The 40 tells · Shape and punctuation · No. 38
Saying "we" more than "you" in your writing: why readers notice
Smell "We" more than "you"
Pages that say "we", "our" and "us" more than "you" and "your" are talking about themselves. "Our team of experts", "we believe", "our passion". The reader came to find out what's in it for them.
Count the two. If "we" wins, rewrite the sentences around what the reader gets.
Before
We are a team of experts. We believe in quality. Our mission is to deliver our best work.
After
You get a finished site in two weeks, with copy you can edit yourself.
The fix
Turn "we do" sentences into "you get" sentences.
What the checker matches
A count of we, we're, we've, our, us and ours against you, you're, you've, your and yours. It flags the text when "we" words outnumber "you" words and there are more than three of them.