Ready to embrace all that content marketing has to offer? You’ve got to take a look at your web copy first. All the blog posts and clever social media updates won’t matter if your website content is leaving visitors wondering what they do next.
Websites fail for a number of different reasons – bad design, broken links, poor navigation structure – but if all of those elements are in place and you’re still seeing bounce rates through the roof, it’s time to focus on your content.
Here are a few ways your website content is missing the mark and what to do about it:
Content strategy? We don’t need no stinking content strategy!
Before even a single word goes on your site – you need to figure out where you’re headed. Establishing a content strategy and understanding why you want visitors on your site and what you want them to do there is essential. Content strategy is more than just coming up with some blog posts and page titles. It’s the thinking that goes behind your content, your conversion actions and even your design choices. No content strategy – no purpose – no website success.
It’s not too late! By taking a look at your ideal clients, considering the keywords that are important to your audience and creating something that really speaks to their needs and answers their questions.
Welcome to our site where we talk like robots – instead of humans.
Your website has a voice. Whether you like it or not, it speaks in a distinct voice and from a specific point of view. Both of these seem to be missing from some business websites. They focus more on getting their point across in a totally politically correct and corporate-tized way than speaking to real humans. It doesn’t matter if you’re a B2B company – you’re selling to humans. You need to speak like one. Get to know your buyers and find out what they are like. Speak like them. Have a specific point of view. Say something with your website content.
Want a quick way to tell if your web copy is too robotic? Try reading it out loud. You’ll be able to catch the stiff language and awkward phrasing.
We want people to buy – or call – or sign up – whatever they want to do, we’ll take it.
There’s a time and a place to offer options, and your website content isn’t necessarily one of them. You need to focus on the action that you want your reader to take at the end of that page. Don’t rely on your visitors to make the assumption that they need to click on your contact form or visit your store once they’ve read your web copy. Make it easy for them by narrowing their decisions and showing them how to do it.
It’s not that website visitors are stupid – they are just busy. They want to be shown where to click, what to fill out and how to proceed to take the next step. Use a call to action at the end of every page and limit the options. Even though a visitor could technically call, email or fill out the contact form in order to take the next step, pick one. Then design your website content around that choice.
What about you?
Have you made any changes to your website content and noticed a difference? I’d love to read your best tips for making website content work.