Website not converting?
You’ve got a website. Maybe it looks great. Maybe someone spent real money on it, or you spent real hours building it yourself.
But the enquiries aren’t coming in.
Before you blame Google, or your niche, or the algorithm, there’s a good chance the problem is your copy. Not your design, not your SEO, not your social media strategy. The actual words on your website. And the good news is, words are one of the easiest things to fix.
With the end of the financial year approaching, now is a smart time to look at what your website is actually saying – and whether it’s doing its job.
The most common website copy mistake I see
I look at a lot of websites in my line of work. And the single most common problem isn’t bad grammar or clunky sentences. It’s copy that describes the business instead of speaking to the person reading it.
There’s a difference between:
“We offer personalised coaching services to help you achieve your goals.”
And:
“You’ve built something real – but something’s not clicking. Let’s figure out what it is and fix it.”
The first one is about the business. The second one is about the reader. And readers — your potential clients — only care about one thing when they land on your website: “Is this for me? Can this person help me?”
If your copy is describing what you do without connecting it to what they’re feeling, they’ll leave. Not because they’re not interested. Because they didn’t feel seen.
What your homepage copy actually needs to say
Your homepage has one job: to make the right person feel like they’re in the right place.
In the first few seconds of landing on your site, a visitor should immediately understand:
- Who you help — specifically, not vaguely
- What problem you solve — in their language, not yours
- Why you’re the right person to help them — with enough warmth and credibility to make them want to read on
Most homepages skip point one entirely (“Welcome to [Business Name]” tells no one anything). And they explain point three in a way that sounds like a resume rather than a conversation.
Before 30 June, read your homepage out loud. Ask yourself: if someone who had never heard of me landed here right now, would they know within 10 seconds that this is for them?
If the answer is “maybe not” that’s your starting point.
The services page problem
If your homepage is your front door, your services page is where buying decisions get made. It’s also where most service business websites lose people.
Services pages tend to list what the business does. Bullet points, package names, sometimes prices. All very logical. All very easy to skim past without feeling anything.
What converts is copy that helps the reader understand what their life looks like after they work with you.
Not “I offer monthly social media management packages” — but “Your social media gets handled, consistently and strategically, so you can stop staring at a blank screen wondering what to post and actually get back to running your business.”
The transformation is the sell. The service is just the delivery mechanism.
Take a look at your services page before the financial year is out. Are you describing features or outcomes? Are you using your language or theirs?
Four copy fixes to make before 30 June
You don’t need to rewrite your entire website. Small changes in the right places can make a meaningful difference.
- Rewrite your homepage headline. Your headline should speak directly to who you help and what they get. If it currently says your business name or a generic tagline, it’s doing nothing for you. Start with your reader’s problem or desired outcome.
- Add a “you might be in the right place if…” section. This one works. It helps the right people self-identify and keeps your copy from trying to speak to everyone (which ends up speaking to no one). Three to five dot points describing the person you do your best work with.
- Rewrite your services page in outcome language. Go through each service and ask: what does life look like for my client after we’ve worked together? Write that. Lead with transformation, then explain the mechanics.
- Check your contact page copy. Most contact pages say “Get in touch” and have a form. That’s a missed opportunity. A single sentence that reassures someone what happens after they reach out can make the difference between someone pressing send or closing the tab. “I read every message and reply within two business days” is simple, human, and removes friction.
One last thing
If you’ve been putting off looking at your website copy because it feels overwhelming, or because you’re not sure where to start — that’s completely normal. Most business owners are so close to their own business that it’s genuinely hard to see what a stranger sees when they land on your site.
That’s exactly why a fresh set of eyes can help.
If you’d like me to take a look at your website copy and tell you what I’d change first, contact me via the contact form or send me an email – karen@blossomandgrow.com.au. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just an honest look at what’s working and what isn’t.
The new financial year is a natural reset point. It’s a good time to make sure your website is set up to do its job.
Karen Phillips is a Brisbane-based SEO, web design, copywriting, and social media management specialist. She helps Australian service-based business owners build a credible, client-attracting online presence.
