until "you" wins
- Put a specific review next to your main call to action
- Add a guarantee or no-pressure promise you can honour
- Cut your key page to one clear call to action
- Read your best-selling page aloud and fix every stumble
The bottom line: better copy isn't fancier copy. It's clearer, more specific and more about your customer. Pick the page that gets the most visitors, apply these ten tactics to it, and watch what happens to the numbers.