If Someone Landed on Your Website Right Now, Would They Know Who It’s For?

There’s a moment that happens a lot in my consultations with women solopreneurs. They’re showing me their website, and we’re scrolling through the homepage together, and they say something like, “So, um, anybody could hire me, but I mostly work with…” and then they describe a very specific person. A coach who helps women executives transition out of corporate, but whose website talks about “life coaching for anyone seeking change.” A consultant who specializes in women over 50 launching second-act businesses, but whose site just says “business consulting.” A designer who only works with service providers, but whose homepage is generic enough to appeal to anyone with a logo and a dream.

And here’s what I hear underneath those words: My website doesn’t actually say who I’m for.

That’s the foggy message problem. It’s not that your website is poorly designed or outdated (though it might be both). It’s that a stranger landing on your homepage has no idea if they’re the right person to hire you. They don’t know if you’re speaking to them. And when someone doesn’t feel like you’re talking to them, they leave. It’s not personal. They just assume they’re not the audience.

The thing that kills me is that you know exactly who you’re for. You can describe them in vivid detail, right now, without a notes app. You know their pain points. You know what keeps them up at night. You know what they’ve already tried that didn’t work. But somehow, that clarity evaporates the moment it hits your website.

I want to talk about why this happens and, more importantly, how to fix it. Because this is fixable. And when you do, something really interesting happens. Your website stops feeling like a generic placeholder and starts feeling like it was built for someone specific. Which is good marketing, but it’s also good for your soul.

The Gap Between What You Know and What You’re Saying

Let me start by saying this plainly: I’ve never met a woman solopreneur who didn’t know who her ideal client was. The problem isn’t clarity about your audience. The problem is translating that internal clarity onto your website.

Here’s why that’s harder than it sounds.

When you sit down to write your website, you’re often thinking about everyone. You’re worried about leaving money on the table. You’re worried about being “too specific” and missing out on people who could hire you. You’re worried that if you say, “I work with women coaches launching their first group program,” you’re accidentally saying no to men coaches, or people launching their second program, or someone who might be a little bit different but still perfect for you.

So what do you do? You soften the language. You make it broader. You add an extra sentence that says, “Though I work with anyone who…” And suddenly, your message becomes foggy. It doesn’t say no to anyone, which means it doesn’t say yes to anyone either.

A lot of business owners I talk to don’t realize that being specific doesn’t mean you’re excluding people. It means you’re speaking so directly to your person that they feel seen. And when someone feels seen, they’re more likely to reach out.

Vague language doesn’t leave you open to more opportunities. It just makes you look like you haven’t figured out who you’re for yet.

What a Clear Message Actually Does

Before we talk about how to fix this, let me name what a clear message does for you. Because it’s not just about marketing. It’s about how you feel when you talk about your work.

When your website clearly says who it’s for, several things happen:

You attract the right people. This is the obvious one, but it’s worth saying. When someone lands on your site and immediately thinks, “Oh, this is for me,” they’re more likely to click around. They’re more likely to read your about page. They’re more likely to see your portfolio or testimonials. They’re more likely to reach out.

You repel the wrong people. And that’s actually a gift. Because you don’t want to spend energy on an inquiry from someone who isn’t a good fit. You don’t want to have discovery calls with people who aren’t really your person. A clear message does some of that filtering for you, before they ever email you.

You feel like your website actually represents you. This one matters more than people talk about. When your website speaks clearly to your specific person, it doesn’t feel generic anymore. It feels like it was made for someone real. And it was. And that makes it feel like you.

You stop second-guessing yourself every time you share it. I know a lot of women who say, “Well, I mean, I’m also good at…” when they share their website. They add disclaimers. They apologize for the specificity. But when your message is clear, you don’t need to apologize for anything. Your website says what you do. It says who you do it for. And there’s nothing to explain away.

The Three Places Where Your Message Gets Fuzzy

Your message gets foggy in specific places. And the good news is that once you know what those places are, it’s not that hard to clarify them.

Your Hero Headline (or Whatever You Call the Big Text at the Top)

This is the first thing someone sees. They land on your website, and before they read another word, they’re reading the words at the top of your homepage. And if those words don’t immediately tell them whether this is for them, they’re already mentally leaving.

A lot of websites have headlines like “Strategic Coaching for Your Best Life” or “Business Consulting That Works” or “Design Solutions for Growth.” These are technically true. They sound professional. But they don’t tell anyone who they’re for.

A clear headline tells someone who you work with and what you help them do. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to be specific.

Instead of “Life Coaching for Success,” you might say, “I help women coaches build their first group program without burning out.” Instead of “Marketing Strategy,” you might say, “I help service providers finally write their own website copy (without hating it).” The specificity is what makes someone stop scrolling and think, “Wait, is this about me?”

Your “About” Section

Your about page is where a lot of women accidentally make their message even foggier. They start with their credentials, their background, how long they’ve been doing this, what certifications they have. And all of that’s fine context. But it doesn’t answer the actual question someone is asking: Is this person for me?

