Why Potential Customers (and your sales team) Hate Your Website Messaging
I’m a sales guy. I’m definitely not a marketing expert or a website guru, but I do know one thing - if your website confuses me, it’s probably confusing your potential customers too. And let’s be honest, it’s probably costing you sales.
If I had a dollar for every website that left me scratching my head, I’d be sipping margaritas on a private Caribbean beach every day. Yet, here I am, scrolling through another company’s homepage, trying to decipher what the hell they actually do.
Overcomplication: The Silent Sales Killer
One of the biggest mistakes companies make with their website messaging is overcomplication. It’s as if they’re trying to win an award for the most jargon-packed, buzzword-infested websites ever written.
Look, I get it. You’re proud of your cutting-edge, AI-powered, blockchain-enhanced, next-generation, synergistic, Howard Wolowitz-certified solution for optimizing enterprise resource ecosystems. But does your average customer get it? Probably not.
Too often, businesses stuff their websites with too many insider buzzwords, perplexing ivy-league words, and way too much text. I suspect that, consciously or unconsciously, some companies do this as a way to justify their price or the quality of their product. But trust me, confusion does not equal credibility. It just equals frustration.
The One Sentence Test (That Most Businesses Fail)
In all fairness, a lot of companies do make an attempt to explain what they do in one sentence near the top of their homepage. But somehow, in that one sentence, many of them still manage to create confusion.
For example, let’s say I land on a website and the first thing I see is:
“We leverage advanced cloud-based technology to empower businesses with seamless, end-to-end solutions that drive synergy and innovation.”
Huh? What does that even mean? A sixth grader should be able to glance at your website and immediately understand what your company does. If your messaging fails that test, you need to simplify.
More Pages, More Problems
Another issue I see is websites with far too many pages. Do you really need a 50-page site to explain what you do? I’d argue that most companies could get the same message across in a streamlined way with fewer pages. When a customer has to dig through a maze of menus just to get an overview, they’re probably going to give up and go elsewhere.
The “Price Complexity” Fallacy
There seems to be this idea that the more expensive a product or service is, the more complex the website should be. In my mind, that’s just not necessary. In fact, the higher the price, the more clarity is needed. People don’t drop big bucks on things they don’t understand.
If your website makes people feel like they need a translator, secret decoder ring, and a Ph.D, in business linguistics just to comprehend what they’re buying, they’re going to bounce. Also, they may assume your product is too expensive and move on to a competitor with clearer messaging.
How to Fix It: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
So, what’s the solution? Here are a few tips to make your website messaging clear, concise, and customer-friendly:
Use Plain Language – Ditch the corporate jargon. Write like you’re explaining your business to a friend over coffee.
Be Direct – If you sell accounting software for small businesses, just say, “We make accounting easy for small businesses.” That’s it. No fluff. Don’t try to dress it up like an overzealous actor on the Oscars red carpet.
Reduce the Noise – Cut unnecessary text. If it doesn’t help a potential customer understand what you do or how you can help them, delete it.
Make Navigation Simple – A clear, easy-to-follow site structure makes a huge difference. Don’t make visitors hunt for information, and make sure there’s a clear separation between your pre-purchase information and your post-purchase information.
Think Like a Customer – Pretend you know nothing about your industry. Would your website still make sense? Would you find it irritating as you do a quick scan for the information you need? Remember, always write for the reader, not for the writer.
Test the Sixth Grader Rule – Ask a kid, a neighbor, or someone outside your industry to look at your website and summarize it in a sentence or two. If they don’t nail it, simplify further.
The Real Cost of Confusing Messaging
If your website messaging isn’t clear, here’s what happens:
Potential customers bounce off your site and head straight to a competitor’s.
People assume your product or service is too expensive.
You lose valuable leads because visitors don’t immediately grasp what you offer.
Visitors are intimidated and get the feeling they don’t know enough to do business with you.
You generate bad leads that waste your sales team’s time, because a potential customer thought you sell project management software when you actually sell project management training.
Your sales team has to work twice as hard to explain things after your website fails to provide a clear overview.
Final Thoughts from a Sales Guy
As someone who has always played on the sales side of the tracks, I can tell you one thing with certainty: simpler messaging helps sales teams close more deals.
Marketing professionals have been preaching this wisdom for years, yet so many businesses just don’t get it. Or maybe they do, but they ignore it because they think they know better. Either way, it’s time to take a step back, look at your website through fresh eyes, and ask yourself:
Would someone with no insider knowledge understand exactly what my business does in just a few seconds? If the answer is no, it’s time for a rewrite. While some products or services are so complex they require lengthy explanations, that’s usually the exception more than the rule.
Now go work your magic and de-clutter that website. Your customers (and your sales team) will thank you.
