10 Do’s and Don’t Of Great Website Content
Engaging, informative content is the cornerstone of any business website. When done right, it can drive leads and conversions like crazy to directly impact your bottom line. This is because the right content appeals to both your site users and the search engines ranking your pages.
However, if content writing is something you’ve never tackled, it can seem a little intimidating. Here we’ve compiled some tried and true techniques for creating stellar articles to get organic traffic to your website so you can reap the subsequent rewards.
Don’t
Copy Content From Other Sites
No matter how well written or relevant, it should go without saying that any form of plagiarism is a big no-no. This includes taking information and simply moving around the words and sentences a bit. Search engines crack down hard on duplicated and copied content. Many of their major algorithms are explicitly designed to quickly identify and penalize guilty parties, sometimes by removing them from the SERPs altogether.
Use Overly Complicated Language
The exact tone of your writing should be tailored to your audience, and the jargon you use will reflect that. However, you’ll be hard-pushed to find anybody willing to struggle through truly tough text. If your articles are full of run-on sentences and words your average person needs to look up, your audience will lose interest fast. Readable and straightforward is your best bet for appealing to all your site users.
Write In Walls of Text
Being faced with vast chunks of text is guaranteed to quickly turn off potential customers. Nothing is more intimidating than a paragraph that goes on and on…even when the content itself is useful. Enhance your site user’s reading experience by breaking ideas down into more manageable chunks. Better yet, make effective use of subheadings to both guide people right to the information they are after and make complex content more digestible to read.
Crank Out Short Articles
Experts advise not to get too hung up on word count for SEO. Some topics require more explanation and others less. That being said, shorter articles (say 300 words or less) have traditionally tended to rank considerably lower than ones of 1,000 words or more. So while brevity is your friend in most things to do with content (certainly when it comes to paragraphs, at least), you might want to rethink this when considering article length.
Make Your Language Too Salesy
While the aim of your content is obviously to boost sales, articles that are hyper-focused on conversions will turn your readers right off. Instead, earn their trust by creating content that supports and entertains them. This is far more likely to build you a loyal client base. That being said, if reading does turn to buying, a creative call to action acts as a bridge between the content and conversion. It signals customers to get to where they want to be — and where you need them to be — to convert.
Do
Gain a Deep Understanding Of Your Audience
Most people visit your website because they are actively looking for something. While you might hope they have buying in mind, the truth of the matter is, often, they are looking for a little guidance first. The trick with your content writing is anticipating the information that will push potential customers to the next step. By addressing the questions and/or concerns that got there in the first place, you’ll be doing precisely this.
Keep Content Sharp & Snappy
Let’s face it — no one wants to have to wade through oodles of slightly relevant information to get to the good stuff. Too many background details that hide key details, even if they seem on topic, will quickly make you lose your audience. Instead, focus on giving the answers your reader is looking for, clearly and precisely. Then ruthlessly eliminate all the rest of the writing, regardless of how entertaining or well-written you consider it to be.
Add A Little Personality
Modern readers have incredibly short attention spans. Holding their focus is the true test of good website writing. Most businesses benefit from a more chatty, casual, and even witty tone that, above all, their audience can relate to. Content written in this style is more compelling and more likely to keep readers engaged for longer. Once you have your brand voice, keep your writing consistent to strengthen your consumer relationships and build brand loyalty.
Know Your Stuff
It goes without saying that industry-relevant details included in your content will come easily to you. After all, you’re the expert and bound to be nicely clued into the specifics of your industry domain. That being said, a little extra research and some fact-checking will pay dividends when it comes to topics you’re less sure about. Misinformation can hurt your brand. Linking to research, infographics, and other authoritative websites will show you’re really on top of things and help present you as a leader in your industry and product category.
Proofread Before Publishing
Even the most proficient writers make mistakes — to err is human and all that, after all. However, content riddled with spelling and grammar errors will not speak well to your credibility or business. The same goes for sloppy writing and disorganized paragraphs. Reading back your content with an editorial eye will go a long way towards addressing some of the more glaring errors. For subtler ones, there are plenty of excellent online sites that can help clue you into lapses in tone, grammar or punctuation.
If, after reading our pointers, you’re still not sure you’re cut out for content writing and would prefer to place it in the hands of a professional, get in touch! Firon Marketing can help you define your brand voice and develop impactful SEO-rich content that matters the most for your target customers.
