Website content consists of text, images, and video. A lot of text-based content can be found on websites that rank well organically. You should have a landing page for every product or service you offer. If you sell real estate, your home page could include a brief description of what you offer, along with a couple of bullet points describing the specific types of houses. If you click on the link, you will be taken to a separate page with more detailed information about that type of house.
In this case, you would find out, among other things, how many bedrooms and baths are in the particular home, the square footage, whether or not the home has a pool, the list price, and so forth. A similar approach can be used on your website. Make sure your website contains:
- Detailed Descriptions Of Your Products Or Services (With Prices!)
- Pictures Of Your Products Or Services (If Applicable)
- HOT, CREATIVE HEADLINES FOR YOUR SITE (These appear at the top of every page on your site.)And much, much more… But don’t make it too long. People get tired of reading. If they have to click on a link to find out more info about what you are selling them, then they will probably decide to go look for something else. Keep your website simple and to the point. One last thing: You should have at least one product or service on your website that is NOT for sale. This will help to “anchor” your website and give your visitors a place to rest their eyes while they are on your site. It also gives you an opportunity to practice some of the above-mentioned website “muscle memory”.
For example, maybe you write a little description of that non-product or service and then throw in a few “eye-catching” tidbits such as “This website is for informational purposes only. No solicitation or advertising will be done through this website.” That sort of thing. Just a thought. Okay, we’ve discussed writing headlines, subheads and descriptions. What’s left? Actually, a lot. There are many other things you can do to make your website more effective. Here are just a few: Use bullets. Use graphics. Put your website address in at the top of every page (in blue). Make your pages readable. Use white space. Short paragraphs. Simple English. Use tables sensibly. Don’t use them for decoration. That is, unless you are using them to help your visitor understand something that is not easily comprehended in plain English. Use clear, concise language. Don’t be cute. If you have to ask yourself if something is easily understood, then it probably isn’t. Use bold and italics sparingly. If you must use them, then use them to emphasize words or phrases that are particularly crucial for your reader to understand.
DON’T be afraid of white space. Use it intelligently. If you are writing copy for the web, you are probably dealing with a short attention span audience. Be aware of this and use white space intelligently. If you use a table for decoration, your reader won’t see the point in reading the rest of the page until he is finished with the table. So don’t use it for decoration. Use it to help your reader understand something that is not easily comprehended in plain English. You know, there’s an awful lot more you can do to make your website more effective. But, I’m going to stop here. If I keep talking about this stuff, I’ll spend all week trying to cover everything. And we haven’t even gotten to the important stuff yet. Like writing copy for your website which will bring us right back to… The First Big Headline Of Your Ad! Remember when I said I was going to make a big deal out of this? I did and I don’t mean to stop now. Making a big deal out of even the smallest things helps focus your attention and makes it easier for you to remember the details. So anyway, let’s review: Writing effective headlines is an important ingredient in the success of any ad or sales pitch. You want your headline to be…
- Short – two or three lines at most
- Concise – say what you want to say in fewest words
- Specific – tell what you are selling
- Powerful – make your reader act NOW!
- Relevant – make sure it applies to your reader
- Clear – be as simple and direct as possible
- Interesting – don’t forget the “eye-catcher” effect
And lastly, don’t worry about being clever or sophisticated. You won’t get there with these techniques. Being clever or sophisticated will get you nowhere but headaches and confusion. Headaches and confusion are not tools for marketing success. So don’t try to be clever or sophisticated. Just keep plugging away until you can come up with a couple good headlines. Then write a short piece of copy that explains those headlines. Next, test this piece of copy to see if it will generate interest. If it does, then you’re on your way. If it doesn’t, then rewrite it until it does.
How Long Should My Headlines Be?
You should strive for headlines that are 60 characters or less. Studies show that people read headlines very quickly. If you have a headline that is too long, your reader will mentally shorten it to a length that is more comfortable for him. This will usually be around 30-characters. If your headline is too short, your reader will mentally extend it to something he can understand. This will usually be something like “How To Lose Weight Without Starving”.
Why Investing in Website Content is a Smart Idea
Website content is a great way to increase the profitability of your website… without changing a word of your current sales pitches. You see, most website profits come from people who visit your website and then buy something. But, did you know website profits can also come from people who just visit your website? Here’s how it works: Let’s say you are selling a book and you have written a compelling sales pitch for your book. That sales pitch is posted on your website and it gets a lot of views. Then, one day you discover someone has posted a very short (and rather silly) comment on your website. This comment is making the rounds on various websites and, before long, it has been viewed by hundreds or even thousands of people. What happens next is, those people who read that silly comment decide they need your book after all. They go to your website and read your sales pitch. And, because of that silly comment, they are more likely to buy your book. In fact, they are so influenced by that silly comment, they are more likely to buy whatever you are selling… without even having seen your website or your sales pitch.
How Much Website Content do my Customers Need?
When a customer visits your website, he doesn’t want to just read about your product or service. No. He wants to be fascinated. He wants to be enthralled. He wants to be riveted to your site.
The goal of every website is to capture an audience. But, that audience should be captured through all 5 senses. If your customer can’t smell your roses, taste your chocolate chip cookies, feel your velvet touch on his skin, see your pretty pictures or hear your soothing voice, he will simply ignore your site and move on to another. Don’t worry about making your site “commercial” or “sales-y”. We’ve evolved past that stage of marketing. We’re living in a “greed-filled” society where people are only interested in getting as much as they can get and get it right now.
Who is Your Target Audience?
Your target audience is EVERYONE! Yes, even me. You want to sell to everyone but, there are certain groups you would like to reach out to first because those people are more responsive to your sales pitch. For example, if you are selling information on how to invest money, your initial sales pitch should be made to people who have a lot of money. On the other hand, if your product or service is something which would be of interest to people with less money, you should start with those people. What groups are more likely to buy your product or hire your service? Well, that really depends on what you are selling. If you are selling information, it will probably be people with a college education. If you are selling a book on how to lose weight, you should initially try to sell to women. If you are selling a software package for inventors, you should target men. If you are selling a service to help people with their taxes, you should target high income people. And so on. But, always remember… EVERYONE IS INTERESTED IN SOMETHING!
Website Content Conclusion
If you are creating an online store or if you have an established website, you need to be sure every square inch of the site contains compelling and useful information.
Keep it current! Make sure every page has a headline (H1 tag & only one H1 per page), subhead (H2 tag), body copy (between the H2 tags), and, a call to action (CTA).
People do not buy from websites. People buy from people. If you want your website to make sales, you must provide extremely high quality personal service via your website.
Your website should be a place on the web where people can go to get an immediate sense of who you are, what you stand for and how you can help them. All other elements of a successful website (including sales messages) should be secondary.
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