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Website Content That Works
Visitors come to your website with a job to do. So you won’t be able to make the sale unless you show them that you understand their problems.
Every page needs to pull its weight – otherwise there is no point putting it on your website.
It takes effort to get a prospect to your website. If you let that person go without getting them to take some kind of action then you’ve wasted that effort.
Quick tips about writing online
- Keep things short – the fewer words, the better.
- Make sure your text is easy to scan by breaking it up with headings, bulleted lists, images and white space.
- Write simply.
- Always use your visitor’s language. This may mean different language for different pages.
- But, don’t forget to balance their goals with your goals.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the way you need to do business from now on. The buying process has changed – customers are doing more and more research on the internet. This is especially so in the B2B space (businesses doing business with other businesses).
Content Marketing is a three step process:
- Define your ideal client
- Teach that client what they need to know to help them buy from you
- Publish that content
Creating content for your ideal client
Remember to always put yourself in your client’s shoes. For example your client doesn’t want a picture hook to hang their new picture. They want a picture that hangs elegantly, evenly and safely on the wall.
So instead of creating content about your features, always focus on creating content about the benefits your client will receive.
A great tip when creating content from a list of features is to keep asking yourself “which means…”. Focus on writing content that comes after the words “which means” not the words that come before.
Matching content to the different phases of the buying cycle
Not all buyers who come to your site are at the same stage. But, whatever stage they’re at, your website needs to be teaching them something new:
Stage 1: Status quo/awareness – your website needs to be discovered, so you need to regularly create articles, blogs, guest posts on other sites, and involve yourself in social media
Stage 2: Research – no pressure on your visitors at this point – they’re not ready to buy yet, so you need to offer e-books, reports, guides (like this oneJ), webinars and interviews.
Stage 3: Evaluation – Feature/benefit lists and comparisons, TCO chart, checklists, buying guides, email series
Stage 4: Purchase – your website needs to overcome their fear of making a wrong decision, so you need to show them why they can trust you by displaying case studies, testimonials, guarantees and process maps.
Stage 5: Post-purchase – your website needs to prevent buyer’s remorse by continuing to provide information like training videos, welcome email series and even upsell pitches.
Home page (…that does more)
Remember to avoid talking too much about us – make it all about their problems. Include some testimonials on a rotator. Your goal is to move visitors deeper into your site. Have a Call-to-action – a Free Report signup form for example. Don’t say “Welcome to our website”!!!
About us (…that sells)
This page needs to inform the visitor why they should do business with you. So it’s not really About Us, it’s about You, the Prospective Customer. Make sure the headline promises the benefits – rather than shouting out the features. Detail the basics of what products and services you offer – but from their perspective. Achieve this by remembering to use the “which means” technique. Don’t forget a Call-to-action – for example a 7 part email series.
Services Page (…that seals the deal)
The Services page needs to reassure buyers about the benefits of your services – not a list of the features! You should consider writing multiple services pages for different client niches and emphasize a guarantee to help put cautious visitors at ease. Decide what you want to do about publishing your fees – and then go boldly! Don’t forget to have a Call-to-Action – perhaps a special offer for a service assessment.
Portfolio page (…that resonates)
The portfolio page is an opportunity to showcase the great work you’ve already performed for other clients. Use the introduction to tell your client’s story and write about the client benefits in the longer description area. Consider having different portfolio pages for different target markets. And, as always, don’t forget a Call-to-action – for example a case study.
Contact page (…that gets leads)
Like all the other pages, make this page work for you. Cover all the contact page basics – including a Call-to-action - but remember to restate your value proposition – what is it that makes you special, or unique? Consider adding some FAQs or some popular blogs. As a bonus (to you), when they fill in a web form, then on the Thank You page response, ask them to do something more like connectiing up with you via social media.
Summary
Preparing quality content for your website does not have to be the hardest part of developing a new website, though a lot of the time it is unless you follow a well-defined process with your web developer. This process should involve a document with lots of questions on it, and the better this initial document is answered, the less painful the content preparation process will be.
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