How to write website copy that gets enquiries
Website copy that gets enquiries says what you do, for whom, and what happens next, in your customers' own words. A page-by-page method with examples.
By Sohail Hussain29 October 20266 min read
Website copy that gets enquiries does three things on every page: it says what you do and for whom in the first line, it uses the words your customers use rather than the words your industry uses, and it tells the reader what to do next. Most company websites fail the first one. The headline says "Solutions for a changing world" and the visitor, who wanted to know whether you install cold rooms in Sharjah, leaves.
This is a method for writing or rewriting the main pages of a company website yourself. It does not need a copywriter, though it goes faster with one. It is the method we use when we write the copy for a website design and development project.
Who are you writing for, and what do they already know?
Before any page, write down the person who lands on it and the question in their head. For a service page reached from search it is usually "do you do this, for companies like mine, and roughly what does it cost?" For an About page reached from a proposal it is "are these people credible?"
Then note what they already know. A buyer who typed "ISO 27001 consultant" does not need a paragraph explaining ISO 27001. A buyer who typed "how to get ISO certified" does. Writing for the first person when the second is your reader loses them in the first screen; writing for the second when the first is your reader wastes their time.
What should the first screen of every page say?
Three lines, in this order:
- What you do, for whom. "Cold room installation for food distributors in the UAE." Not "Innovative refrigeration solutions."
- The one detail that matters most to the buyer. A number, a timeframe, a guarantee, a location. "Installed in 10 days, serviced by our own engineers."
- The next action. "Get a quote", "Call us", "See recent installations". One primary action per page.
If the first screen does this, the rest of the page can be imperfect and the enquiry still arrives. Our posts on homepage structure, the About page and service pages cover what each page needs below the first screen.
How do you write the title tag and meta description?
A visitor from search sees one thing before the first screen: your title tag and meta description. Each page needs both, written by hand. The title tag is the page's headline in search results: lead with the main words, name the company at the end, and keep it short enough to display in full. Google rewrites titles it finds too long or unhelpful; its documentation on title links explains what it looks for. The meta description is the one or two sentences under the title: state what the page offers and for whom. The meta length checker shows whether both fit before you publish.
How do you find the words customers use?
Not by guessing. Four sources, all free:
- Your own inbox. Search sent and received mail for the last twenty enquiries. Copy the phrases buyers used to describe what they wanted. Those are your headlines.
- Sales and support calls. Ask whoever takes them for the three questions that come up every time. Those are your H2s and your FAQ.
- Google autocomplete and "People also ask". Type your service and read the suggestions. They show the vocabulary and the worries.
- Reviews, yours and competitors'. Customers describe the result they wanted in their own words: "finally someone who turned up on time". That is copy.
When you brief us for a website project, this list of customer phrases is the most useful thing you can send. It is more useful than a brand guide.
How do you structure a page so it can be skimmed?
Most visitors read the headline, the subheadings and the first line of each section. Write for that reader.
- Headings as answers. "We install in 10 working days" rather than "Our process".
- One idea per paragraph, two to four sentences. Long paragraphs on a phone are a grey wall.
- The important words first. "Free site survey in Dubai and Sharjah" rather than "We are pleased to offer, for clients in the Dubai and Sharjah areas, a site survey at no cost".
- Lists only for parallel items. Three services, four steps. Not a list of twelve adjectives.
- Short sentences. Aim for an average under twenty words. The readability checker gives a reading grade; most business copy should land at grade 8 or below, not because readers cannot cope but because they are reading on a phone between meetings.
The US government's plain language guidelines are the best free reference on this, and they apply to a company website as much as to a tax form.
How long should each page be?
As long as it takes to answer the visitor's question, then stop. Rough ranges that hold across most company sites:
| Page | Words |
|---|---|
| Homepage | 300 to 600 |
| Service page | 400 to 900 |
| About page | 300 to 600 |
| Contact page | Under 150, plus the form |
| Case study | 300 to 800 |
The word counter shows the count and the reading time as you paste. A service page under 200 words is usually too thin to rank or convince; one over 1,500 is usually two pages, or one page plus a blog post.
What should you leave out?
A table, because the same phrases turn up in almost every draft we review:
| Cut this | Why | Write this instead |
|---|---|---|
| "We are a leading provider of..." | Every company says it and the reader cannot check it | A fact: how many, since when, for whom |
| "Solutions" or "services" as the headline noun | Says nothing about what you do | The service, named: "Payroll outsourcing" |
| "Our mission is to..." | The reader wants to know what you do for them | What you do for them |
| "State-of-the-art", "world-class", "best-in-class" | Unverifiable adjectives | A specific: the equipment, the standard, the number |
| "Welcome to our website" | Wastes the most valuable line on the page | What you do, for whom |
| A paragraph of history in the first screen | Nobody arrives wanting it | Move it to the About page, shortened |
| "Click here" | Says nothing about where the link goes | "See the pricing" |
If a sentence could appear unchanged on a competitor's site, it is not doing any work. Replace it with something only you can say.
What calls to action work on a company website?
The action should match what the visitor is ready for. Someone on a service page for the first time is rarely ready to "Book a consultation"; they may be ready to "See examples" or "Get a rough price". Someone on the contact page is ready to enquire.
Specific beats generic: "Get a quote for your warehouse" beats "Contact us". One primary button per page, repeated at the top and the bottom, with a lower-commitment link beside it. In India and the Gulf, many buyers prefer WhatsApp to a form; put it beside the form, not instead of it. Our contact page guide covers how.
A rewrite exercise you can do this week
Take your homepage and one service page. For each:
- Write the visitor and their question at the top of a blank document.
- Write the three first-screen lines.
- Paste the existing copy underneath and cut every sentence that could appear on a competitor's site.
- Replace what you cut with phrases from your inbox.
- Run it through the readability checker and split anything over grade 10.
- End with one action.
If that produces a page half the length of the original, you have done it right. Applied to every page, this is step 5 of our website planning guide, and it is the step that most often decides whether the site brings in work.
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