Before rewriting the website, find out which part of the explanation fails. A buyer can understand the product and still see no reason to buy. They can also want the outcome while misunderstanding what your company actually provides.
Those problems need different fixes. I would test comprehension, relevance, and differentiation separately before asking a team to produce another set of headlines.
Start with the current explanation
Give a relevant person the same short description a new visitor would encounter. Ask them to explain what the product does, who it is for, and what they would compare it with. Avoid correcting the answer immediately. The misunderstanding is the evidence you came to collect.
Then ask about the underlying problem. When did they last experience it? What did they do? What would cause them to change their current approach? A favorable reaction to your wording is weaker evidence than a recognizable buying situation.
Test a small number of alternatives
Change the central explanation, not every word at once. One version might lead with the workflow, another with the business consequence. Keep the offer and audience comparable. Record what each version makes easier or harder to understand.
For a hypothetical analytics product, “AI-powered intelligence” and “find where qualified leads stop becoming customers” create very different expectations. The more specific version is only better if that is the problem the product actually solves.
Look for a useful pattern
| Observation | Likely next investigation |
|---|---|
| People cannot explain the product | Clarity and category |
| They understand it but see no need | Customer fit, urgency, or value |
| They want the outcome but distrust the claim | Evidence and delivery mechanism |
| They see value but prefer the alternative | Differentiation, switching effort, or economics |
This is a diagnostic framework, not proof that one interview identifies the cause. Compare several relevant conversations and look for contradictions.
Make the rewrite earn its scope
Change the smallest set of pages needed to communicate the stronger position. Align the ad, page, demonstration, and sales explanation so a buyer encounters one coherent promise.
Measure downstream behavior after the change. Better comprehension is valuable, but the commercial question is whether the right people progress. Keep the customer profile and offer visible during the rewrite; positioning cannot compensate indefinitely for a poor fit between them.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →