Do Good Design

When you write for your website, don’t be afraid to write like you speak.

Your personal and distinctive tone lets people know you’re the right business for them. You’ll help to build trust, a loyal following and ultimately, business success.

You’re not a corporate drone — don’t sound like one

How do you write like you speak? First, don’t hide behind a formal tone.

Skip the generic “we” if you’re a one-person setup and embrace “I”. Go for “don’t” and “can’t” instead of “do not” and “cannot”.

You may think you sound more professional if you’re formal and corporate-sounding, but you’re burying one of your biggest strengths: the fact that your business is personal and unique.

You’re not some faceless corporation with a zillion drones, you’re a small business, totally dedicated to what you do and you have a definite personality. So play to your strengths rather than camouflaging them.

I’ll give you an example.

The dreaded “warm welcome”

Whenever my husband Malcolm and I travel around Scotland, I surf the net beforehand to try to find quaint, unusual B&Bs. Instead, I get a dull parade of stock phrases like “a warm welcome awaits you” and “haste ye back”.

Missing from the page are any clear pictures of the owners — often there’s not a mention of them at all on the home page.

This makes me think the bed and breakfast itself is generic and faceless. I don’t know what the people are like, but I don’t see anything special, something that tells me I’ll feel at home here, so I click away to the next place.

Personal tone builds trust

Writing like yourself is also about building trust. As Nick Usborne, copywriter and web writing expert, explains:

“When visitors come to your site for the first time, they will feel unsure about you – unless you are a nationally recognized brand. They will need reassurance. They need to know they can trust you. And they want to know that you really can give them what they are looking for…So on your homepage, avoid hype. Write simply, clearly and honestly.”

Individuality fosters success

When you write, you’re telling people what your business is like and whether it’s right for them.

Sure, your tone won’t appeal to everyone — just as your business shouldn’t appeal to everyone.

But your goal isn’t to reach every person, it’s to reach the right person. Then you grab their attention and hold it.

If you’re a quiet, reserved woodworker, let your enthusiasm for your craft be your talking point. Write clearly and calmly about the woods you use, their merits and challenges.

If you’re a gregarious potter, adopt a chattier writing style. Ask questions, be even a bit cheeky, if that’s what talking to you is like.

I promise you, the right customers and guests will love it. They’ll feel they’ve found a treasure in the internet dross, and tell all their friends about it too.

That kind of word-of-mouth marketing and customer loyalty can’t be bought.

So be individual, be personal. Write like you talk, and watch how your success grows.

What next?

Discover how your website’s design can encourage your clients’ trust.

About Do Good Design

At Do Good, we create websites for small businesses who are passionate about what they do. We combine elegant design with punchy business tactics.

Find out the how we can build the perfect website for you.

Or get in touch to discuss your website project.