Website Content

Although it is important to focus on things such as the design of your website, the products you sell, etc. nothing is more important then the actual information that is presented on your website. If you don’t include pertinent information you will see very little traffic to your website. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when managing and updating the content on your website:

  • Know your audience: How many websites have you encountered that did not clearly state what their purpose is? If you’re a potential purchaser of their product or services they just lost you as a possible customer. It is very important to explain your services and/or products in clear and concise terms. Using industry and technical jargon is not going to win over a potential customer if they don’t understand what you’re talking about. On the other end of the spectrum you want to sound professional. Make sure you use a spell checker and have someone that’s not affiliated with you industry read your content to make sure it’s understandable prior to posting the content on your website. When possible, run the content by a professional copywriter.

  • Keep it simple: A potential customer isn’t going to read through pages of content to find out if you offer something that is useful to them. Keep your paragraphs short, no more then 4-6 sentences, and make sure that you are explaining a service or product in each paragraph. In most cases it’s actually more effective to devote a page to each service you offer instead of cramming all of your service or product offerings into one page. The only time offering all of your services or products on one page is effective is when they are presented in a comparison format which can be very helpful for a potential customer trying to narrow down what service or product is right for them.

  • Font: You can’t assume that your target audience’s computers will have every font imaginable so the best way to ensure that your content is readable is to use one of the most commonly used fonts which is typically Arial or Veranda. Be sure to also size and color the font appropriately. Anywhere from 12-14 font size is acceptable. Making sure the color of the font doesn’t blend in to the background of your website is also important. Black and/or white text is typical for most websites especially if you have multi-colored backgrounds. Use other colors only if you are sure they contrast enough to be readable. Highlight certain keywords when appropriate with either bold or colored type but avoid going overboard with the text size and color.

  • Placement: Potential customers will only read so much of your website before they move on. Because of this it is important to place the most significant content at the top of the page. If their attention is grabbed by this information then they will continue reading. Using keywords as headlines to grab the reader’s attention is also effective.

  • Update: It is important to keep your content fresh. Even if the industry that you're part of tends to not change their processes, services, products, etc. frequently there are other areas that can be updated so that you stand out from the rest. Updating content every 2-3 weeks is recommended although you can update more frequently if it is warranted. Keep in mind that there are automation tools available that will help keep some of your content fresh without any intervention from you. Some examples of areas that can be updated either manually or via automation include:

    • Limited Time Offers
    • Events such as Trade Shows, Charitable Events & Customer Trainings
    • Industry News and Updates
    • Company News
    • New Products or Services
    • Articles Written by Someone in Your Organization

Sources:

http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/search-engine-optimisation/google-content.shtml
http://websitehelpers.com/design/
http://www.entheosweb.com/website_design/webdesign_tips.asp
http://www.web-designz.com/tips/content_tips.shtml