Most small business websites were written once, in a hurry, by the owner late at night, and never touched again. The copy describes what the business did three years ago, uses words customers never use, and buries the phone number under a paragraph about passion and quality. Using AI to write website copy for a small business is a sensible fix, but only if you do it in the right order. This guide sets out a one-day workflow using Claude, with the prompts, the checks and the parts you should never hand over.
Why rewrite your website copy with AI at all?
The case for shorter, clearer copy is old but still holds. Nielsen Norman Group's study of how people read web pages, published in May 2008, found that on an average visit users had time to read at most 28% of the words on a page, and about 20% was the more realistic figure. The average page in that study ran to 593 words. If a visitor reads a fifth of your homepage, the fifth they read has to contain what you do, where you do it, and how to get in touch.
That is exactly the kind of editing job AI does well. It does not get attached to a paragraph you were proud of. It will happily turn 600 words into 200 and put the phone number first.
Are other UK small businesses already using AI for this?
The Scottish Government's weighted Business Insights and Conditions Survey results for 21 September to 4 October 2026 found that 36.9% of businesses were using some form of AI, with 35.3% of small and medium businesses (10 to 249 employees) doing so against 51.6% of large ones. The survey asks whether businesses use any AI technology rather than what for, and it excludes firms with fewer than ten staff, so treat it as a signal of direction rather than a count of who is writing web copy. The practical point is that your competitors are probably experimenting, and the ones who do it carefully will end up with clearer sites.
What do you need to gather before you open Claude?
This is the step people skip, and it is why so much AI copy reads the same. Before you write a single prompt, put together one document containing:
- Services and prices. What you sell, what it typically costs, and what is not included. Ranges are fine.
- Service area. Towns, postcodes, or "within 20 miles of Harrogate" if that is how you work.
- Customer questions. Scroll back through your phone, WhatsApp and inbox. Write down the questions you answer every week, in the customer's own words.
- Reviews. Copy five to ten genuine reviews, with names removed. If you are short on them, our guide to adding reviews to your website covers how to collect and display them properly.
- Proof. Accreditations, insurance, years trading, notable clients you have permission to name.
- Your current copy. Paste in every page as it stands.
If you are handling client or patient information, run through an AI data protection checklist before pasting anything. You do not need personal data to write good copy.
How should you set Claude up for a whole-site rewrite?
Projects let Claude refer to the same files across several chats, so you are not pasting your service list in again for every page. Your brand brief can be short. Something like:
We are a family-run boiler and heating firm in Wakefield. Plain, friendly British English. No jargon. Never use the words "solutions", "passionate" or "one-stop shop". Short sentences. Always mention we are Gas Safe registered. Phone number goes near the top of every page.
The Free plan includes a limited number of Projects and is fine for a page at a time, but a full rewrite in one day is easier on a paid plan. At the time of writing, Anthropic's pricing page lists Pro at $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month on annual billing ($200 up front). The prices are shown in dollars and can change, so check your checkout screen for the sterling amount and VAT before you subscribe.
Which prompts get the best website copy from Claude?
A homepage prompt that works:
Using the source document in this Project, write a homepage for [business]. Reader: a homeowner in [area] whose boiler has just packed in. The page has one job: get them to call. Start with a headline that says what we do and where. Then three short sections answering the questions in the "customer questions" list that matter most to an urgent customer. Under 250 words. Do not invent any facts, prices or claims that are not in the source document. If something is missing, put [CHECK] in its place.
That last line matters more than anything else. Claude will fill gaps with plausible-sounding detail if you let it. Asking it to flag gaps with a marker turns invention into a to-do list.
For service pages, ask for one page per service, each answering what it is, who it is for, what it costs, how long it takes, and what happens next. For your about page, give Claude real facts and a few sentences in your own voice, then ask it to tidy rather than rewrite.
What should you never let AI write on your website?
The ASA confirms that it has regulated marketers' own websites since 1 March 2011, so your service pages count as marketing in the same way a paid ad does. An AI tool will readily write "Yorkshire's most trusted electrician" because it sounds like website copy. If you cannot back that up, it is a problem whoever typed it.
