One of the biggest let downs on a website design and development project is so often the content.
Planning and organising content for a website is a mammoth task, which is too often overlooked. Companies spend hours deliberating over what they want to look like to impress, but they forget about the simple need to communicate effectively to their customers.
If you too are struggling to write your website content here are 5 simple key pointers to get you on your way.
1. You need a strong title and connected visuals
The quantity of social media we digest daily has resulted in ‘scrolling blindness’.
You need to capture, inspire and explain you message by using clear titles and enticing imagery. But beware, a striking but random image will only confuse. You need to use words and imagery in harmony.
2. What does the customer want to know?
There is no one worse than that person at a party who only talks about themselves.
Do your customers really care about the amount of effort you have put in? No. They need something and they want to know how your product or service will help them.
3. Be quick to get to the point
Brevity probably should be number one. People’s perception is that their time is in short supply, so don’t waste it and get to the point.
If you have a lot to say, why not layer the information throughout the site. A good tip is to make a flow chart, labelling the message you want to communicate on each section or page. But remember to do this from your audience’s point of view. Help them understand quickly and they will thank you for it.
4. Forget school, write in towers
We all learn to write on a piece of A4 paper at school but how many people do you see reading A4 paper now? Content is read on phones and by scrolling, so think about that. Smaller paragraphs to avoid huge vertical towers of text is a good start.
5. Match your brand
If you have a serious brand, write seriously. If you want to be perceived as an expert, write accordingly with knowledgeable facts and hard-earned information or wisdom. If you want to be seen as error prone and lazy include poor grammar and spelling mistakes!