Stop Writing Boring Website Copy: 6 Tips to Writing Delicious Web Copy

Why do most website copy suck so much? I’ve got a theory, and you can test it yourself before your coffee gets cold.

Here’s something I want you to try right now. Find 5-10 websites you like that are in sectors related to your business.

Next thing you need to do is this: Make judgements about good elements and bad ones based on your observations. Grab a notes app and write down where you leaned in, where you yawned, and where you bailed.

What made you stay on one site and close another before the page even finished loading? A headline? A joke? One sentence that made you go “ha, that’s me”?

Well, if you do this honestly, a pattern is going to smack you in the face. It’s the same one behind almost every snooze-fest website, and I’m naming it in tip number one. (Heads up: you might spot it on your own site, and that’s okay.)

Why Boring Website Copy Costs You Clients

Website copy is every word on your site, from the big headline down to the tiny text on a button. When it’s boring, people skim it, forget it, and leave without ever asking you a question.

And getting them there isn’t cheap. Contentsquare’s 2026 Digital Experience Benchmarks found that 59% of sites lost traffic in 2025, while each visit got 9% more expensive. So a dull page is basically a billboard you paid for and left blank.

Even the people who stick around don’t act much. A typical website converts between 1% and 4% of visitors, according to 2025 benchmarks. Better words are one of the cheapest ways to nudge that number up.

David Ogilvy said it decades ago, and it still stings: “You cannot bore people into buying your product.” Ouch.

6 Tips to Writing Delicious Website Copy

I call this the 6-Ingredient Copy Recipe. Skip one and people will still eat it, but nobody’s asking for seconds.

1 – Say what you do (like, actually say it)

Here’s the pattern. Most boring websites never plainly say what they sell, so you’re left playing detective.

“We craft bespoke solutions for modern brands.” Cool. Are you a bakery or a bank? Your first line (fancy term: above-the-fold copy) has to answer “what do you do, and who’s it for?” before anyone blinks.

Formula: [Result] for [who you help] without [what they hate]
Before: “Elevating brands through innovative strategy.”
After: “Website copy for busy founders who want more inquiries and fewer rewrites.”

2 – Know your reader like your best friend

Good copy talks to ONE person. Try to talk to everybody and you end up saying nothing to anyone.

So go steal their words. Check your reviews, emails, sales calls, and DMs, then use those exact phrases in your headlines. (That’s user intent optimization, but really it’s just listening.)

Try this little exercise:

Write your reader’s biggest headache in one sentence
Write what they’d type into Google to fix it
Write how they’ll feel once it’s fixed

3 – Sell the fix, not the features

Features are what you HAVE. Benefits are what changes for them.

StoryBrand author Donald Miller says you should “Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives.” His next two words? Tell them.

Feature (yawn)	Benefit (yum)
24/7 customer support	Get answers at 2 a.m., so a hiccup never wrecks your launch
Custom website design	A site that looks like you and actually shows up on Google
Monthly reporting	See what’s working without decoding a spreadsheet

Want bonus points? Add a tiny story. “Sarah’s inbox was silent for months. One home page rewrite later, three inquiries landed in a single week.” (Swap in a real client story when you’ve got one.)

4 – Say “you” a lot, and cut the fluff

Count the “we” and “our” on your page. If they beat your “you”s, you’re basically the person at a party who only talks about themselves.

Before: “We offer a wide range of services designed to help our clients.”
After: “You get clear copy that helps the right people say yes.”

Ditch passive voice while you’re at it. “Your inquiry will be answered within 24 hours” sounds like a robot in a tie, but “We’ll reply within 24 hours” sounds like a person. Aim for a 5th to 8th grade reading level, because nobody ever lost a sale by being easy to understand.

5 – Make it easy to skim AND easy to act

Brace yourself, because people don’t read your website. Nielsen Norman Group’s classic research found that 79% of test users always scanned new pages, and only 16% read word by word. It’s older data, but watch anyone scroll their phone and tell me it’s wrong.

So write for scanners. Short paragraphs, clear subheadings, bullets, one idea at a time. Then hand them a clear next step.

One main call to action (CTA) per section
Say what happens next, like “Get my free audit”
Make the button stand out from everything else
When in doubt, clear beats clever

Don’t forget microcopy, the little words on buttons, forms, and error messages. “Submit” is a wet blanket, while “Send my request” feels like progress. Fix one form label today and see how it feels.

6 – Bring proof and personality

Anyone can say they’re amazing. BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 49% of consumers trust online reviews about as much as advice from people they know. And 74% only look at reviews from the last three months, so that glowing quote from 2019 isn’t helping.

