TOC #204: This one's not NOT about buttholes
(November 19, 2024) The Most Common Website Copy Hurdles (& How To Get Over Them!)
You know how they say the best ideas come while you're in the shower?
Well, they were wrong.
The best ideas actually come mid coochie wax, when your childhood-friend-turned-esthetician casually brings up how badly she needs to redo her website.
As I'm sure you can imagine, when you're naked from the waist down with your legs butterfly-open, things can get pretty intimate, so nothing's off limits for conversation.
(Lol @ me acting like anything is ever off limits for conversation… have you met me?)
*stirs hot wax*
“So, your birthday's coming up! Can you believe we're almost 30?”
*sprinkles baby powder on the vagine*
“Wait, has you-know-who texted you lately? Didn't he get married last year?”
*frosts hot wax onto labia*
“I've never had a UTI before, have you?”
*rips hot wax off*
“Yeah, I can always tell when people are pregnant by looking at their vaginas. It's happened a few times where my clients have come in, I've noticed, and then at their next appointment, they announce their pregnancy.”
*puts another strip on*
“One time, a client asked me to wax her pubes into her boyfriend's initials before prom.”
*rips the strip off again*
“I really need to fix my website. I've been reading your newsletter tips and every time I'm like ugh this is what I need to do to mine.”
*turns over and opens buttcheeks*
As you can see, Leah bringing up her “needs improvement” website was just one of the many topics we covered yesterday while she transformed me into a naked mole rat.
& while I'd love to tell you about that married man whose number I need to block, I cannot. I'd be in validation of my NDA.
…what I CAN tell you about, though, is what I said to Leah when she told me she “needed to update her website” — because if you know me you know THAT perked me right up 😏
Obviously, I asked her WHY she felt like she needed to update her website.
She told me…
“Ugh, IDK, I just know it could be better”
“I feel like I'm always answering questions for people, and those answers should just be on my website. Like, it would be SO much easier if I could just say, oh go to my website, I answer all those questions right there!”
“It's not very personable, like how you're always saying to write the same way you'd talk to a friend? I def don't do that on my site and I think it's costing me clients.”
“I could use some more personality on there, I think.”
…but I already knew all of that without even asking.
It's what everyone who “needs to update their website” says. What everyone with a “JUST FINE” website says.
So, naturally, I launched into a speech of exactly how she could fix things — because, let's be real, it's me — and, of course, we ended with a hilarious idea for her About page's personality moment involving buttholes and pubic hair design trends.
And, naturally, I walked out yelling back to her “you're gonna be the topic of my next newsletter.”
The Most Common Website Copy Hurdles (& How To Get Over Them!)
Before we get into today's tip, I have to admit: I'm teasing you. And I'm sorry.
I'm sharing 5 things that are getting you stuck writing your website copy draft and a simple, actionable thing you can do to kickstart a fix to it… but I can't share EVERYYY problem, or EVERYYY fix, because I'm saving that for the students of my brand new website copywriting course 💅🏼
(…well, actually, the fixes I'm giving THEM are a lot more fun (most are games, lol) but y'all are always on me about how you want ~easy~ and ~actionable~ things to do from this newsletter so HERE U GO.)
The new course launches a week from today (!!!!!!) but joining the waitlist gets you access even earlier (for even less $$$).
UNTIL THEN THOUGH, here are some main copy snags and how you can fix them TODAY:
#1 — Writing Like a Robot (Too Formal or Jargon-y)
The Snag: You’re trying so hard to sound professional that your copy ends up stiff, overly formal, or packed with terms your audience doesn’t actually use (or understand, for that matter).
The Fix: Do a “Talk Test” — read your copy out loud and ask yourself, “Would I actually say this to someone in real life?” If the answer is no, rewrite it like you’re explaining it to a friend over a brazilian wax.
I mean coffee. Whatever.
#2 — Unclear Audience Targeting
The Snag: You’re writing for *everyone* which means you’re really writing for *no one* — you've heard this one before, so why haven't you taken it seriously?
The copy feels generic and lacks the personal connection that draws your ideal clients in, but you're stressed about potentially leaving someone out… even when you're SUPPOSED to “leave them out” bc they're not your ideal client OR your target audience.
The Fix: Create an Ideal Client Mad Libs Statement. Fill in the blanks: “I help [specific type of person] who struggle with [specific problem] to [desired outcome].” Then, make sure every line of copy aligns with this statement.
#3 — Paralyzed by Perfection
The Snag: You get stuck because you want your copy to be flawless, which leads to overthinking every word and reworking the same sentence a thousand times.
The Fix: Set a Timer and Sprint. Give yourself 20 minutes to write a messy first draft without stopping to edit. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s momentum. You can clean it up later.
#4 — Overloading with Features, Not Benefits
The Snag: You’re listing every feature of your service or product without connecting it to why your audience should care or how it benefits them.
The Fix: Flip Features into Benefits. For each feature you list, ask, “So what?” Then, explain how that feature solves a problem or improves their life, and “so what?” those answers until you can't anymore.
#5 — Trying to Say Too Much at Once
The Snag: You’re cramming every possible detail into your copy, overwhelming your reader with too much information and diluting your main message.
The Fix: Prioritize and Trim. Identify the most important points your audience needs to know, and cut anything that doesn’t directly support those points. Focus on clarity and flow — your goal is to guide your reader, not overload them.
It's important to remember that the goal of your website is to get your reader to take THE. NEXT. STEP.
Not every single step necessary for them throughout your entire process ever, just the next step.
If you're a service-based business owner, you want them to INQUIRE.
…and a lot of y'all are putting discovery call questions on your website, when you should be saving them for a discovery call, which is watering down your message, and taking up important real estate where you could be writing something convincing or objection-addressing.
The end 🎤 (for now!)
→ WANT EVEN MORE IN-DEPTH WAYS TO GET OVER THESE HEARTBREAK HILL HURDLES? I have over 20+ FUN exercises for dealing with these pesky hurdles that keep cramping you up (and keep you STUCK when drafting your copy) in my newly reimagined website copywriting course 😏
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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