USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

The term comes from the American advertising executive Rosser Reeves, who described it in 1961 in his book 'Reality in Advertising'. His three conditions still apply: the advertising makes a concrete promise ('buy this product and you will get this benefit'), the competition cannot or will not make that promise, and it is strong enough to move new customers.

Most websites do not name a USP but state the obvious: quality, reliability, customer focus, experience. Every competitor says the same. A genuine USP is verifiable: 'opening without damage or it's free', 'quote within 24 hours', 'website delivered in two weeks once all materials are in', 'replacement device during the repair'. It answers the question: why us and not the next one in the search results?

An example: a painting company writes 'Quality since 1985' on its home page. A conversation with long-standing customers reveals what they really value: the company covers furniture and floors completely and leaves the flat swept clean, with photos before and after the work. That becomes the new message: 'We paint, you won't notice a thing: covering, cleaning and photo documentation included.' That is concrete, verifiable and relevant.

The USP is the basis for almost everything in marketing: ad copy, the home page headline, the short description in the Google Business Profile and positioning in AI answers. Formulate it clearly and you write better ads that make a stronger case for the click. It is closely linked to corporate identity and brand presence. A clear USP belongs on the home page and in every ad; it is often worked out in digital marketing consulting.