You built a website. You wrote the copy yourself (or hired someone to write it). It looks professional. It says the right things. And yet your contact form sits empty, your phone isn't ringing, and the people who do reach out don't seem like the right fit.
Here's what's probably happening: your website is talking about you when it should be talking about them.
This is the most common messaging strategy mistake I see with small business websites. And it's fixable without a redesign, a new brand identity, or a $10,000 copywriter.
The "About Me" Trap
Most service-based business websites open with something like this: "We are a full-service consulting firm with 15 years of experience delivering innovative solutions..."
The visitor doesn't care. Not yet.
When someone lands on your homepage, they're not there to learn about you. They're there because they have a problem they want solved. They need to see, within five seconds, that you understand their situation. That's what earns the scroll.
Your credentials matter. Your experience matters. But they matter later, after the visitor already trusts that you get what they're going through.
Lead with their problem, not your resume. Your homepage headline should describe what you help people do or solve, not who you are.
The Three Things to Fix First
If your website isn't converting, you don't need to tear it down and start over. Start with these three things.
1. Your Homepage Headline
This is the single most important line of text on your entire website. It's what visitors read first, and it determines whether they keep reading or bounce.
A good homepage headline does one of three things:
- Names the specific problem your ideal client has
- Describes the outcome your client wants
- Challenges an assumption your audience holds
If your headline is your business name or a generic tagline like "Excellence in Everything We Do," you're losing visitors before they've scrolled an inch.
2. Your Calls to Action
Vague calls to action kill conversions. "Learn More" tells the visitor nothing about what happens next. "Get Started" is marginally better, but still unclear.
Specific CTAs outperform generic ones because they set expectations. "Get Your Free Assessment" tells the visitor exactly what they'll receive. "Book a 15-Minute Call" tells them the time commitment. The visitor's brain can say "yes" or "no" because it knows what it's agreeing to.
Every page on your site should have one clear, primary action you want the visitor to take. One. Not three. Not a sidebar full of options. One path forward.
3. Your Service Descriptions
Most service pages read like a list of deliverables. "Strategy development. Brand audits. Content creation. Social media management."
This tells the visitor what you do. It doesn't tell them what changes for them.
Reframe every service around the transformation: what does the client's business look like after working with you? What problem goes away? What becomes easier? That's the version of your service description that converts.
The Voice Test
Here's a quick diagnostic for your website copy: read it out loud.
If it doesn't sound like something you'd say to a client over coffee, it's probably too formal, too abstract, or too focused on sounding impressive rather than being clear.
Your brand voice should be consistent, but it doesn't need to be corporate. In fact, for most small businesses, conversational clarity outperforms polished corporate-speak. People buy from people they feel they know. Your website copy is the first impression of what it's like to work with you.
Formal doesn't mean professional. Clear does.
What About SEO?
Good messaging and good SEO aren't at odds with each other. In fact, they reinforce each other.
When your copy clearly describes what you do and who you help, you're naturally using the language your potential clients search for. You don't need to stuff keywords into your headlines. You need to describe your services the way your clients describe their problems.
AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews are getting better at understanding context. They reward clear, specific, well-structured content over keyword-optimized jargon. Writing for humans and writing for machines are converging.
The Real Question
Before you rewrite anything, ask yourself this: if someone who has never heard of your business reads your homepage for five seconds, would they know who you help and what problem you solve?
If the answer is no, that's where you start.
You don't need more traffic. You need the traffic you already have to understand what you're offering. Fix the message, and the conversions follow.