You’re great at what you do, your clients love you, you get results. But when someone lands on your website, it sounds exactly like every other person in your industry.
You wrote a statement like, “I help people live their best lives by improving their mindset”, “I empower businesses to reach their full potential” or “I provide holistic solutions for transformative growth”.
Cool… Literally everyone else says the same thing.
It’s vague and doesn’t sound like you at all, and therefore strangers who visit don’t really feel that nudge to work with you or explore further.
Here’s the thing: being an expert in your field doesn’t automatically make you good at explaining it.
If your website copy doesn’t explain what you do in a way that makes strangers say “yes, that’s exactly what I need,” you’re losing clients to people who might not be as skilled but know how to communicate their value.
In this post, we’re covering:
- Why being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re good at talking about it
- The 3 reasons your messaging sounds like everyone else’s
- What happens when your expertise doesn’t translate online
- How to explain what you do so people actually get it
- Why your website copy needs to sound like you
- How to write website copy that reflects the authority you already have
- FAQ
TL;DR
Good businesses often struggle to explain what they do online because they’re too close to their work, assume people understand their value, or try to appeal to everyone. The result is vague, forgettable messaging that sounds like every competitor. Clear marketing communication is about making your value obvious to the people who need it most. When your website explains what you do as clearly as you would in person, it starts working for you.
Why being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re good at talking about it
You didn’t get into business to write copy but rather because you’re good at something specific.
Whether you’re a lawyer who helps small business owners protect their companies, a therapist who specializes in trauma recovery or a vet who treats senior dogs with mobility issues, you’ve spent years learning your job. You know the ins and outs, you can spot problems other people miss and you deliver results that matter.
But when the time comes to put that on your website, you stare at a blank screen. You wonder how to say what you do without sounding arrogant or like you’re bragging.
So you default to professional-sounding language… The kind of language you see on other websites in your industry and that sounds important but says nothing.
Professional language doesn’t sell.
Professional language sounds technical, complicated and… cold. It doesn’t make anyone feel seen or think, “This person really understands my exact problem and can fix it.”
Being good at your work means you understand nuance, complexity, edge cases. But your website isn’t the place to showcase all of that upfront.
Your website’s job is to make someone stop, pay attention, and think, “I need to talk to this person”. Most business owners can’t do that because they’re trying to sound credible instead of clear.
The 3 reasons your messaging sounds like everyone else’s
There are three big reasons why smart business owners end up with websites that sound generic.
1) Being too close to your work
You’ve been doing this for so long that what feels obvious to you is actually expert-level insight. You assume people know what you mean when you say “strategic planning”, “holistic approach” or “client-centered care.” But they don’t because those phrases mean nothing to someone who’s never worked with you.
You’re speaking from the inside out instead of meeting people where they are, and that’s where clarity dies.
2) Trying to appeal to everyone
You don’t want to exclude anyone, so you keep your language broad.
Here’s an example: “I work with businesses” is super vague.
Instead, “I help service-based businesses doing between $200K and $1M a year scale without burning out.”
The first one sounds safe, but the second one makes someone either say “that’s me” or “that’s not me.” And both of those responses are useful. Vague messaging doesn’t filter anyone out, but it also doesn’t pull anyone in.
When you try to speak to everyone and their grandma, you end up speaking to no one.
3) Using industry jargon
It feels professional, that’s how you talk to your peers and how you learned during your studies. It’s also human to think it makes you sound credible. But in reality, jargon puts a wall between you and the people who need your help.
If you’re a business consultant, saying “I optimize operational workflows to drive efficiency” might sound impressive to other consultants. But to a business owner who’s drowning in admin work and can’t figure out why they’re always behind, it sounds like another language. They don’t have a clue about what you do and how it relates to their specific situation.
They need to see that you understand their problem and can fix it. If your website copy is full of buzzwords, vague promises, and language that could apply to anyone, you’ve lost the sale before it started.
Want to stand out and get clear on what makes you different? Sold Out SEO helps you nail your messaging so your copy actually connects with the right people and sells.
