Write Website Copy That Sounds Like a Human
Cut the buzzwords out of your website so a local customer understands your offer, trusts your business and gets in touch.
Jargon hides insecurity: abstract buzzwords let a business avoid making specific claims, and a local customer who cannot decode them simply moves on.
Copy That Says Nothing Sounds Like Nothing
You have written the words on your own website. Maybe somebody else wrote them for you. Either way, there is a sentence near the top of the homepage that sounds official and means nothing, and you have stopped reading it yourself.
Here is a paragraph you have probably seen on a homepage somewhere:
“We are a global collective of forward-thinking digital strategists, design visionaries, and technologists driving holistic business transformation. By leveraging agile, human-centric methodologies and next-generation AI paradigms, we unlock synergistic value to empower category-leading brands across the omnichannel ecosystem.”
Ask yourself: what did you just read?
Does this company build mobile apps? Do they configure a booking system? Do they design logos? Do they fix a slow website? Nobody knows. Not even the people who approved it.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE ANATOMY OF JARGON │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ THE FORMULA: │
│ [grand vague adjective] + [abstract noun] + [empty tech word] │
│ = a sentence that cannot be acted on │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ WHY IT GETS WRITTEN: │
│ • Reviewed by enough people that nobody owns the final line. │
│ • Written to offend nobody and commit to nothing. │
│ • Hides uncertainty about the offer behind vocabulary. │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ HOW A VISITOR READS IT: boredom, and then the tab closes. │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘This kind of writing is everywhere, which is exactly why plain, specific language has become one of the few things that still gets a small business noticed.
1. Why Smart People Write This Way
It is worth understanding, because the people who wrote the paragraph above are not stupid.
Fear of being ruled out
If a studio says plainly, “We build fast websites for small service businesses,” there is a risk: a customer who wanted an app will rule them out. So the sentence gets diluted into “We deliver comprehensive digital solutions for evolving brands.”
Trying to appeal to everyone is how you end up meaning nothing to anyone.
Mistaking long words for deep thinking
Some people believe that impressive vocabulary impresses people. So they write “utilize” instead of “use,” “facilitate” instead of “lead,” “methodological ideation” instead of “planning.”
The people worth listening to do the opposite. They took the hardest thing they knew and found a way to say it in one sentence a stranger understands.
The review-by-committee trap
When a draft goes to marketing, then to legal, then to whoever has to approve the budget, every pass rounds off the sharp edges. What comes out is smooth, safe and completely forgettable.
George Orwell made the point in his 1946 essay Politics and the English Language: unclear language is used to make lies sound truthful and to give an appearance of solidity to nothing. That is exactly what a page full of buzzwords is doing.
2. What Plain Copy Does
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ JARGON VS. PLAIN, SIDE BY SIDE │
├──────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ THE JARGON VERSION │ THE PLAIN VERSION │
├──────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 'We architect omnichannel journeys │ 'Most business websites fail Google's │
│ that harmonize human connection │ Core Web Vitals because heavy React │
│ with technological empowerment.' │ hydration locks the mobile browser.' │
├──────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 'Our pricing is bespoke to your │ 'A business website costs $1,200 to │
│ unique needs.' │ $1,900, quoted upfront.' │
├──────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 'We partner seamlessly across all │ 'We do not build mobile apps or run │
│ platforms and frameworks.' │ social media ads. We do one thing.' │
├──────────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ The plain version is easier to read, easier to check and easier to trust. │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Three things happen when you write it plainly:
- It disarms suspicion. Admitting what you do not do — no apps, no ad management — is proof that the rest of the page is accurate.
- It signals competence. Only someone who knows the work well can describe it in short sentences without hiding behind vocabulary.
- It speeds people up. A visitor who understands the offer on the first screen does not need a call to find out whether you are the right fit.
3. Three Rules for Writing Copy That Sounds Human
Rule 1: The verb and the object test
Take each sentence on your homepage and ask: who does what, to what, and what is the result?
If the subject is an abstraction (“our synergy”) and the verb is weak (“enables”), delete it and write it again with a real verb and a real object:
- We convert your images to AVIF at build time, so the file the visitor downloads is a fraction of the one you uploaded.
- We replace a stack of WordPress plugins with static pages you own.
Rule 2: Say the thing you believe
Every business has a position, and most websites hide it. If everybody in your market is pushing a certain technology, say plainly why you do not, and what you do instead. If everybody is adding a chatbot, explain why a generic one makes you look smaller rather than bigger.
A clear position repels the people who were never going to buy and pulls in the ones who were. It is uncomfortable to write, and it is the fastest way to be memorable.
Rule 3: Translate the technical into the consequence
Never leave a technical point standing on its own. Say what it does for the person reading:
- Not: “We optimize Interaction to Next Paint.”
- But: “We remove the freeze that stops people tapping the form on their phone before they send it.”
Where to Start If the Whole Page Is Jargon
Rewriting an entire site is a miserable afternoon. Start with the homepage, and start with the words that carry no information:
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| “Solutions” | The name of the thing you sell |
| “Innovative” | What is actually different about it |
| “Passionate about” | What you do, and how long you have done it |
| “Cutting-edge” | The technology, by name |
| “Tailored solutions” | The scope and the price range |
| “Let’s talk” | What you want the reader to do next |
Then read it out loud. Any sentence you stumble over is a sentence that needs cutting, not a sentence that needs a cleverer word.
Conclusion: Clarity Is the Product
Words are not decoration on a website. They are the product for anyone who arrives before they trust you.
Strip out the buzzwords, the hedging and the round phrasing, and what is left is the rarest thing in small business marketing: a straight answer.
Write like a person who knows the work. Say what you do, what it costs, and what you will not do.
In a market full of noise, the business that says the plainest thing is the one people believe.
Frequently Addressed Technical Inquiries
Why do so many business websites rely on corporate jargon? [+]
Jargon is usually written out of fear. Abstract, buzzword-filled phrases let a business avoid making bold, specific claims that could be questioned by a customer. It is a shield that avoids commitment, and the result is bland copy that reads like everyone else's.
How does plain-English candor build trust with customers? [+]
Customers spend their days listening to polished sales pitches designed to obscure risks and inflate benefits. When a provider speaks with direct honesty — pointing out flaws, admitting limitations, and using simple language — the buyer's guard comes down, and trust comes up.
What are the most damaging jargon terms currently polluting business websites? [+]
The most destructive terms include 'holistic transformation,' 'synergistic enablement,' 'AI-driven paradigm,' 'bespoke solutions' (used generically without proof), 'scalable ecosystem,' and 'end-to-end partner.' These phrases convey zero concrete information to a prospective client.
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