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95% of buyers aren’t ready to buy the first time they come across your brand.

That stat gets thrown around a lot, usually to justify softer calls-to actions (CTAs) or to focus on nurture-heavy content. But here’s what I see with many founders and small teams:

Your website is asking for a decision. But your copy isn’t written for someone who’s ready to make one.

And that disconnect? It’s one of the most common reasons good businesses with great offers still struggle to convert.

Before you write a single word of website copy, you need to ask: What’s the number one action you want someone to take on this page? And what do they need to believe before they’re willing to take it?

• Book a call?
• Download a lead magnet?
• Subscribe to your list?

Once you’re clear on that goal, everything on the page (your messaging, structure, content, even your tone) needs to support both that action and the buyer’s current mindset.

Most websites skip that step. They try to speak to everyone. They educate, explain, and sound “nice”… but they don’t guide anyone toward action.

The content's not wrong; it’s written for the wrong buyer stage.

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The funnel isn’t wrong per sé…just overrated

You’ve probably heard the TOFU/MOFU/BOFU breakdown:

• TOFU (Top of Funnel): content that grabs attention
• MOFU (Middle of Funnel): content that builds trust and perspective
• BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): content that drives the decision

It sounds tidy. The reality is most of your buyers don’t move through these stages in a straight line. Here’s what it looks like in theory:

These content types still matter. But relying on a funnel as your plan? That’s the part I take issue with.

I call it the fantasy funnel because it makes marketing look like an assembly line. Someone sees your post → downloads a lead magnet → reads a case study → books a call.

That’s not how real people behave.

They ghost. They lurk. They binge your “About” page while standing in line at the DMV. They disappear for weeks and come back when the timing’s right.

It’s not a funnel. It’s a tornado.

If you prefer, think of it as a flywheel or ecosystem. Something buyers can enter from multiple points, with messaging designed to keep momentum going.

And if your website only speaks to one moment in that tornado, you’re either:

• Creating friction
• Attracting the wrong stage of buyer
• Or letting good leads slip away without realizing it

(That’s also what the first Content Circle guest expert workshop is about: building a buyer-ready audience across platforms. More on that at the end.)

This is also where “know, like, and trust” gets thrown around, especially when people talk about TOFU, MOFU, BOFU.

Trust is critical. But it’s not enough.

Someone might like your post, trust your values, and nod along to your newsletter…but if your copy doesn’t help them connect the dots between their problem and your solution, they’ll never take the next step.

They have to see themselves in your offer, understand the transformation, and know why it matters now.

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What the buyer actually needs to hear

Here’s how to think about buyer stages (sans marketing jargon):

People don’t care what they get. They care what they gain.

If you’re a fractional COO, your ideal clients want to reclaim capacity and lead with clarity. If you’re a DEI consultant, your ideal clients want a culture where people stay. If you build websites, they want to stop hiding behind a site that doesn’t reflect them.

If your copy is written for problem-aware buyers, but your CTA is built for decision-ready action? That’s the disconnect.

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A self-indulgent example

Let’s bring this life with a real-world example. (Yep, I used my own site. It's not ego; it's laziness.)

The main goal of my website is to get the right people to book a call. That’s a decision-stage CTA. So the messaging needs to support someone who’s close to buying, not just curious.

But I also know not everyone who lands there is ready to hire. That’s why I’ve built in:

• A Start Here page to help people self-sort
• Free resources and a newsletter opt-in for earlier-stage buyers
• Strategy sessions and audits for people who want a next step without jumping straight into a full project

Here’s how it all works in practice:

Homepage Hero (solution-aware → decision-ready)

This headline speaks to someone who’s hit the referral ceiling. They don’t need convincing that they have a problem. They need to know who can help them scale without sacrificing trust.

The CTA? “Ready to be unignorable? That’s a nudge for someone already close to a yes.

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About Page Story (problem-aware)

This section is designed for people who are still figuring things out. They’re curious but not ready. It’s not the place to push, it’s the place to connect and build familiarity. When they are ready, they already feel like they know me.
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Start Here Page (multi-stage)

This page gives buyers a self-guided next step:

• “I want clarity before I commit” → Book a strategy session or audit
• “I’m ready to hire” → Jump straight to a project or schedule a call
• Not sure? → You still get a path forward

It works because it doesn’t assume everyone is starting from the same place. It reflects the tornado. And it’s one of the most overlooked ways to increase conversion without adding more content.