What happens when your expertise doesn’t translate online
This is very common: someone is incredible at their job, their clients rave about them, they get referrals and great reviews. But their website isn’t bringing in new business simply because their expertise doesn’t show up online.
In person, you can read the room, can adjust your explanation based on the questions someone asks. You can use examples, tell stories, walk them through your process in a way that makes sense. But your website doesn’t get to do that.
It has to work without you. If your website copy doesn’t immediately communicate what you do, who it’s for, why it matters, and what step to take from there, people leave.
Let me show you what I mean.
If your website says “Compassionate family law services for those navigating difficult situations”, that could mean anything. Do you tackle divorce, custody, mediation, restraining orders? No one can tell.
So when someone searching for “custody lawyer for co-parent with narcissistic personality disorder” lands on your website, they won’t see themselves nor the proof you understand their exact situation and will keep looking.
When you rewrite your homepage to say exactly who you help and what you do that’s when the game changes.
Instead, you’d write something like:
“If you’re a parent in a high-conflict custody case where the other parent is manipulative, uncooperative, or putting your child at risk, I help you get a custody arrangement that actually works and protects your kid.”
When your marketing message is specific and clear, your potential clients immediately understand you’re the right person for them.
This is when you give yourself a chance to double your inquiries without being online 24/7. Your website will finally explain what you do in a way people understand.
When your expertise shows clearly online, you stop losing clients, sales and opportunities.
How to explain what you do so people actually get it
If you want your website to work for you, you need to explain what you do like you’d explain it to a new friend at a coffee shop.
Not the elevator pitch version or the CV version, but the real and human version.
Your website and your marketing message in general should answer what I call the 4-W questions: what you do, who you do it for, why they should care (the results they get), and what step to take next.
Here’s how to answer each one clearly.
What you do
Explain your solution in plain language.
Don’t say, “I use evidence-based therapeutic interventions to facilitate emotional regulation.” Say, “We figure out why you’re so anxious, what’s keeping you stuck, and how to actually feel calm without meditating still for 30 minutes.”
Who you do it for
Be specific about the problem your ideal client is dealing with right now, not the industry term for it, but the way they’d describe it if they were venting to a friend.
A therapist might say, “I help people with anxiety”, which isn’t specific. A better version: “I work with high-achievers who look successful on the outside but are secretly exhausted, overwhelmed, and afraid they’re going to burn out or have a breakdown.”
See the difference? One is a diagnosis, the other is a relatable feeling. And feelings are what make people say, “That’s me.”
Why they should care (the result)
Explain what happens after they’ll have worked with you. What does life look like for your clients once they’ve worked with you? What has changed and what got easier?
This is where most websites fail. They talk about the process but not the outcome, but people work with you for the result, not for the process.
If you’re a business coach, don’t say, “I help you scale”. Instead, say: “You’ll have a pricing structure that actually makes you money, a team that doesn’t need you to babysit them, and time to take a vacation without your business falling apart.”
That’s a specific result someone can picture.
What step to take next
Make it easy for them to take the next step. Instead of “contact me”, tell them exactly what happens when they do.
“Book a 20-minute call and we’ll figure out if this is a fit. No pressure or sales pitch, just a real conversation about whether I can help.”
That removes the fear and makes the decision easy.
This is what Sold Out SEO teaches you to do. In addition to learning how to optimize your website so it gets found on search engines, you’ll also learn to write copy that makes people feel understood and ready to hire you.
Why your website copy needs to sound like you
Here’s a test: read your homepage out loud.
Does it sound like something you would actually say? Or does it sound like someone else wrote it? Or maybe it sounds like anyone else in your industry?
If it’s the second or third option, that’s a problem because your personality is part of the value you bring. Your website needs to reflect that.
The way you explain things and make people feel is what makes them choose you over a competitor.
Your website should sound like you: confident, clear, and helpful. Not the nervous version that’s trying to impress, prove your value or avoid saying the wrong thing.
If you’re naturally warm and empathetic, your copy should reflect that. If you’re no-nonsense and direct, don’t try to soften it with fluffy language.
The right clients will appreciate your voice, the wrong people will filter themselves out, and that’s exactly what you want.
How to write website copy that reflects the authority you already have
You don’t need to have copywriting skills, you just need to stop overthinking.
Here’s the process that works, grab a pen and paper and write down the following elements.
1) The top three problems your clients come to you with.
Not the industry term for the problem, but the exact words they use when they describe it to you.
If you’re a vet and people come in saying, “My dog is limping and I don’t know why,” write that down. Don’t translate it into “canine orthopedic assessment.”
2) What you do to fix each problem.
Again, use plain language, pretend you’re explaining it to someone who has zero background in your field or a 12 years old.
3) What changes for your clients after they work with you.
What can they do after working with you that they couldn’t do before? Which worry goes away? What gets easier?
Once you have those three things, you’ve got the foundation for your homepage, your services page, and your about page.
here’s what each page should do:
Homepage: lead with the problem, explain what you do about it, and show the result.
- Services page: break down each service in the same format: problem, solution, outcome.
- About page: explain why you do this work, who you do it for, and why people should trust you.
- Don’t make it super fancy, focus on making it clear and centered around the reader (aka your potential client).
And if you read it back and it sounds like something you’d actually say to a client, you’re on the right track.
This is exactly what you will learn when you join Sold Out SEO.
You’ll learn how to write clear, client-attracting copy and optimize your site so the right people find you on Google, without posting on social media 24/7
FAQ – What to write on your website to attract clients and sell
If your competitor could copy and paste your homepage onto their website and it would still make sense, it’s too vague. Your copy should be specific enough that it only makes sense for your business, your approach, your personality and your ideal client. Another test: show your homepage to someone who doesn’t know what you do. If they can’t explain it back to you in one sentence, it’s not clear enough.
No. The fear of being too specific usually comes from worrying you’ll exclude potential clients, but in reality, specificity is what makes people choose you. When you say exactly who you help and what problem you solve, the right people recognize themselves immediately. The wrong people move on, which saves everyone time. Broad messaging doesn’t attract more clients. It just attracts more tire kickers.
Then you need to pick a primary focus for your homepage and create separate pages for each service or client type. Trying to speak to everyone on your homepage dilutes your message. Lead with the service or client that’s most profitable or that you want more of, then guide people to other options through your navigation. Each page should speak to one specific person with one specific problem.
Clarity isn’t bragging. Saying “I help senior dogs with arthritis stay mobile and pain-free” isn’t arrogant, it’s just clear. The problem is when you confuse confidence with boasting. You’re not saying you’re the best, you’re just explaining what you do and who it’s for. If you focus on the client’s outcome instead of your credentials, it never sounds like bragging.
It depends. If you can clearly explain what you do, who you help, and what results you get in normal conversation, then you can probably write your own copy with some guidance. If you freeze up, default to jargon, or can’t figure out how to make it sound like you, hiring a copywriter who understands your industry can save you months of frustration. The 3rd option is to join Sold Out SEO and learn the skill so you’ll know how to do it yourself. Either way, you need to be involved because no one knows your work better than you do.
Your core messaging shouldn’t change constantly, but you should review it every 6 to 12 months. As your business evolves, your ideal client might shift, or you might get clearer on what you actually do. If your copy no longer reflects how you talk about your work or who you want to attract, it’s time to update. Also, if you’re getting inquiries from the wrong people, that’s a sign your messaging needs adjusting.
Ready to stop sounding like everyone else?
Sold Out SEO is for you. It’s a 6-month program that teaches you how to:
- Write web copy that sounds like you and attracts the clients you want
- Get found on Google for the right searches,
- Turn your website into a client-getting machine that works while you sleep.
If you have any questions about your next step, book a free strategy call. You’ll walk away with clear steps, whether you want to DIY, join Sold Out SEO or have a done-for-you solution.
See you soon,
Morgane
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