I’m working on my own new site, which means: I’m doing a little sneaky-sneak around the internet at different websites in my space.
What I’ve found is that basically everyone is saying some version of the same message. The differences largely exist in vibe alone (brand voice, design) rather than in message (aka, what they’re actually saying).
Thisexperience is super familiar from most of my client projects. During the competitor analysis phase, I go looking for real gaps and what I usually find is… a bunch of the same.
If you’ve ever experienced this, you might be wondering:
– Okay, does this mean I need to say this same message too? It’s obviously the “right” one.
– What the hell is going on? Why is everyone doing this??
^depending on your personality, ha. (Which are you? Reply and let me know!).
I have a theory about why all your competitors are saying the same thing on their website.
And it’s not “because AI.”
It’s because of well-meaning website messaging advice 101.
Advice like:
✔️ Speak to your audience’s struggles
✔️ Talk about the transformation you provide
The problem with this is that… your direct competitors have clients with the very same pain points. And services that deliver the very same outcomes.
And once you’re at a certain level, you better believe your competitors know how to do “messaging 101”, too.
So you end up with everyone speaking to the same pain points, promising the same outcomes, and sprinkling in the requisite amount of social proof and a story-driven bio.
Maybe you manage to carve out something of an edge by saying this stuff… the most creatively (hey, brand voice).
→ But I believe your website can claim a much, much bigger edge for you.
How?
💡By culling some of this 101 messaging and championing your actual method, philosophy, approach, expertise, point of view, etc.
Things that are hard-won from your experience.
Things that are nuanced and layered.
Things that AI could never whip up for a competitor.
Things that instantly position you as a category of one.
This is the approach I take with my clients: throwing out the 101 playbook and leaning hard into their paradigm-shifting methods, earned insights, and the nuance of how their actual ideal clients really weighed their options before choosing them.
Inquire by scheduling a call here.
xoxo, your favorite website freak,
Krista
P.S. This mainly applies to “straightforward” services that have clear direct competition. Like designers, photographers, therapists, stylists, marketers, legal and financial professionals, etc.
If you have created a business around a wildly unique or emerging service, the 101 advice is probably still the right direction, because your clients NEED that education (because the market hasn’t done it for them).
