How to stand out when everyone sounds the same: A website copy audit with Here Today Photography
When everyone in your market uses the same tired buzzwords, how can you stand out and connect with potential clients on your website?
That’s one of the challenges Natalie at Here Today Photography was facing when she reached out for a website copy audit of her homepage. Here’s what she shared:
"I'm a wedding photographer that serves couples who want to document their entire community on their wedding day. I’m different in that I focus on family and friends, almost more than the couple themselves … [and] I do not recreate moments for the camera, rather document moments just as they are.
“My challenges are that the words 'documentary,' 'candid,' and 'intentional' have somewhat lost their meaning as they've started trending. They have evolved into buzzwords that no longer define uncurated moments. Everyone uses them, even if their 'candid' photos are posed to look candid."
These concerns are real and relatable for anyone who works in a saturated market like wedding photography. But there are still strategies we can use to communicate Natalie’s unique value without resorting to the same old buzzwords — and you can apply the same techniques to your website message.
By the end of this audit, you'll learn a few of my favorite tricks to craft copy that cuts through the noise and attracts clients who want exactly what you offer.
Here Today Photography’s homepage.
What’s working well on Here Today’s homepage:
Natalie is an incredible storyteller and her copy is clear, concise, poetic, and heartfelt. So before we dive into my suggestions for Here Today, let’s talk about what’s already working beautifully on this homepage:
Emotional Connection
Natalie’s copy is warm and sincere, with phrases like “I believe each person who steps in front of my lens deserves to be celebrated.” She keeps the focus on her prospective clients rather than herself. The comfortable, inviting experience of working with her begins right on her website, building trust with potential clients from the moment they read her words.
Social Proof
Here Today’s homepage is peppered with testimonials from happy clients who echo and affirm Natalie’s message. Natalie even includes some significant statistics — like the fact that she’s photographed more than 600 weddings. Prospective clients can see their desires reflected in her positive reviews and feel confident hiring her for their weddings.
Clarity
Natalie is clear on what sets her apart, and it shows on her homepage. Readers can quickly pick up on her unique style and approach through her simple, succinct copy.
Consistency
The beautiful, candid photos on Here Today’s homepage perfectly complement the copy’s message. Website visitors get a clear sense of Natalie’s style and can see her work firsthand.
Flow
Here Today’s homepage has a clear structure and flow, guiding visitors through essential sections like the headline and introduction, founder introduction, portfolio, and testimonials. This makes it easy for potential clients to find the information they need.
Now, let’s dive into three shifts we could make to go beyond tired buzzwords and craft copy that connects with the right people.
Tip #1: Find the “Why”
There's a reason buzzwords like "candid," "documentary," and “intentional” are so common in wedding photography. They tap into real client desires. So it’s not enough to simply throw these words out; we want to understand why they matter to our readers.
Why do couples crave truly candid, documentary-style photos? Maybe they’re worried about being forced into awkward poses, and they would rather feel natural and comfortable in their photos. Maybe they care about remembering the real, unplanned moments of their wedding day, and they don’t want anything to feel staged or fake. Whatever the key benefit is for Natalie’s clients, we’ll want to communicate how her approach creates the experience they’re looking for, and why it goes beyond photos that are staged to look candid.
Similarly, "intentional" photography goes deeper than the overused term. On Here Today’s homepage, Natalie shares step-by-step details about the experience of working with her to communicate the care and planning that goes into her process.
By understanding clients' emotional needs, fears, and desires, we can craft copy that resonates on a deeper level, without resorting to buzzwords.
Tip #2: Speak Their Language
We often get caught up in analyzing our competitors’ copy and overlook the most important source of inspiration: our ideal clients. By tuning into their language and the words they use to describe our services, we can create a deeper connection with readers.
For my copywriting and messaging strategy clients, I gather these insights by interviewing their past customers. To keep things simple for this audit, I dove into Natalie’s 100+ Google reviews instead.
Analyzing these glowing reviews revealed a key difference: clients consistently used "photos" to describe her work instead of the word "images" that Natalie uses in her copy. Shifting to match her clients’ wording would be a small but significant step toward speaking their language.
The reviews also revealed other common words and themes. Clients valued Natalie’s knack for capturing "moments," the way she made their day feel "comfortable" and "easy," and her "candid" photography (showing that some buzzwords still resonate with clients). They appreciated that she captured their day as it was, without pushing them into poses.
Here Today's copy already touches on these themes, but could be even more purposeful about speaking clients’ language and focusing on what they care about. By incorporating these client-preferred words and emphasizing the value they place on a comfortable, unposed experience, Natalie could create a deeper connection with prospective clients.
Tip #3: Refine the Headline
A homepage headline is prime real estate on any brand’s website. It's often the first (and sometimes only) impression they get to make on potential clients. This one line should tell readers what you do, who you serve, why it matters, and how you stand out from the crowd.
Natalie's current headline is strong, conveying her core offerings and what sets her apart. But because I like to obsess over these details, let’s see if we can make an even deeper connection while avoiding buzzwords.
Here's Natalie's current version:
JOYFUL WEDDING IMAGES THAT FEEL LIKE HOME
Documenting the in-between
Portland, Oregon wedding photographer
This effectively communicates:
What she does: Joyful wedding images
Who she serves: Couples getting married in and around Portland, Oregon
What makes her different: Capturing natural moments ("documenting the in-between")
Building on that foundation, I’d like to get even more specific about Natalie's style of capturing real wedding moments with family and friends, and the benefits for her clients.
Here's a revised option for Here Today's homepage headline:
JOYFUL WEDDING PHOTOS CELEBRATING YOUR PEOPLE
Unhurried, unposed, and real — so you can remember it just as it was.
Portland, Oregon wedding photographer
This new version emphasizes Natalie’s unique approach to celebrating loved ones through candid photos, and it also speaks to some key benefits for clients: Preserving important memories in a natural, stress-free way.
We’ve also switched "images" to "photos" to match her clients’ language.
There are endless ways to write this headline depending on what Natalie and her clients care about most, but this is one example of how we could communicate not only what Here Today does but why it matters — without using any of our buzzwords. By fine-tuning the homepage headline, we can ensure that this copy connects with prospective clients on an emotional level, communicates why Natalie is their best fit, and gives them a reason to reach out or learn more.
A few more tips from this website copy audit:
Here are a few more website tweaks that could elevate Here Today's copy and user experience:
Text on Photos: Make sure all copy is clearly visible and easy to read, especially when it’s displayed on top of a photo. Consider using darker overlays, adding contrasting backgrounds, or adjusting text placement to ensure it’s accessible for all readers.
Visual Separation: Readers tend to shy away from a long page of text, so consider breaking up the page into clear sections. Colored backgrounds or full-bleed images can make a page feel more digestible to busy readers.
Final Call to Action: I always recommend including a final, compelling call to action at the end of every page to encourage visitors to reach out.
Ready to cut through the noise and connect?
It’s normal to feel lost in a sea of sameness, even for established businesses like Natalie's.
But by understanding the "why" behind the buzzwords, speaking our ideal client's language, and crafting a clear, compelling message, we can create website copy that cuts through the noise and resonates with people who truly value what we offer.
That said, if you're ready for more copywriting and messaging strategy support, visit my services page or reach out. I’d love to help you go beyond buzzwords and connect with the clients you love to serve.