Keep these human:
- Reviews and testimonials, always copied from real customers.
- Any number: prices, response times, years trading, jobs completed.
- Comparisons with competitors.
- Regulated wording, such as financial, legal or health claims.
How do you check and edit the AI draft?
A practical edit pass for each page:
- Find the markers. Fill or delete every [CHECK].
- The swap test. Replace your business name with a competitor's. If the sentence still works, it is too generic. Add a local or specific detail, or cut it.
- Read it aloud. AI copy often has a rhythm that sounds smooth but empty. If you would not say it to a customer at the door, rewrite it.
- Check spelling settings. Ask Claude to use British English, then check for "color", "optimize" and "license" used as a noun.
- Phone and button test. Can a visitor on a phone see how to contact you without scrolling?
How do you know the new copy is working?
New copy that reads beautifully and gets fewer calls is worse copy. Record a simple baseline: enquiries per week from the website, plus any analytics you already have. Change one section of the site at a time if you can, so you know which change helped. If you get decent traffic, a simple split test is better still, and our guide to A/B testing for UK small businesses explains how to run one without a big budget.
Is a one-day rewrite realistic for a typical small business?
A rough split that works for most trades and service firms: two hours on the source document, two hours drafting the homepage and service pages, three hours editing, and an hour on the about and contact pages. Larger sites, or ones with dozens of location pages, take longer. That is where some owners decide to hand the job over, and our comparison of using an AI content writing service versus doing it yourself sets out the trade-offs.
The main limit is this: Claude cannot know what makes your business different. You do. The day goes well when you treat it as a fast, tireless editor working on your knowledge, and badly when you ask it to make something up.
Claude AI Website Copy — FAQ
Can AI write website copy for a small business that actually converts?
It can write a strong draft, but it only converts if you feed it real material. Claude works from what you give it: your services, prices, service area, the questions customers ask on the phone, and the words they use in reviews. Without that, you get generic copy that could belong to any business in any town. With it, you get a clear first draft in minutes that you then check, cut and sharpen. Treat the output as a first draft from a quick junior writer, not finished copy. Then measure it: compare enquiries or calls for a few weeks before and after the change, rather than assuming the new version is better because it reads well.
How much does Claude cost for writing website copy?
The Free plan is enough to try a page or two, and it includes a limited number of Projects. For a full rewrite in one sitting, the Pro plan is more practical because it gives you more usage and removes the Free plan's cap on Projects, where you store your brand notes and source material. At the time of writing, Anthropic's pricing page lists Pro at $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month on the annual plan ($200 billed up front). Those prices are shown in US dollars and can change, so check the checkout page for the current sterling figure and VAT before you subscribe.
Do I have to tell customers my website copy was written with AI?
There is no general UK rule that forces you to label website copy drafted with AI. What matters is that the claims are true. The ASA has regulated marketers' own websites since 1 March 2011, so the CAP Code applies to your service pages, pricing claims and testimonials whoever or whatever wrote them. If Claude writes that you are the fastest or cheapest in your area, you need evidence for it, or it needs to come out. Fake or invented reviews are a separate and serious problem, so never let AI draft testimonials.
Will Google penalise AI-written website copy?
Google's public position is that it judges content on quality and usefulness rather than how it was produced. The risk is not the tool, it is thin, repetitive copy that says nothing specific. A plumber's page that names the towns covered, the call-out arrangement, typical jobs and real photos is useful whoever typed it. A page of vague promises about quality service is not. Use Claude to structure and tighten your own knowledge, and add details only you know, such as job examples, local landmarks, accreditations and named team members.
Should I paste customer data into Claude when writing copy?
Keep personal data out unless you have a clear reason and a lawful basis. You do not need names, emails or phone numbers to write good copy. Paste review text with the reviewer's name removed, and summarise enquiry themes rather than pasting whole email threads. If you run a regulated business, such as a clinic, solicitor or accountant, check your own data protection policy first and record what you share with any AI tool.