Since the main goal of my website is decision-stage action, every page gently nudges in that direction, even if someone enters earlier.

Looking back, I can even see a few places I’d tighten the transitions or reinforce the outcomes more clearly. That’s why part of my process for clients is going back through every section and aligning it to both their buyer personas and the buyer journey.

It’s a layer most people skip, and it’s the layer that makes the rest of the copy work.

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A few objections you might have

If this is resonating, great. But it's probably also bringing up a few hesitations. Here are a few common ones I hear:

🙋 Isn’t this overcomplicating things?

Not at all. You (maybe) don’t need to rewrite your whole site. You just need each page doing the right job, for the right buyer, at the right time.

🙋 What if I only want to work with decision-ready clients?

Perfect. Just make sure your copy reflects that. If you’re still speaking in problem-aware language, you’ll keep attracting people who aren’t ready, and wasting time trying to qualify them.

🙋 Can’t I figure this out myself?

Sure. Here’s what that requires:

• Deep understanding of your ideal clients’ priorities, beliefs, hesitations, and awareness levels
• Clear insight into how those factors change what they need to hear, and where they need to hear it
• A strategy that ties all that to your messaging, structure, and CTA

That’s why most people don’t do this well. Not because they can’t, but because no one taught them how.

When you get this right, it’s not just clearer copy; it’s cleaner calls, stronger referrals, better-fit clients, and faster sales cycles.

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Behind the scenes

On a recent project, I told the client: “Before I deliver this copy, I’m going to go back through and check every section against your buyer personas and the stages of the buyer journey.”

They blinked and said, “Wait, you do that?”

Most people don’t. Not because it’s not important but because they’ve never been taught to think that way. That’s the difference between copy that sounds good and copy that sells.

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Let’s make this actionable

If you take one thing from this: Before you optimize your design or rewrite your headline for the umpteenth time, ask if your message says what your ideal client needs to hear to say yes.

That’s what makes a homepage convert. That’s what shortens sales cycles. That’s what turns interest into action.

If your CTA says “book a call,” but your messaging speaks to someone who’s still trying to define their problem? You’re making them work too hard.

And if your copy is trying to speak to everyone? It’s not moving anyone.

Want to know what your website is actually saying?

Take a peek through your homepage. Write down your main CTA. Then ask: What buyer stage is this actually speaking to?

If the message and the moment don’t match, we should talk. Reply with a quick screenshot or the URL. I’ll give you the quick and dirty on whether your copy and CTA align.

*cue awkward transition*

And while your website is your home base, it’s not the only place buyers interact with you.

Some discover you on LinkedIn. Others find your newsletter or binge your podcast. The path isn’t linear, which means your visibility strategy can’t be either.

That’s exactly what our first guest expert workshop inside Content Circle is all about…
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📣We’re hosting our first-even guest expert workshop inside Content Circle, and it’s open to non-members too! 📣

Audience Accelerator: Build a profitable audience beyond the algorithm

What happens when LinkedIn goes quiet, or your best leads forget you exist? Adriana Tica, creator of the Strategic AF newsletter, is going live to teach you how to move your audience between LinkedIn and your email list so you’re not at the mercy of the algorithm.

You’ll learn:
🟡 How to guide people between social media and your list in a way that feels natural
🟡 Why building your email list matters more than ever
🟡 How to shorten your sales cycle without constantly creating more content

Can’t make it live? There’s a replay. Plus there’s a bonus for attendees.

🗓️Thursday, August 28th at 11am ET

(Free for Content Circle members)

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Until next time,

Stacy

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Before you go…

I’ve got some friends with some pretty cool, free offers you may want to check out:

👩‍🏫Catrina Mitchum is co-hosting a workshop teaching you how to scale to a group program without losing that one-to-one connection.

💰Jay Melone just relaunched his offers masterclass to be even better than the one I got great value from a few months ago. Highly recommend you check it out: https://profitladder.net/offer-development-masterclass​

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