Whether you’re building a new website or you already have one, you need to pay particular attention to your website content.
What is website content?
1. Information of value to your customers or potential customers
2. Information of value to Google and other search engines (Search engine optimization, or SEO).
(In that order!)
Prepare website content for your customers, while keeping in mind what the search engines want to see, and you’ll be rewarded with higher ranking, more visits, and better response and conversion rates – more sales.
Basic website content
When people turn to the Internet to find a particular product or service, they want to know a few essential things, such as how they can contact you, some background on your company, where you’re located and what your hours are.
You probably have most of this information already. But have you buried essential information a link or two down? Keep your phone number and hours, if applicable, accessible on every page.
And don’t stop there.
Benefits of additional website content
As any direct marketer knows, content and information sell. That’s one of the reasons that most direct response sales letters are so long. Taking the time to provide additional details, full information to help prospects make a decision, and helpful background knowledge pays off in more involved, committed customers. (And it pays off in better search engine results, too.)
Use your website content to provide:
Answers to questions your prospects may have. This draws them in and provides added value they appreciate.
Demonstrate your knowledge and position yourself as an expert in your field or in your market area. This gives them confidence.
Information can drive sales without being “salesy” by
- Explaining benefits that excite them emotionally
- Providing features and statistics they can use to rationalize their purchase
- Conveying it all in a written tone that imparts confidence and makes you approachable
As you prepare your content marketing, keep the above points paramount, but don’t forget SEO. Remember what the search engines look for. Keywords, carefully placed in the correct positions, can establish individual pages and your overall website as top draws for new customers.
What does website content include?
Website content is pretty much anything visitors find when they arrive at your website.
- Articles offering how-to information, answers to their questions, details and information on your products or services, or even personal observations and information.
- Documents, such as white papers, case studies, product manuals and other downloadable information.
- Videos on how to use your product, testimonials from happy customers, or video blogs.
- Images of your staff in action, you on the job, or your products, carefully tagged and identified.
- Lists, charts, comparisons.
- Blogs.
- Individual landing pages directed at a specific search phrase.
- Individual landing pages directed at a specfic target group.
- Recorded webinars
Website content examples
Here are a few examples of website content that offers value and drives traffic
The Centre for Small Business Financing, an organization which helps small businesses access business grants and financing, regularly publishes interviews with grant recipients and has carefully crafted landing pages to attract clients searching on specific search terms.
The Meaford Haven retirement community publishes a regular blog which offers interesting and valuable information for prospects and dramatically boosts its search engine rankings for a number of important search terms.
Contact us to help you add powerful content to your website.