Why vague website copy is costing you

"We offer tailored solutions for growing businesses."

"A safe, supportive space for your wellbeing journey."

"Helping you become the best version of yourself."

URGH - what does this even mean!??!?!

You've seen this kind of line on dozens of websites, and there's a decent chance you've got a version of it on your own - I see it constantly, across pretty much every industry. I totally get why it happens. It sounds professional, it feels inclusive, and it doesn't risk putting anyone off. For a long time that made it a reasonably safe choice, even if it wasn't doing you many favours, and AI search has now said 'enough! No more bland stuff thank you!'...

This all matters because..

When someone types a question into ChatGPT, or Google's AI Overviews, or whichever of these tools they've started using instead of a plain Google search, they're not usually typing "website designer." They're typing something specific: a therapist in Edinburgh who works with grief, a Shopify designer who builds stores for independent food and drink brands, a dog trainer in Glasgow who takes on reactive dogs. The AI is reading through websites trying to match that exact request to a real business, and it's looking for specific signals to do it with - your location, your specialism, who you actually help, and what working with you looks like in practice.

If your homepage could just as easily describe the business down the road, or a hundred businesses in your industry you've never met, the AI's got nothing solid to match you against. So it moves on to whoever told it plainly who they were for.

In a nutshell, vague language has never converted as well as specific language, whoever's reading it, human or AI. What's changed is the cost of ignoring it. It used to mean you lost a bit of conversion once someone had already found your site. Now it can mean you're not even in the running to be found in the first place - AI just won't bother showing you to people who are looking for you!

In plain English: when AI tools talk about "signals," they mean the specific, checkable details on your website that let them confirm who you are and who you're for - things like your location, the type of client or customer you work with, and what you actually do for them. Vague copy gives AI nothing to check, so it can't confidently recommend you.

A quick test you can do right now

Read your homepage headline and the paragraph underneath it, out loud if that helps, then ask yourself honestly whether a completely different business in your industry could use that same wording and it would still make perfect sense on their site.

If you can picture a competitor's homepage saying the exact same thing, you've found the bit that needs fixing.

A few real examples of the shift from vague to specific:

"We offer tailored solutions for growing businesses" becomes "I build Shopify stores for independent food and drink brands across the UK who are ready to move on from Etsy."

"A safe, supportive space for your wellbeing journey" becomes "One-to-one grief and bereavement counselling for adults in Edinburgh, in person or online."

"Helping you become the best version of yourself" becomes "Strength and nutrition coaching for new parents getting back into training after having a baby."

None of these rewrites are cleverer or more creative than the originals, they're just specific, and being specific like this is better for your business regardless of AI, it helps the actual person reading your website decide whether you're right for them too.  I come back to this a lot in my socials but Keep It Simple Stupid - KISS - is always a good strategy!

What to actually change

You don't need a rebrand, and it doesn't mean your site needs a wholesale rewrite either. Start by focusing on the pages that matter most, usually your homepage, your about page, and whichever service or product pages get the most visitors, and make sure each one gets the messaging right - for example, answering these plainly:

Where are you based, and do you work in person, online, or both. Who specifically do you help, not "businesses" or "people," but the actual type of client or customer, the kind of problem they come to you with, or the stage they're at. And what does working with you actually involve, a session, a project, a product, whatever shape it takes, say what it is rather than how it feels.

Even fixing one of these on your homepage makes a real difference. All three, and you've given AI, and any human reading it, exactly what it needs to work out who you are without having to guess.

If your website's still in the planning

If you're at the planning stage rather than fixing something that already exists, you've got the easier job. You can build the specifics in from day one rather than going back through finished pages later trying to find where the vague bits are hiding. Before you write a word of homepage copy, get clear on your location, the specific people you want to work with, and what makes your way of doing things different from everyone else nearby offering something similar. Starting specific is a lot less work than untangling vague copy once a site's already live. This is where a good copywriter could be a very good investment for you. (let me know if you need a referral)...

This week's checklist

Read your homepage headline and first paragraph. Could a different business in your industry be using the same wording.

Check whether your location is stated clearly, not buried in the footer or left out altogether.

Check whether you've named the specific type of client or customer you work with, rather than a general category.

Check whether you've described what working with you actually looks like, in practical terms.

Fix whichever one's weakest first - you don't need to do all of it this week.

I should practice what I preach - here's what I'm saying....

I'm Helen, a Shopify & Squarespace website designer working with growing businesses across Scotland and the UK. Based in Edinburgh, working remotely and face to face. Come to me for Shopify in a Day, in Edinburgh training sessions, let me build your new Shopify website for your business or let me help you manage your website for you and make your business better!