Describe your business in one sentence on your website

Key takeaways

A one-sentence business description says what you do, for whom and where, in under 25 words: 'We install and service heat pumps for homes across West Yorkshire.' Use it on your homepage, Google profile, social bios and directories, word for word, so buyers, search engines and AI tools all describe you the same way.

• Formula: what you do, for whom, where, in under 25 words.
• Use plain nouns and verbs that buyers search for.
• Use the same sentence on your site, Google profile and directories.
• Avoid 'solutions', 'leading' and 'one-stop shop'.

How do you describe a business in one sentence?

Describe a business in one sentence by stating what you do, for whom and where, in plain words and under 25 words. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) uses the formula 'We [verb] [what] for [who] in [where]', for example 'We prepare accounts and tax returns for sole traders in Bristol'.

• What information should every business website have?
• Website value proposition: say it in five seconds

What makes a business description work?

A description works when a stranger can repeat it accurately after one reading. It uses the nouns buyers search for, names the audience and sets a boundary. Nielsen Norman Group's research on plain language shows that even expert readers prefer plain, concise wording, so specialist terms should be the exception.

• Jargon on your website: why experts want plain words too

Which words should you avoid?

Avoid words that could describe any business: 'solutions', 'leading', 'innovative', 'bespoke', 'one-stop shop' and 'excellence'. They take up space without telling buyers what you do. Replace each with the specific thing: not 'IT solutions' but 'IT support and cyber security for offices of 10 to 50 people'.

• Mission statements on a homepage: why they rarely help

Where should the description appear?

Use the sentence near the top of your homepage, in your meta description and Organization structured data, on your Google Business Profile, in social bios and in directory listings. Using it word for word everywhere makes your business easier for buyers, search engines and AI assistants to describe correctly.

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What if you do several different things?

If you do several things, describe the common outcome or the main line of work in the sentence, then list services directly underneath. 'We keep commercial kitchens running: installation, servicing and emergency repairs across the North West' works better than a sentence that tries to name all eight services.

• Say what is included in your service, line by line

When is one sentence not enough?

One sentence is not enough for new categories of service that buyers do not yet understand, or for complex B2B offers with several buying roles. Keep the sentence, but follow it with a short explanation of how it works and who benefits, rather than stretching the sentence itself.

• What first-time buyers of your service need to read

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: the homepage says 'Delivering excellence through innovative solutions', the Google profile says 'Electrical contractor' and LinkedIn says 'Building services'. Writing one plain sentence and using it on all three makes it obvious, in every channel, what the firm does and for whom.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Business description checklist

• Write what you do, for whom and where.
• Keep it under 25 words.
• Remove every generic word.
• Test it on someone outside the business.
• Use it on your homepage and Google profile.
• Copy it word for word into directories and bios.

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• Show your regulator and registration number online

Next step

Write three versions of your one-sentence description, read them to someone who does not know your business, and keep the one they repeat back most accurately.