How long should website copy be?

As short as possible, as long as necessary. The home page needs one clear sentence in the first second about what you do for whom; a few short paragraphs below that are enough. Service pages may be longer, because people with concrete questions read them. Cut everything that does not answer a customer question.

Should I write my copy myself or have it written?

You hold the knowledge about your customers; the wording can be delegated. A proven approach: you answer the five most common customer questions in writing, and a professional turns them into copy. At getyoursite, copywriting is part of the package; the content grows out of a short briefing instead of hours of workshops.

Website copy that sells: the guide for SMEs

"Welcome to our website. We are an innovative, customer-focused company with many years of experience." Sound familiar? These sentences sit on thousands of SME websites, and they all share the same problem: they say nothing. Here is how to do better, with formulas you can copy straight away.

The core problem: most website copy is written from the inside out, like a company brochure. But visitors arrive with one question: "Does this business solve my problem?" Good website copy answers exactly that, in the customer's language, not the industry's.

The home page: one sentence decides

Visitors decide within seconds whether to stay. Your first headline must therefore settle three things: what you do, for whom, and what the customer gets out of it.

Weak: "Welcome to Muster Building Services Ltd"
Strong: "We fix your heating. Today. Across the canton of Zurich."

The strong version names the service, the speed and the region, three buying arguments in nine words. Directly below it belongs a visible call to action: "Request an appointment", "Quote within 24 hours". If people have to scroll and search to contact you, they often simply do not.

Service pages: concrete beats complete

The most common mistake on service pages is the list without context: "Consulting, planning, execution, service". That describes every company in the industry. It is far more effective to answer three customer questions per service: What exactly do you do? How does it work? Roughly what does it cost? The price question in particular sets you apart: even an honest range ("bathroom renovation from CHF 15,000, depending on scope") filters out mismatched enquiries and builds trust with the right ones.

About page: faces instead of history

The about page is usually the second most visited page of an SME website, because people buy from people. What works here: real photos of the team, names, one sentence per person, and the reason your business exists. What does not work: the company chronicle since 1987 and stock photos of handshakes. Write the way you would talk on the phone with a friendly new customer.

Language: simple is not simplistic

Short sentences. Active verbs. No jargon without explanation. This is not dumbing down; it is respect for the time of readers who skim your website on their phone in the evening. One test that never fails: read your copy out loud. Anything you would never say in conversation ("we offer tailor-made solutions") gets cut.

The checklist for every page

Does the first headline answer what you do for whom?
Is a call to action visible on every page without scrolling?
Is there at least one honest price or price range on the website?
Are there real photos of you and your team?
Does every paragraph pass the read-aloud test?

Copy is the cheapest lever your website has: it costs no redesign and no new technology, only clarity. And if writing is not your craft: at getyoursite the copy is part of the package, developed from a short briefing about your customers and your offer.