WEBSITE CONTENT

Your business goals along with your website objectives drive the process of content creation.

10 RULES TO CREATE CONTENT FOR THE WEB:

Quality Content =  Utility X Inspiration X Empathy – Ann Handley, Everybody Writes

1. The Content should be written with 1 person in mind as though you’re speaking to that one individual who fits your ideal customer profile.
2. Organize the content with the main point at the top. Keep the sentences short and limit your paragraphs to 4-5 sentences. Place the most important words at the beginning of each sentence. Use headlines, bullet points, and subtext to break the content into readable chunks.
3. Write with the reader in mind. Don’t be self-indulgent as this is a very easy trap to fall into especially for your products and services.
4. Remove the bloat. Trim the unnecessary words that act as fillers. Convey your message clearly with as few words as possible. Brevity and clarity are a great combination.
5. Don’t commission the content writer to begin work before getting a sign-off on the outline. Set clear expectations at the beginning with regards to the number of iterations. This will save you time and cost. Seek approval and not opinions from the management. (This applies to design as well).
6. Avoid corporate lingo, buzzwords, and complex sentences. You’re not writing a novel to win the Pulitzer.
7. Have a voice and tone that is consistent throughout the website. It should be based on the type of industry and target audience you are speaking to. It also helps to have a strong opinion. Brand voice is the expression of your company’s personality and point of view.
8. Write headlines that arouses curiosity and place your reader directly in it. Use numbers and lively words
9. Content for landing pages should be optimized to match the message with your delivery promise. Use trust indicators and social proof. Avoid too much information on this page.
10. Start a blog and invest in content marketing.

Content is the medium to communicate with people who might use your products or services.

TIP: Working with a copywriter can be a little tricky, don’t make decisions on the amount of content that is being provided. However, judge how well you will be able to improve your conversion rates on your website with less amount of content.

CONTENT AUDIT

A content audit is a process of evaluating content elements and information assets on some part or all of the website.

Content auditing can be done for the following reasons:

1. To improve your information architecture

2.Any opportunity to revamp your content

3. Figure out any content gaps

4. Keep track of how much content you already have

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