Every website should have high-quality content, regardless of its purpose. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to drive conversion rates, or a mummy blogger attempting to boost your online presence, strong content is key to increasing search engine rankings and driving traffic. Yes, a beautifully designed website is important, but it’s no good if the content is lacking in freshness and clarity. Even Google favours content over visuals when it comes to determining search rankings.
We live in an age of information overload, and we’re more impatient than ever. You have about three seconds to hook visitors with your website content, so it pays to get it right. The good news is that writing quality content isn’t as difficult as it seems – here are 5 tips for getting it right. If you don’t have a way with words, you can always hire a web design expert, who can advise you on how to optimise your content for your intended audience.
Keep it simple
If you think the content on your website is simple, it’s probably not simple enough. Remember, your website should be designed so that users understand immediately what they are looking at and where they should click when they land on it. In other words, they shouldn’t have to think at all – it should be intuitive. Yes, the site architecture should take the reins with this, but your content has an important part to play, too.
Ensure the content is free from vague phrases which might cause confusion, and keep the message clear and simple. Another thing to remember is that you never know who may end up on your website, so it’s always best to cut out any fancy jargon and write your content in a way that is clear for everyone to understand.
Keep it short
This follows on from the previous point. If your content is too long and wordy, readers will simply get bored and move on. You’re not writing a novel – you’re writing for a website, in an overcrowded marketplace, where you have about three seconds to capture a user’s attention. There’s just no time for waffling.
Some websites may have sections, like blogs, where longer content is required. This isn’t damaging, as these pages are designed for people who want to obtain more detailed information, but keep in mind to make the information as digestible as possible. Make sure longer content is cut into smaller chunks, and add images to break it up.
Give examples
It doesn’t matter how beautiful your writing may be, telling visitors how fantastic you are just isn’t going to cut the mustard. For whatever message you are trying to communicate, make sure you back it up with measurable, real-life examples. Don’t be afraid to go into detail about how you’re better than your competitors. But remember, keep the language punchy and simple to avoid bogging users down.
Make it scannable
Remember the golden rule – website users scan. Websites are very much a browsing tool, and visitors may have to quickly scan several websites before they get the information they need.
The key thing to remember is to always put the most important content at the top – think of it as a word hierarchy. Break your text up into bullet points, even separating it into tables or boxes if you can. This helps the reader to easily find what they are looking for, which increases the chances of them staying on your website.
Turn heads with your headline
Your headline is the first thing to capture a reader’s attention, so it pays to make it catchy. If your headline is boring and bland, it’s likely no one will bother to read the content that follows it. If it’s jazzy and engaging, your reader is far more likely to be intrigued and read on.
To spark interest with your headline, the key is to use simple but powerful language. If you can, make your headline a call-to-action by using words like ‘click here’ or ‘get started’. This makes it super easy to convert visitors into buyers, as it makes it obvious which action they need to take next to access your products or services.
To sum up
Capturing a reader’s attention in a crowded digital space is a challenge to say the least. Creating concise, relevant, and high-quality content is absolutely essential to driving and retaining traffic on your website. If you put time, energy, and effort into writing great content, it’ll be well worth the investment.