Today we are very happy to share this super-useful guest blog on improving your website content from the brilliant Lucinda Smith – a writer and copywriter. You can find out more about her work here.

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website content creation

You’ve written a lovely piece of content for your website, but how do you know that it is going to convert visitors into customers? Can you be sure it won’t simply turn them away? Before you publish, take a look at these suggestions on how to ensure your website content is the best it can be.

1) Do you have a clear call to action?

Right from the get-go, you have to be really clear as to what it is you want your visitor to do once they have landed on your website. A clear call to action (buy now, sign-up, download, comment, etc.) has a direct impact on your conversion rates: it will attract a visitor’s interest and focus their attention, guiding them along the way.

2) Detailed content

Consider the journey your ideal customer takes when landing on your website – what is it that they want to know? Address this in your content.

  • Do they want to build a greater awareness about your product/service? Think about having blogs that explain or detail how to do things; consider including video and infographics.
  • What makes your products/services better than your competitors? Look to use comparisons, testimonials and case studies.
  • If you are selling goods, then have specific product pages and provide trial offers, etc.
  • You want to retain your customers, so think about providing regular blogs, newsletters and other social media content linking back to your website to keep your customers engaged with your business.
  • Keep your content local. Consider where your clients are based and include content that is relevant to your local area and if possible, provide links to other local businesses.

3) Don’t be boring

  • Keep your copy simple and to the point – don’t use jargon or be too technical.
  • Be concise – if you can get your message across in fewer words then do so! Read it through, get others to proofread and give feedback on the content so you can edit and improve it before your website goes live.
  • Short sentences, short paragraphs, headings, bullets, white space – these are all essential to a user-friendly website.
  • Use images to bring your pages to life and complement your copy.
  • Check that your website is mobile-friendly.

4) Use clear concise language

Write content with your ideal customer in mind. Talk direct to them in a language they understand. This is your business, so make it personal and use your text to speak directly to them. It is really powerful if you can add in some real-life examples to help make your content real.

5) SEO

We all know this is important, but if we are not experts what can we do? Here’s a few pointers to consider when looking at your content.

Longtail Keywords: This is a phrase rather than a single keyword. If someone types in ‘silver jewellery’ then they are likely to be browsing. If they type in ‘Where can I buy an engraved silver pendant locket’, this is a longtail keyword and the person is looking to buy. Consider the keyword searches that relate to your business and that will attract people to your site.

Blogs: Blogs are all about customer engagement. Having fresh, interesting blogs to read adds new content onto your website. These need to include keywords and be of a decent length, but the focus should be on the needs of the reader. If you put keywords in the title and initial paragraph this will help with your SEO. Remember to optimise your images and reference others with links. Use your blogs in your social media to broaden your reach.

Voice Search: We are increasingly using voice search functions to answer questions, so consider providing answers to specific business questions within your content.

User Experience: Capture your audience with the content on your website and encourage your them to remain on your site for longer, reducing your bounce rate. A good way is to use your blogs to provide links to the relevant pages on your website which will encourage them to browse further.

Use Google’s tools:

Google Trends – identify the popular searches around your business to create content.

Google Analytics – track the performance of your website.

Google’s keyword tool – helpful when planning the most important keywords to use on your website.

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Thanks so much to Lucinda for sharing these tips! We hope you find them useful in planning and creating your website content!