Despite popular belief, your website’s design isn’t the most important factor. According to recent statistics content creation is a top priority for 80% of marketers. Although visual appeal certainly affects your clients’ first impression, it is the words that sell. This applies to most industries, even those with a strong reliance on pretty pictures (like some e-commerce), but it is especially true for service-based businesses.
To build a successful website that drives results, you should know what to say on the page and which images to use. In this article, let’s explore how to create effective website content that works.
What is website content and why does it matter?
To better understand what makes quality content, let’s start with the basics. Website content includes all the text, images, videos, and audio on your website.
Your website’s content can be compared to the appliances and furnishings in your house.In other words, it’s what makes the house comfortable, functional, and a delight to live in or visit.
Types of website content:
Websites usually have two types of text content – headlines and body text. Headlines are the most visible pieces of content on your website and should provide crucial information about your product. The body text is generally the best place to elaborate on a headline since it’s not read by every visitor. In addition to providing context, body text also answers questions that may arise.
Images and graphics
Remember the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”? It is still true in the digital world. An image can help us express emotions that are difficult to put into words, and a good graphic can easily convey complex information.
Images and graphics are also helpful for lasting impressions. People remember only 20% of what they read, but 80% of what they see and do.
Other media
Audio, video and animation are powerful ways to enhance your website. Many people prefer watching videos over reading words, so adding a video to your text is a great way to supplement it.
If you have a high-quality video of your product you can even use it as a homepage header. Just remember to silence videos by default to show respect toward your visitors.
Animations go in and out of fashion. They can make your website more interesting and interactive, however, don’t overdo:)
Now, let’s see how you can make your website content more effective.
How to create effective website content that works
While professional copywriting is the domain of experts, you can certainly improve your website quality by learning some basic rules. It will also help you to find a right copywriter, if you decide to hire one for creating your website content.
1. Know your audience and write for it
The first step to creating effective website content is to understand your target audience. Who are you trying to reach, and what problems are you trying to solve for them? Identifying your audience’s interests and pain points and addressing them in your content increases your chances of future sales.
If you sell air purifiers, you should talk about the advantages of clean air and living free of dust and allergies, not about your innovative filter system. Same for service-based businesses. Carpet cleaning is not really about clean carpets it’s about how these carpets make your clients feel.
2. Position yourself as an expert guide
This is what Donald Miller talks about in his StoryBrand strategy approach. Being a trusted guide, an expert that can help solve problems and achieve goals is the position you want to be in when it comes to your marketing.
The website is not a place to celebrate your business. It is a place to show how you can help your visitors solve their problems. Your ability and desire to help your clients should be the focus of a home page, and every headline on your site.
3. Keep it concise and simple
When it comes to website content, less is often more. Visitors don’t want to wade through pages of dense text to find the information they’re looking for. Instead of writing long paragraphs of text, focus on creating clear, concise content that gets your message across quickly and effectively. Read more about how clear website message can help your site convert here.
4. Make it scannable
This one is sometimes not easy to achieve but is absolutely crucial. Don’t use confusing or complex language, unless your audience knows those words too. Stuffy, fluffy language is not helpful, but confusing.
Most website visitors don’t read every word on a page. Instead, they scan the content looking for the information they need. Research shows that people read content in an f-pattern, meaning 2 things:
- First lines of text on a page receive more attention than subsequent lines
- First few words on the left of each line receive more attention
To make your content more scannable, use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and other formatting techniques to break up your text and make it easier to read.
5. Pick your style
As you write, make sure to stick to first or third-person (aka “I help you” and “she helps you”). And if you’re a one-person show, decide between singular or plural (aka “I help you” and “we help you”).
6. Use headlines wisely
To pique visitors’ curiosity, you can put the most relevant, catchy information in your website’s headlines as they stand out the most.
A good tip for writing headlines is to make sure that if your visitor reads only the headlines, he still gets the point. It’s almost like a short version of your website is concentrated in this succession of headlines on your website page. It’s what people do online – they don’t read whole paragraphs, but rather scan them, so why not make it easier for them?
7. Use relatable visuals and interactive elements
Visual content can be a powerful tool for capturing visitors’ attention and conveying information effectively. Consider using images, videos, infographics, and other visual elements to break up your text and make your content more appealing. Just remember that visuals should be directly related to your text and add meaning in addition to esthetics.
8. Edit! And edit again!
last but not least, before publishing your website content, take the time to edit it ruthlessly. Cut out any unnecessary words or phrases, check for spelling and grammar errors, and make sure your content is clear and concise. A little editing can go a long way in improving the quality of your content!
Tools to help you create effective content:
Use AI for generating ideas
AI is a hot topic right now, and it’s no wonder! While at this moment AI is not enough to write effective content it can be invaluable for generating ideas and overcoming “blank page syndrome”.
Use gramma checker and paraphrase software.
There are many useful online editors out there that can help you write grammatically correct content. Some of them are free like the free version of Grammarly. Others also offer paraphrasing tools that help to write. We have a yearly subscription to Wordtune, and have never regretted it!
Read your competitors and colleagues.
This is an excellent source of information and inspiration for your content creation. However, we are not talking about stealing others’ content. Never take text or images from anywhere on the internet and paste them onto your website. Rather use it for ispiration and generating ideas.
Hire a knowledgable copywriter
We understand writing takes time and is not for everyone. That’s why we are here. Schedule a free 30 minute consultation now to discuss your website and content creation needs.
Improve your website content today!
Putting it simply: high-quality content is an intrinsic part of conversion-focused website. It attracts and engages visitors, establishes the business as an authority, and ultimately converts visitors into paying customers. Well-crafted website content can also help you with search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your business online and making your website more attractive to search engines. It is certainly worth investing time and money to create effective website content. if you are serious about your online presence and achieving your business goals through digital marketing.