Describe your first site to the builder

On a plan, describe the business in plain English and the builder drafts a whole site from it, not a page. What you put in the description decides how much of the first draft you keep.

What to say#

Three things, and they carry most of the weight.

• What you do - the actual service, in the words a customer would use.
• Who you do it for - the kind of customer, not a market segment.
• Where - the suburb, the city, the region you cover.

Specifics beat adjectives#

The difference is measurable in the first draft.

• Good - "emergency plumber, western Sydney, 24 hours, no call-out fee".
• Weak - "professional plumbing services".
• The rule - a fact the builder can put on a page beats a word that only sets a mood.

What else is worth mentioning#

Anything a customer would ask on the phone.

• Your hours, especially if they are unusual.
• What you do not do, so the site does not invite the wrong enquiry.
• What makes you the obvious choice - a guarantee, a certification, a wait time you actually beat.
• The one action you want a visitor to take.

What you get back#

A site, not a page.

• A whole set of pages, structured around what you said.
• Real copy, not placeholder text.
• A layout drawn to fit that copy rather than the other way round.

What to do next#

Read it before you change it.

1. Click through every page as a visitor would.
2. Fix the facts first - hours, phone number, service area.
3. Then change the wording, which never costs a credit.