How to Write Website Copy That Doesn’t Sound Like Everyone Else’s

Before you write website copy again, try a quick test: open your About page and read the first paragraph out loud. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

If it starts with “Hi, I’m ___, and I’m passionate about helping…” and your own eyelids got heavy halfway through, you’re in very good company. Most of us write our websites in a slightly nervous, slightly formal, slightly borrowed voice. Then we wonder why nobody seems to feel anything when they read it.

Here’s the twist: your copy probably isn’t bad. It’s accurate. It’s polite. It’s true.

It’s just true of everyone.

Short answer: Generic website copy describes your category instead of your business. Words like “passionate,” “tailored” and “holistic” could sit on any competitor’s site without anyone noticing. The fix isn’t fancier writing, it’s specificity: the exact person you help, the moment they need you, what you actually do and what you believe that someone else in your field might not.

Why does my website copy sound generic?

Because generic is the safest thing to write, and most of us write our websites while feeling a little unsafe. Every time you edit, you sand off anything that might exclude someone, sound too bold or turn out to be “wrong.” After enough sanding, you’re left with a smooth, pleasant, forgettable surface.

A few other usual suspects:

• You researched competitors first. Their words were still in your head when you sat down to write. (This is how an entire industry ends up describing itself with the same six adjectives.)
• You wrote for your peers, not your clients. Industry language impresses other practitioners. Clients don’t search for “integrative wellness modalities.” They search for “why am I so tired all the time.” (Google’s SEO starter guide agrees.)
• You described your values instead of showing them. “I care deeply about my clients” is a value. “I answer every email within one business day, even the panicky 9 p.m. ones” is proof.
• You cut your opinions. A point of view is the cheapest differentiator you have, and it’s the first thing we delete when we’re nervous.

I’ve been building websites since the GeoCities days (OGs know), and this pattern hasn’t changed in 25+ years. The tools got fancier. The temptation to sound like everybody else stayed exactly the same.

What’s the difference between generic and specific copy?

Generic website copy could appear on a competitor’s site and nobody would notice. Specific copy could only belong to you, because it names details, moments and opinions that are yours.

Here’s what that looks like for a hypothetical home organizer, side by side:

None of the specific versions are more clever. They’re just more concrete. And concrete is what makes a reader think, oh, she gets it.

The Swap, See, Say Test

This is the three-question test I run every time I write website copy, so nothing generic earns a spot. It takes about ten seconds per sentence, and it’s ruthless in the nicest way.

1. Swap. Replace your business name with a competitor’s. Does the sentence still work? If it does, it’s describing your category, not you. Rewrite it with something only you can claim: your process, your people, your opinion or an oddly specific detail.
2. See. Can a reader picture it? “Transform your space” is fog. “Get the dining table back so you can actually eat at it” is a picture. If there’s nothing to see, add a person, a place, a moment or a true number.
3. Say. Would you say this sentence out loud to a potential client across a coffee shop table? Nobody has ever leaned over a latte and said, “I offer tailored solutions.” If it would feel weird to say, it reads weird too.

A line has to pass all three. Plenty of hero headlines fail the first one on the first try, which is completely fine. That’s what the test is for.

Won’t specific copy scare away potential clients?

It will turn some people away, and that’s the point. Specific copy helps the right clients recognize themselves quickly, and it lets the wrong-fit ones leave before you’ve both spent an hour on a discovery call.

Here’s the nuance most advice skips: specific doesn’t have to mean narrow. You can be very specific about a moment without excluding a whole demographic. “For the week your inbox hits 400 unread and you start ignoring it on purpose” speaks to all kinds of people. They just happen to be in the same moment. If niching down feels scary, get specific about the moment first. It’s the gentlest way in.

How do I make my About page less boring?

Open with your reader’s situation or a belief you hold about their problem, then show who you are through specifics and opinions instead of adjectives. Your About page is where people decide whether they like you, and it’s usually the page we write last and fastest (hello, generic website copy).

Here’s a before and after for our hypothetical organizer. Let’s call her Dana.

Before: “Hi, I’m Dana! I’ve always been passionate about organization, and I love helping busy families create spaces that bring them peace. With over ten years of experience, I offer a personalized, holistic approach to every project.”

