You already know how to write the texts for your site. You say them on the phone several times a week, when a customer asks how much it costs, how long it takes and why it should choose you. The whole method consists of transcribing these answers.
Start from your real conversations
Take a sheet of paper and write down the ten questions you are asked most often. Really the ten, without reformulating them in commercial language. They generally look like this:
- “How far are you traveling?” »
- “Is it possible before the holidays? »
- “How much does it cost, approximately? »
- “Do you also do small repairs?” »
- “Have you ever done this type of work? »
These ten questions give the structure of your site. Each answer, written as you you would say, is a paragraph. You don't have a blank page: you already have the plan. It remains to divide these paragraphs between the essential pages of a showcase site.
Write like you speak, only shorter
Three rules are enough:
- One idea per sentence. If you need to catch your breath while reading aloud, cut it.
- The concrete before the abstract. “We intervene within 24 hours within a radius of 30 km” rather than “Responsiveness and proximity to serving our customers”.
- The customer's word, not yours. Your customers say “water leak”, not “disaster hydraulic”. Write their word: it’s also the one they type into Google, and it’s the starting point of local referencing.
The empty sentence test
Reread each sentence and ask yourself if a competitor could write the exact same sentence. If yes, it is of no use. “Our know-how at the service of your project” is suitable for any which company in the country, therefore to none.
Replace it with a fact: a figure, a deadline, a guarantee, a number of years, a method.
Replace promises with proof
Visitors don't believe adjectives. They believe the details are verifiable.
| Promise | Evidence to put instead |
|---|---|
| “Quality work” | “Ten-year guarantee, certificate provided with the quote” |
| “Listening to our customers” | “We respond to all messages within 24 business hours” |
| “Recognized experience” | “340 kitchens installed since 2009” |
| “Competitive prices” | “Free diagnosis, detailed quote line by line” |
This right column is more difficult to write, because it involves you. It is precisely for this reason it convinces.
Take care of the first three lines
Most visitors read the title, the sentence that follows, and then decide whether to stay or leave. These three lines should contain: what you do, for whom, and where.
An example to avoid: “Welcome to the site of the Dupont company, several years old of experience at your service. »
The same, rewritten: “Custom carpentry in Charleroi. Stairs, dressing rooms and parquet floors installed by a craftsman, with a detailed quote within 48 hours. »
Cut out with intertitles
No one reads a site continuously, everyone scans it. An intertitle every three or four paragraphs, a bulleted list when you list, a bold word when information must be seen even by a reader in a hurry.
The intertitles must carry the meaning alone: someone who only reads your titles must understand the page.
Reread out loud, on a phone
Two rereads are enough, but they are essential:
- Out loud: it reveals sentences that are too long and turns of phrase that we wouldn't dare tell a customer to their face.
- On a phone: this is where the majority of people will read you. A paragraph that appears airy on a big screen becomes a wall of text on a six-inch screen.
When your texts pass these two proofreadings, they are ready. The rest is done in the editor, and you can correct them as many times as you want: that’s the whole point of manage your site yourself.
After publishing, check in the SEO audit of the site that each page bears a distinct subject and that no technical blockage prevents its indexing.
If you're not there yet, start at the beginning with create a website for your business: the sheet gives the order in which to make decisions.
Frequently asked questions
How many words are needed per page?
Between 300 and 600 words for a performance page, more only if the subject requests it. Below 200 words, a page has difficulty ranking and leaves the visitor without a response. Beyond 1000, almost no one goes all the way.
Can I have my texts written by artificial intelligence?
As a draft, yes: it’s a good way to get off the blank page. But a generated text knows neither your deadlines, nor your prices, nor your construction site anecdotes, and that is exactly what convinces. Take everything by hand and add your numbers.
Should you write in the first person?
If you are alone, the “I” is warmer and more honest than the “we” of an imaginary company. Once you have a team, the “we” becomes just again. The important thing is not to change people from one page to the next.
