Don't Neglect Your Web Site's Content

With the Internet being such a visual medium, it’s easy to understand why there is such a premium put on eye-catching, graphic design. Companies want their Web sites to be visually appealing. They want to make a great initial impression and draw visitors into the site.

When you think about it, it’s not all that different than dressing up for a first date. You take a little time to think about what you’re going to wear, and a little extra time to get ready. You want everything to be just right. You want to make an impression right off the bat. But of course, sooner or later, maybe over dinner, perhaps, or a drink, you’re going to get beyond the appearances and have a real conversation. And this is where you really begin to find out about the other person, and they begin to find out about you.

The problem with a lot of Web sites is that we’re left at the “appearances” stage. We try to navigate through the site, just like we might ask pertinent questions on a first date, but often come up empty. It’s a common problem. Companies become so focused on the design elements of their site that they neglect the actual content. Eventually, even the most mesmerized visitor is going to want to actually read about the company to learn more about it.

For a Web site to be successful, a business should spend as much effort on making sure their content is effective as they spend on making sure their design is. Web sites, like any piece of visual marketing (e.g. brochures, postcards, etc.) have two components that are equal in value – design and content; consequently, both should be considered equally.

For content to be effective, one needs to keep two major concerns in mind. First, the audience. Who is going to actually be reading the verbiage on the site? Who will be the typical visitor? Are these first-time visitors finding you on a search, basically out of the blue, who know absolutely nothing about your company? Or are they people already familiar with you who might be navigating to the site because of some promotion you’re advertising elsewhere? Are they current customers, potential customers, vendors, distributors, or all of the above? Giving a little thought to who will be reading your material will allow you to better focus the content. One needs to empathize with the reader, try to see things through his or her eyes to best determine what information needs to be there and, just as important, what information doesn’t need to be there.

The second concern is what you want the visitor to do. With any piece of writing, one needs to have a goal in mind. What is the purpose of the content? Is it to effect a sale? To get the visitor to navigate to a “contact” page where they can submit a form? To get them to want to pick up the phone and call you? Or maybe it’s merely to give them an introduction to your company, or educate them on your products or services. Whatever the reason, every single word needs to be written with that goal in mind. How are you going to get your visitor to respond the way you want them to? That’s the question.

With these considerations in mind, it’s time to actually put the words together that your Web visitors will be reading. This is a task not fit to be left to chance. Even companies that seem to understand the importance of the content of the site will often skimp when it comes to the actual writing of it, sometimes having an employee, unskilled in the art of wordsmithing, to cobble together the verbiage. And, often, it shows. Grammatical mistakes, misspellings, awkward phrasing, sentences that go nowhere – these can all routinely be found on Web sites that are otherwise very professionally done.

If you don’t have a decent writer on staff, seriously consider hiring a freelance copywriter. These are people who are skilled in getting your message across. It’s what they do, and it’s worth the extra money. Your site might look beautiful. But don’t stop there. After all, if you’re going to spend the effort to make that first great impression, make sure you spend a little effort to make certain the second and third impressions are great as well.

Copyright 2009, Jerry Payne.