Website copywriting: the short version
Website copywriting for a service business is not clever writing. It is answering the questions a customer has before they call: what do you do, do you work where I live, what does it cost, what happens next, and can I trust you?
If you answer those in plain words, in that order, on every page that matters, you have better copy than most competitors. This guide gives you the outline for each page, a template, and before and after examples. It is part of web design for service businesses, and it pairs with the service page template, which lists the facts customers and AI assistants look for.
How people read your pages
Readers skim. In Nielsen Norman Group’s 1997 web reading study, 79% of test users always scanned a new page, and only 16% read word by word. The study is old, and the habit has not gone away. Nielsen’s tests also found that concise, scannable and objective writing scored better on usability than promotional wording, and that exaggerated claims cost trust.
That gives you five working rules:
- Put the answer first. The first sentence says what the page is about.
- One idea per paragraph. Two or three sentences.
- Use clear headings. A heading should tell the reader what is below it. Plain beats clever.
- Use lists for things that are lists. What is included, what to bring, steps.
- Use neutral words. Say what you do and how long it takes. Skip “best”, “top-notch” and “full-service solutions”. Readers cannot check them.
What to gather before you write
Collect these in a note. Most weak copy is weak because the facts are missing.
- The services you sell, each with a one-line description in the words customers use
- Where you work (towns, regions) and where you do not
- Prices, or how you quote, and what is not included
- How long jobs take and how soon you can start
- Your process in 3-5 steps
- Licenses, insurance, certifications and memberships you really hold
- Five questions customers ask before they buy
- Photos of your work, with permission where people or homes appear
- Your hours, phone and how fast you reply
If you do not have a number, leave it out. Do not invent a result, a review or a count of customers.
What to write on each page
Home page
The home page tells a stranger in five seconds if they are in the right place.
- Headline: what you do and where. “Heating and cooling repair in Greater Boston.”
- Support line: who it is for and the main reason to call.
- Buttons: call and book, in that order if most customers phone you.
- Services: 3-6 services, each with a line and a link to its page.
- Proof: licenses, years in business only if true, service area, reviews you can show, photos of real work.
- How it works: three steps, short.
- Next step: repeat the call or book button.
Service page
This is the page that earns the call. Use one page per main service. The blocks, in order, are in the service page template. The writing advice that matters most here:
- Open with one sentence that says what the service is and where you offer it.
- Write the “not for” line. It is the sentence that makes the rest believable.
- Use nouns for what is included (“removal of the old unit”), not adjectives (“complete service”).
- If you cannot give a price, write the factors that change it, in the customer’s words.
If the service is offered in several towns, read service area pages first, so you do not create thin duplicates.
About page
People want to know who will show up. Say who owns the business, what you did before, where you are based, what you hold in licenses, and how you work. Add a real photo of the people. Keep claims you can check: your years, your certifications, your membership in a local group. Google’s guidance on helpful content asks “who, how and why” about a page, and the About page is where that is answered for the whole site. See also E-E-A-T for service businesses.
Contact page
Make it hard to fail. Phone first, tap to call on mobile, hours, a short form, the service area, and what happens after the customer sends it (“We reply by the next business day”), but only if that is true.
A fill-in copy template for the home page
The service page template has the full block-by-block template for service pages. For the home page, copy this into a document and fill each line. Delete any line you cannot fill with a fact.
Headline: [Main service] in [place]
Support line: For [type of customer] who need [problem solved]. [Main reason to call, if true.]
Buttons: [Call phone] [Book online]
Services (one line each):
- [Service A]: [what it fixes or delivers] -> link to its page
- [Service B]: [what it fixes or delivers] -> link to its page
Proof: [license number] / [insured] / [years, if true] / [real review with source]
How it works: 1. [Call or book] 2. [Quote or visit] 3. [The work]
Area: [towns or region, in words]
Hours: [days and times]. After hours: [what happens]
Next step: [repeat the main button]Before and after examples
The examples are for illustration. The businesses are made up, and the numbers are placeholders, not results.
Headline
Before: “Welcome to Example Heating. Your comfort is our priority.”
After: “Furnace and boiler repair in Greater Boston. Call for same-day or next-day visits.”
Why: the after version names the service, the place and the action. (Only write “same-day” if it is true for you.)
Service paragraph
Before: “We offer a wide range of professional painting solutions tailored to your unique needs, delivered with unmatched quality.”
After: “We paint the inside of homes: walls, ceilings and trim. A typical 3-bedroom apartment takes two to three days. We cover floors and furniture, patch small holes, and clean up at the end.”
Why: the after version says what, how long and what is included. Every sentence can be checked.
Price
Before: “Contact us for competitive pricing.”
After: “Most single-room paint jobs cost between [your range], depending on the size of the room, the amount of repair and the paint. We quote by phone after you send two photos.”
Why: a range and the reason it varies builds more trust than a hidden price. If you cannot share a price, share what drives it.
Trust
Before: “We are trusted by hundreds of satisfied customers.”
After: “Licensed and insured. Our license number is [number]. We list our service area on this page and answer the phone Monday to Friday, 8 to 5.”
Why: a license number and hours are facts. “Hundreds” is a claim with nothing behind it. If you do not have a real count, do not write one.
Titles and descriptions
Each page needs its own title. Google’s guidance says titles should be descriptive and concise, unique per page, and not stuffed with repeated keywords. Use the pattern “[Service] in [place] | [Business]”. For example, “Furnace repair in Brookline | Example Heating”. Do not use the same title on every page.
Words to cut
Cut these and replace them with a fact:
- “Quality”, “professional”, “reliable”, “trusted” (say what you do that shows it)
- “Solutions”, “tailored”, “full-service” (name the service)
- “Best”, “leading”, “top-rated” (you cannot prove it)
- “Contact us today” alone (say how: call, book or request a quote)
- Anything you would not say out loud to a customer
A one-hour edit
When you have a draft, edit in this order:
- Read the first sentence. Does it say what the page is?
- Check the facts. Phone, hours, service area, license and prices match your other pages and profiles.
- Cut a third. Remove any sentence a customer would not miss.
- Break up long paragraphs into two or three sentences each.
- Add a list where you described steps or inclusions in a paragraph.
- Read it aloud. If you would not say it to a customer, rewrite it.
- Ask someone outside the business what the page offers, in one sentence. If they cannot, revise.
When to hire a copywriter
Writing it yourself works when you know your customers and have a few hours per page. Hire help if you have many service pages, a new brand, or no time. When you compare website copywriting services, ask:
- Do they interview you, or write from a template?
- Will they ask for prices, process and proof, or write adjectives?
- Do you get the final text, with the right to edit it?
- Who checks that every claim is true?
At Magnet Mint, copy is part of the website project: we write the copy and gather the materials, and you approve it before launch. A 5-8 page service site is from $3,500, and a landing page is from $1,200. Not included: domain and hosting, new photography, and third-party software subscriptions (billed at cost). You can see how it works on web design pricing, or ask for a free demo and we will show you where your current pages could say more.
Published . Updated .