.jpg)
You've figured out how to get people to visit your website. But when they get there, engagement is low. Before long, they leave resulting in a bounce rate that's, frankly, embarrassing.
They're simply not taking the action you would like them to take.
So, what's wrong? After all, your site looks great and all the info they need is on there. What's not to like, right?
Well, it's likely due to the content (and copy).
Actually, let me correct that - it's all about the quality of the content and copy.
To write website content, follow this simple equation:
Quality, informative and inspirational content = people stay on your site and even come back for more after they've left.
Weak, dull content that lacks oomph and direction = people leave your site fast, never to return.
And that's the truth.
So, how can you write better and keep your visitors where you want and need them?
Here are 7 things you need to do to get your prospects to bite.
Whether you're writing to attract specific consumers or a company, often business owners or marketers forget that it's still a human reading the text on your site.
It's not a 'company' but an individual person. And that person has the same senses as you. They have feelings and emotion.
Sounding 'corporate' has its place, and certainly there are differences in writing for B2B than B2C in terms of the levers to pull, but even then, your copy needs to appeal to a human being.
However, what you say and how you express your copy is dependent on your target audience. Consider the following when researching it:
• Are they experts in their field?
• What are their interests?
• What's their age, gender and location?
• Is ethnicity of relevance?
• What is their marital status or income?
• Do you need to consider personalities, lifestyle and behaviours?
All these questions, and others, could be relevant to your research because they dictate how you approach and write your content and copy.
I've spoken several times on this blog about the importance of understanding your audience, such as when I discussed about "Avoiding marketing mistakes" and "what to consider when starting your business". And that's because it's just so important to get your marketing, content and copy all pulling in the same, and right, direction.
Selling to the wrong person results in no sales.
Take some time to investigate your competition. Understand what they're providing and how they're selling their competing product or service.
With your objective mindset, would you buy from them?
Now think about how you could do better.
• What are they saying that's good?
• What’s not so great?
• How can you differentiate yourself from them?
• Can you spot some trends amongst your competition?
• What ranks highest when you search for your product keywords on Google? Do you notice specifics that are trending and ranking?
• Is it even possible to rank considering the results and keywords you put in? If not, think about how you could adjust your content or copy or even structure, to find a different angle that gets you more attention.
The answers to all these questions are hugely important when attempting to understand where you stand relative to your peers.
Why are you writing what you're writing? What's its purpose?
To sell a product? Get new leads and clients? Get higher Google rankings to build traffic to your site and increase awareness of your brand?
What's the goal?
Don't say 'all of it'! And if this is true, then rank them in order of importance to you.
Once you've answered this question, you have a concrete reason and understanding of why you're doing this and be better positioned to achieve your goals.
Your prospects may land on your site through various routes - social media, search engines, email or links directing them to a certain page. They may not be familiar with your site or even your brand.
So don't forget to encourage them to find out more about you and your business within your content.
Ensure that the message you wish to project is consistent and coherent across your site. Put appropriate links throughout your content, helping them to find out more.
I see it all the time.
Websites stuffed with information, product features and even loads of reasons why their consumer should buy their product or sign up for their service.
All good stuff.
But then it stops. There's no direction. There's no guidance on what to do next.
What's the purpose of them coming to your site in the first place?
You need them to TAKE ACTION.
Do you want them to sign up to an online subscription, buy your product or reach out to you for a discovery call?
Make it clear and visible and prompt your reader to where you want them to go.
I'm not saying that you need every page on your site to be supercharged for SEO (search engine optimisation). And although knowing all the tricks in the SEO book isn't a bad thing, you don't need to incorporate them all to improve your Google rankings.
Simply put - don't ignore the power of Google!
Understanding the basics to optimise website content for your target audience is key. Focus on relevant keywords and ensure they're included in your titles and sub-heads. Also, don't ignore your meta-descriptions.
But it's additionally important to not overdo it. Stuffing your content with too many keywords can be detrimental to your ranking with search engines.
• Primary keywords should go in the H1 title.
• Put subsequent keywords in the sub-head and body text.
• Think about how you want each page of your site to appear on Google (meta descriptions).
• Put appropriate keywords in your links.
• Ensure your visual content is sharp and that the file size isn't too large as this can result in pages loading slowly. You don't want prospects clicking away before they read what you've got to say.
Take care of these basics and you'll be SEO sorted.
Your ideal client could be a super-clued up tech guru that leads a team of 25 people.
But it may be that he's told his PA, who's not a super-clued up tech guru, to find a product, just like yours, to help solve a problem.
Make your website accessible to everyone.
Get rid of the jargon. Not everyone is an expert like you. Only use acronyms if strictly necessary and if you do, spell them out.
Keep it as simple and understandable as possible, especially for those who aren't specialists.
Writing for your own website isn’t easy. There’s a lot to consider and this list is by no means exhaustive. But if you implement these seven above processes into your copy, the quality of your content and messaging will sharply improve.
Your website is not just a shop window. By putting in a bit more effort, you can ensure that it will work hard to convert your prospects whenever someone visits.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published.