A primary element of your website is content, and it can be among the most important tools in helping you achieve your company’s marketing objectives. Website content is crucial in attracting potential clients as people will come to your website for information. Bear in mind that any redesign or improvements to your current site must have a solid content strategy in place. A content strategy will direct your plans for creating content, including what, where, and when. Since people visit your website to read your content, always keep this in mind when doing any redesign. Consider what is most important to them; after all, they are the intended audience for your content. Here are some pointers for creating a solid, client-focused strategy for your website content.
Determine your unique value proposition.
Your company’s website should answer the why and how questions, describing how your services and processes add value to your clients. All these issues should be given attention through your value proposition. It must be distinct from other organizations in the industry for it to be noticeable from the competition. Your value proposition will serve as the foundation for the content that you will create. Your one-of-a-kind value proposition should be prominently displayed on your website and woven throughout your content. It is critical to the success of your site that your content is targeted and relevant to the people you want to reach.
Run a content audit on your website
Look into your content and see what you already have and find if there are any gaps that you need to fill before making new content. There might be some content that should be rewritten. Or there are types of content that are doing well and may not need much attention. You must record all of the current content and then determine what to keep, what to let go of, and what needs to be refreshed. By carefully reviewing your content you will be able to have a better idea of how much new content you need to write and where to begin.
Each of your personas should be targeted.
Before you begin creating content, make certain that you have a thorough understanding of your target audience, their needs, and their language. That is why creating a buyer persona is a good place to start. Avoid the usual practice of companies who frequently create website content formed on what they want to say instead of what their target audience wants to read. When creating content for your website, keep your various audiences in mind. Always consider what is most important to them. Buyer personas can help you visualize the type of people you’re trying to reach and gain a better understanding of buyer behavior. Identifying your buyer persona must be based on market research and the actual data must be about your existing clients. This will aid you in understanding and relating to an audience you want to market your products and services. Once you are able to identify your key buyer personas, you will be able to design content that will meet that individual’s requirements that is suited for his or her needs, interests, and objectives. Remember to address their concerns, educate them on industry issues, and alleviate their pain points. Moreover, you should create website content not only for clients but also for potential employees, business partners, the media, and others. Keep in mind that you have multiple audiences, and your website should cater to each of them.
The client lifecycle should be mapped to the content.
Visitors and potential new customers should be guided down the sales funnel by your content. Your content must address the various concerns of your prospective clients from awareness to purchase including advocacy. A blog, for example, is an effective tool in creating and increasing awareness, educating, and responding to general queries about your services or your firm. You can use a testimonial for a prospect who is evaluating your firm to show how successful you are in your work for your clients.
Include the essential information
Focus your content on your customers. Give them what they came here for, make sure that each item of content on your website has a particular purpose and target audience. Go straight to the specifics, educate them about industry trends and all questions about your firm, process, products, and services. Audiences such as job seekers will be interested in a Careers section that includes information about your company’s culture.
Some of the content essentials to enter on your website includes services or capabilities information, premium content such as eBooks and white papers, case studies, a blog, portfolio, client testimonials, team and employee spotlights, FAQs, videos that can feature company culture, process, up-to-date job postings, captivating “about” page, and many more. All these content essentials must be up to date and exceptional.
Create enticing web copy.
Make a concerted effort to write copy that informs, educates, and guides your target audience. The length of your copy is determined by the purpose of the page and your overall message. As a good rule of thumb for SEO purposes, a minimum of three hundred words is satisfactory. However, your primary focus should be on quality rather than quantity. Share information that is interesting and relevant to your target audience. Statistics, research, and quotes are powerful ways to add substance to your copy, and it’s critical to spend time locating high-quality images and graphics. Proofread thoroughly, as misspellings and punctuation errors can derail compelling copy and create a negative first impression.
Use the proper language.
When writing your content, speak the same language as your audience. Use language that your audience will understand instead of industry jargon. You can use technical language in your content if your audience is more technical. Otherwise, use simpler language that will appeal to your audience while also demonstrating your knowledge of and familiarity with their industry. Aside from blog articles and other thought leadership content, the content on your website should be less formal and more conversational. Write in such a way that your prospect or client will feel as if you are directing your message to him or her personally. Remember that your content should be about your current and prospective clients and how you can help them.
Make a content calendar.
Set Content Objectives. What is the purpose of your content? Do you want to use it to establish your company as an expert in your field, sell products, educate visitors, and build a relationship and connection with them? Which keywords or keyword phrases to use in order to drive the most traffic to your website? What kind of tone do you want your content to have? Is it educational, humorous, first-person, or in the third-person? Beginning the project with a clear vision of your desired destination will make sure that your content is concentrated on driving the right results. Once you’ve determined the type of content you require, it’s critical to organize it and create a strategic plan to ensure that everything gets done. Choose whether to begin with a specific persona, an industry, or a stage of the client lifecycle. This includes the topics you’ll cover, the frequency with which you’ll publish, and the date with which you’ll publish it. After these, you can now make a schedule or timetable to follow. It may be a good idea to plan out one quarter of the year at a time.
Assign the appropriate people.
Creating a process for writing content is a component of a content schedule. Individuals within your organization must be designated as content contributors. Scrutinize all the topics you aim to cover and pick out the people within your organization who are known to be leaders in those areas. You can hire technical experts to assist you in writing content with the help of executive leadership. If your company lacks the necessary resources, hire a dependable agency or freelance copywriter who adheres to deadlines. There will be accountability and consistency with your publishing if you clearly define who is responsible for your firm’s content.
It is advisable to seek the assistance of a professional copywriter. Professional copywriters understand how to make content come to life and jump off the page. Working with a professional copywriter can help your content stand out from the crowd, speak directly to your target audience, and be properly optimized for search engines.
Performance should be tracked and measured.
The key to creating an effective web content strategy is to keep your target audiences in mind. This requires evaluating and following the performance of all of your content on a continuous basis. Inspect which pieces are being shared and which pages are getting the most views and which are getting low views or even totally ignored. Moreover, how long are visitors spending on each page? This will help you in determining where you are resonating with your audiences, delivering valuable content and where changes are needed if there are any. Maintain the freshness and relevance of your website by developing a strategy for creating new content in the future.
These days, where quality content drives search engine rankings and prospect delivery, having a well-founded website content strategy is crucial. Your content will help in the discovery of your website and the quality and relevance will keep visitors on your site and guide them through it. Try to follow all these steps, you will be well on your way to developing successful website content that will drive traffic and bring about real growth for your business.
A website’s content can make or break it. It’s that critical. The quality of a website’s content determines the site’s success or failure, as well as visitors’ desire to do business with your company. For more information on how to create content and more to improve your website redesign process click here.