Proof isn’t just testimonials, either:

Client results with real numbers
“As featured in” logos and awards
Screenshots of nice emails or DMs
Simple stats, like “200+ pages written”

Then add personality, because that’s the reason someone picks you over the lookalike down the street. Write how you talk, keep it consistent on every page, and read the whole thing out loud. (Yes, the WHOLE thing. You’ll hear the clunky bits right away.)

How to Audit Your Website Copy in 15 Minutes

Got a page that isn’t pulling its weight? Run this quick check on a home page, a service page, or a landing page.

Headline test: Can a stranger tell what you do in five seconds?
“You” count: Do “you”s outnumber “we”s?
Benefit check: Does every service say what changes for the buyer?
CTA scan: Is there one clear button in each section?
Proof check: Are there reviews, results, or logos near your offer?
Skim test: Can you get the gist from the headings alone?
Mobile look: Do paragraphs stay short on a phone?
Read-aloud test: Did you trip over any sentence?

After that, watch your numbers: bounce rate, scroll depth, and conversion rate. Friction is worth tracking too, since Contentsquare reported that 40% of online visits in 2024 included some frustration, like slow pages or rage clicks.

Website Copy Fixes by Business Type

SaaS companies: Explain the outcome in plain words before you mention features. Skip the jargon dump.
E-commerce brands: Write product pages that answer “will this work for me?” Add reviews and clear shipping info.
B2B service providers: Lead with the business result and show proof early. Your buyer has to defend this choice to someone else.
Agencies and freelance designers: Pick a niche and say it loudly. “We do it all” doesn’t stick.
Content creators: Show who your audience is and what they’ll get from you this week.

Website Copy Mistakes That Make Visitors Yawn

Spot any of these on your site? Don’t panic. Every one of them is fixable.

Vague headlines that could fit any business on earth
Feature dumps with zero “so what?”
Jargon that makes readers feel dumb
Five different CTAs fighting for attention
Buried info hiding in a footer or an FAQ nobody opens
No mobile check, even though loads of people read on their phones

One more thing. AI tools now help people find businesses, and BrightLocal’s survey on AI trust shows about 40% of consumers trust AI platforms for local recommendations. Clear, helpful copy is good fuel for Google and for AI answers.

Website Copy FAQs

What makes website copy boring?

Boring copy is vague, self-focused, and stuffed with jargon. It talks about the business instead of the reader’s problem, so visitors never feel understood.

How long should website copy be?

Long enough to answer your reader’s questions and short enough to skim. Many pages do well at 300 words or more, which also gives search engines context.

What’s the difference between web copy and SEO copy?

Web copy persuades visitors to act, and SEO copy helps pages get found. The best pages do both by working natural keywords into clear, benefit-driven writing.

How do you write website copy that converts?

Know your reader, lead with the result, focus on benefits, and back it up with proof. Then give one clear next step and test small changes over time.

How much does a professional website copywriter cost?

It depends on project size and experience. Ask for a clear scope and deliverables list so you know exactly what you’re paying for.

Should You Hire a Professional Website Copywriter?

You can totally write your own website copy with the six tips above. But if you’re stuck, swamped, or sick of staring at a blinking cursor, it may be time to call for backup.

Signs you’re ready:

You’re redesigning or launching a new site
Traffic looks fine, but inquiries are crickets
You’ve rewritten the same headline more times than you can count
Writing about yourself feels awkward (super normal, by the way)

That’s where I come in. I’m Tony Ajode of Copywriting by Tony, a professional website copywriter who writes clear, human, conversion-focused copy for business websites. I mix strategy, a little psychology, and SEO so your words connect with readers and get picked up by search engines and AI tools.

If you’re hunting for the best copywriter for website copy, find someone who starts with your audience and not a pile of fancy adjectives. That’s how I work, from the first headline to the last button.

Bottom Line: Delicious Website Copy Should…

Say what you do and who it’s for right away
Sound like it’s written to one specific person
Sell the change, not just the features
Use more “you” than “we”
Be easy to skim, with one clear CTA at a time
Prove its claims and sound like a real human

Remember those 5-10 websites from the top of this post? Now you know why some kept you around and others lost you. Time to give your own site the same honest once-over.

Ready for Website Copy People Actually Want to Read?

If rewriting your site makes you queasy, or you know it’ll sit on your to-do list for another year, hand it to me. I’ll write website copy that sounds like you, talks to your dream clients, and gives them a reason to reach out.

Head over to copywritingbytony.com/contact and tell Tony Ajode about your project. Your future clients are already on your site, so let’s make it worth their time.