Your about section is an opportunity to say something like, “I work specifically with women consultants who are exhausted from undercharging their expertise. I help them raise their rates without losing their minds or their clients.” That’s about. That’s positioning. That’s clarity.

When you lead with credentials and background, you’re making someone work to figure out if you’re their person. When you lead with who you serve and what you solve, they know in seconds.

Your Service Description

This is the sneaky one. You might have a beautiful description of what you do. You might talk about how thorough you are, how collaborative you are, how much you care. But if you don’t say who that service is designed for, people don’t know if it’s for them.

Let’s say you’re a designer. Your service description says, “I design beautiful, functional websites that tell your story and draw in your audience.” That’s nice. But who is it for? Someone reading that doesn’t know if you work with solopreneurs or agencies, if you’re good with wedding planners or tech consultants, if you’re someone who specializes or someone who works with anyone.

But if your service description says, “I design websites for women consultants who are tired of looking generic and ready to actually look like the expert they are,” suddenly someone either goes, “That’s me,” or “That’s not me.” Either way, your message is clear.

How to Write a Message That Lands

Okay, so how do you actually do this? How do you take what you know about your person and translate it into words on your website?

Here’s the framework I use with clients, and it’s simple enough that you can do this right now.

Step 1: Describe your ideal client in unglamorous detail.

Not their aspirations. Not their dreams. Describe them as they are right now. What’s their job title? How old are they? What’s the specific problem they’re trying to solve? What have they already tried that didn’t work? What would change if they worked with you?

For example: “My ideal client is a 52-year-old consultant who’s been in her field for 15+ years and is finally launching a group program. She’s smart, seasoned, and great at one-on-one work. But she’s terrified of facilitation. She’s worried she’ll freeze up in front of a group. She’s seen other consultants launch programs that flopped. She doesn’t want to spend $10,000 on a coach. She wants someone who gets it, who won’t patronize her, and who won’t make this take nine months.”

That detail is what makes your message clear. Not “I work with consultants.” Specific. Real. Recognizable.

Step 2: Identify the transformation you create for that person.

Not the transformation they want for themselves. The transformation they experience from working with you. What changes about how they work, think, feel, or operate?

“She goes from being afraid of facilitating her group to actually feeling confident standing in front of a room. She stops seeing it as a thing she has to white-knuckle through and starts seeing it as something she’s actually good at.”

Step 3: Write about them, not about you.

This is where most websites go wrong. They’re written from the perspective of the business owner: “We specialize in…” “Our approach…” “We believe…” But people don’t land on your website to read about you. They land on it to figure out if you can help them.

Write your headline and core message to them, about them, for them. “I help women consultants over 50 launch group programs without the terrifying facilitation part.” See how that’s written to that person, about her specific problem?

Step 4: Resist the urge to soften it.

Once you write something clear and specific, you’re going to feel the urge to add nuance. “Well, I also work with…” “Though sometimes I help people who…” “Anyone interested in…” Stop. That urge is the fog creeping back in.

A specific message doesn’t exclude opportunities. It attracts the right ones.

The Relief You Get When Your Message Is Clear

I want to circle back to something I said at the beginning. There’s a particular feeling that happens when a woman solopreneur’s website finally clearly says who it’s for.

It’s not excitement. It’s not “Oh my gosh, I’m going to get so much business now!” It’s relief. It’s exhaling. It’s finally looking at your website and not cringing. It’s being able to share it without a disclaimer. It’s no longer feeling like your site is a generic placeholder that’s just hanging there, not representing you.

That relief matters. Because your website shouldn’t feel like a weight. It shouldn’t be the thing you hide. It should be something you’re proud of, something that actually says who you are and who you serve.

When your message is clear, that happens. You go from holding your breath every time you share it to actually owning it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I really do work with multiple different types of people?

Then you have an opportunity to think about whether you’d rather be known for something specific (which usually means more business and higher rates) or something broad (which usually means more work for less money). I find that women who say they work with “anyone” often have one or two types of clients they actually love working with. Start there. You can always expand later, but you’ll build your business faster with a clear message first.

Does being specific mean I’ll turn away paying clients?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. A specific message might mean someone who isn’t quite your ideal person doesn’t inquire. But it also means the people who aren’t right for you don’t waste your time, and the people who are right for you find you faster. In my experience, the second benefit outweighs the first, especially as a solopreneur where your time is your most valuable resource.

How specific is too specific?

Specific enough that someone reading it thinks, “Wait, is this about me?” That’s the sweet spot. You’re not writing a job description. You’re writing a message that speaks to someone’s reality. If it makes someone go, “Oh, that’s exactly me,” you’ve nailed it.

What if I test this and it doesn’t work?

Your website isn’t a fairytale. You don’t get one chance to get it right and then you’re stuck with it forever. You can rewrite your headline. You can change your service description. You can test different versions and see what resonates. The beautiful thing about a website is that it’s never actually done. You can adjust it whenever you need to.

If your website no longer feels like you, let’s talk about it – Book a Free Website Clarity Call with Beth →

**