Content is one of the most important aspects of any website. It is what search engines and people are looking for. It’s what drives visitors to your site and turns prospects into leads.

Take a look at these next must-haves for creating killer website content.

CLEAR, CONCISE MESSAGING IN HEADERS AND BODY COPY

There are four basic questions you need to ask yourself regarding the content of your website.

• Will people know what I do within seconds?
• Will they understand what page they’re on and what it’s about?
• Will they know what to do next?
• Why should they buy/subscribe/download from this site instead of from someone else?

Ideally, you want your visitors to know the answers to these questions. It should be readily apparent what your site is about, what they can do there and why they should take action. Consider the helpful tips on the next page for help delivering the right message.

• Create a few headlines and sub-headline ideas for your most important pages. To combat question #4 (why should I buy from you?) use a powerful value proposition and steer clear from generic clichés, gobbledygook terms, and corporate speak.
• Make sure to include clear calls-to-action and next steps. Include links in your body copy, next step links at the end of the copy, and calls-to-action wherever appropriate. Include a little direction and you’ll be glad you did.
• Test your copy. For the most accurate indication of a winning headline, use A/B testing to determine which variation drives the most conversions. You can use tools like HubSpot’s A/B Testing Tools, Google Analytics Content Experiments, or services like Five Second Test.

PERCEIVABLE VALUE

Not everyone is ready to buy when they first hit your site. And people don’t come there just to get a virtual sales pitch. Remember, it’s not all about you. What’s in it for them?

• Offer more than just product content. Provide eBooks, whitepapers, videos, and other forms of educational content. This will nurture prospects through your marketing and sales funnel until they are ready to buy.
• In product-specific content, write as if you are speaking directly to your audience. Use words like “you,” and “we.” Be transparent. Make yourself sound human. Speak their language.
• Write your product content as if you are helping them solve their problems. Avoid “we are the best” speak and instead use “this is how we help you….”

QUALITY CONTENT

Everyone knows having a lot of content is a good thing, but in the days where search engines are getting smarter and buyers are becoming more selective, quality content is truly king. Quality content is a definite must-have for any website.

• Offer unique content. People love this and so do search engines.
• Write for humans, not search engines. People don’t read like robots. Provide value through educational content that answers prospects’ questions.
• Do your research when paying for content that is written by third-party services to ensure the content will be up to snuff.
• Keep content fresh. Having news that’s two years old still sitting on your homepage won’t make a great impression. Search engines aren’t fans of outdated content either.
• Know your audience. Providing content that is specific to your buyers will keep them coming to you rather than your competitors.
• Include evidence when needed. If stating facts, numbers, awards, testimonials and etc., try to back it up with a source and give credit where credit is due.
• Know your subject well. You probably don’t want an auto mechanic writing about brain surgery. Accuracy contributes to quality.

(A LACK OF) CORPORATE JARGON

A business website should be professional, but you still want to avoid much dreaded corporate gobbledygook. What is gobbledygook you ask? Great question.

It’s business jargon that has been overused and abused, rendering it practically meaningless. It’s meant to add more emphasis of a particular subject, but instead just makes your eyes roll. So what words should you avoid?

Avoid these words on your website and in other materials whenever possible:

• Next generation
• Flexible
• Robust
• Scalable
• Easy to use
• Cutting-edge
• Ground-breaking
• Best of breed
• Mission critical
• And so on … I think I’ve put you through enough torture.

(A LACK OF) TRICKERY

For years, advertising has tricked us with catchy and creative headlines to capture our attention. Consumers have gotten smarter and grown tired of advertising trickery, clichés, and surreptitious methods of persuasion. Consumers know when they’re being lied to, gimmicked, or fooled.

If you focus your content on being clear, not clever, you will find that more people will place their trust in you.

A BLOG

Blogging is without a doubt one of the most important assets to any inbound marketing strategy, and it’s a perfect complement to your website. Here are some reasons why you really need a blog:

• It creates more, fresh content on your site, which is great for SEO.
• It helps establish you as an industry authority and thought leader.
• It helps drive more traffic and leads back to your website.
• It’s a great channel to converse and engage with your audience and customers.
• It’s a great way to get valuable inbound links!

Blogging isn’t as difficult as you think. There are plenty of blogging tools you can use to get started. I recommend checking out 100 Stats, Charts, and Graphs to Get Inbound Marketing Buy-In for more awesome blogging stats, getting your colleagues or boss on board using this downloadable training presentation, and getting started with these blog post templates.

SOCIAL SHARING BUTTONS OR WIDGETS

If the option to “Like,” tweet, or share a page, product, or blog post exists on your site, people are more likely to share that content to their friends and connections on their preferred social networks. The more your site content gets shared, the more traffic you’re likely to get. Make it easy for people to share and socialize about your content and resources.

• Add a sharing widget or plugin to pages containing share-worthy content on your site. Tools like AddThis or ShareThis are easy to install and provide you with analytic tracking as well.
• If you’re on a blogging platform like WordPress, use a plugin to enable people to share your articles and auto-publish content to your social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

MULTIPLE TYPES OF CONTENT

Content is more than just the written word. Audiovisual content and images are other excellent forms of content that can turn a text-heavy site into something that pleases the viewing preferences of multiple audiences.

• Content takes place in the form of:
• Imagery (including infographics)
• Video
• Audio
• Online utility tools (e.g. HubSpot’s Marketing Grader or Blog Topic Generator)
• Games
• You name it!

Try using many different forms of content. It will help create a content-rich experience.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS, REVIEWS, OR CASE STUDIES

No matter what you’re selling, potential buyers like to see confirmation that you’ve made other customers happy. Testimonials, customer reviews, and case studies are powerful tools for moving prospects closer to the final buying stage.

• Provide authentic customer stories and don’t hide these behind a form!
• Place real, short, and powerful testimonials on your site. Tips to maximize testimonials: o Include real names and titles and use pictures of the person along with their testimonial to add authenticity. o Instead of randomly placing testimonials on any page, place them on the most applicable pages. For example, if you have one for your convenient return policy, place that on a shopping cart or pricing page.
• The more proof you have, the better. Make it part of your strategy to collect case studies and testimonials when possible.
• Leverage other online sites that provide reviews, such as Yelp (for local businesses), or industry specific directories like G2Crowd (for software providers).

If you need help with your website contact us on 02 8011 3737 or email hello@chevrontechnologies.com.au and setup a time to connect you with technology today. We are your local Website Support and Website Development business in the Campbelltown & Macarthur region.

 

Some information from:

http://www.hubspot.com