After: “I’m Dana, and I don’t think you’re messy. I think you’re busy, and your house is holding a few years of decisions you haven’t had time to make. My job is to make them with you, quickly and without judgment, and leave you with a system simple enough that your kids will actually use it. (Yes, even the teenager.)”

What changed:

• She opened with a belief (“you’re not messy”) instead of a credential.
• She named the real problem the way a client would feel it: decisions nobody’s had time to make.
• She made a concrete promise about the result: a system the kids will use.
• She let some personality in. That little parenthetical about the teenager is doing more brand work than “holistic” ever could.

Her ten years of experience still matter. They just belong a little lower on the page, as proof, once the reader already feels understood.

What words should I avoid when I write website copy?

Avoid any word that every competitor in your field uses to describe themselves. Nothing is banned forever, but these words show up in so much generic website copy that they’ve stopped meaning much. When one sneaks in, ask the question next to it:

• Passionate: What do you do that proves it? Write that instead.
• Tailored, personalized or bespoke: Tailored how? Name the step where you customize.
• Holistic: List the parts you look at. Readers trust a list more than a vibe.
• Elevate, transform or empower: From what, to what? Describe the before and the after.
• Seamless: What usually goes wrong that won’t with you?
• Solutions: Solutions to what? Name the problem.
• Excellence or quality: Show a standard you keep, like a turnaround time or a revision policy.

One honest caveat: specific copy only works if it’s true. If you can’t reliably deliver in two weeks, don’t write “two-week turnaround” just because it sounds concrete. The goal is to describe your real business more precisely, not a more impressive imaginary one.

Try this today (15 minutes)

Copy the first three sentences of your homepage into a blank document. Then:

1. Run each sentence through Swap, See, Say. Mark pass or fail for each question.
2. For every fail, write one honest, specific detail you could add: a step in your process, a client you love working with, something you refuse to do, or a phrase a client used to describe their problem.
3. Rewrite the sentence using that detail. Don’t polish it yet. Just make it more true.
4. Read the new version out loud. If you’d say it to a client over coffee, keep it.

Three sentences. That’s it. Your homepage will sound more like you by lunch.

If you want the foundation under the copy

Here’s a little secret: generic website copy is usually a messaging problem wearing a writing costume. If you’re not clear on who you serve, how they describe their problem and what you promise them, every sentence drifts back toward the safe middle, no matter how many times you rewrite it.

That’s why I built Brand North Star. You answer guided questions and get a one-page brand brief: your ideal client in their own words, your core message, your brand promise and voice guidelines. It’s $47 (with AI help built in) and yours for life. Keep it open next to your website draft, and the generic lines get much easier to spot.

Quick answers

Why does my website copy sound generic?

Generic website copy describes your industry instead of your business. Words like passionate, tailored, holistic and seamless could appear on any competitor’s site. It usually happens when you research competitors first, write for peers instead of clients, and cut anything specific because it feels risky. Specific details, real client language and honest opinions fix it.

How do I make my website copy stand out?

Make your website copy stand out by replacing claims with specifics. Name the exact client you serve, the moment they need you, a step in your process and something you believe that others in your field might not. Then test each line: if a competitor’s name could replace yours and the sentence still works, rewrite it.

What should I write on my About page?

Open your About page with the reader’s situation or a belief you hold about their problem, then introduce yourself through specifics: why you do this work, how you work and what clients can expect. Put credentials lower as supporting proof. A bit of personality, like an honest aside, makes an About page more memorable than a list of qualifications.

Does specific website copy mean I have to niche down?

Not necessarily. Specific website copy can focus on a moment rather than a demographic. Describing the exact situation clients are in when they need you, like an overflowing inbox or a garage they can’t park in, speaks to many types of people at once. Getting specific about the moment is a gentle first step before narrowing your niche.

Should I hire a copywriter or write my website copy myself?

You can write your own website copy if you’re clear on your message, your ideal client’s words and your voice. A copywriter is worth it when you have that clarity but not the time or skill to shape it. Either way, start with a clear brand brief, because even a great copywriter can’t make fuzzy messaging sound specific.

Your people aren’t looking for the most polished website on the internet. They’re looking for the one that sounds like it was written for them. Let yours sound like you.