Jessica Bents, owner of PB+J Web Design shared her expertise on great web content during Digital Transformation’s recent ‘How to buy a website’ event.

Using examples of good and bad web content as part of her lightning talk, Jessica demonstrated how much of a difference using the right website content can make to your web presence. She explains:

Having engaging and impactful content and copy on your website is fundamental to engaging the right audience in the right way. Spending time and (potentially) some investment in great copywriting and photography is time and money well spent.

What does good website content look like, and do you have examples of bad website content?

Good website content is engaging and impactful. It uses strong, persuasive copywriting to connect with the right audience. It also has high-quality visuals that capture the reader’s attention. The thing to remember is that the writing style that works for one website could be completely wrong for another, so it is so important to know your audience and what they are likely to connect with.

Examples of bad website content can be different for every website. It can include dull, uninspired writing, poorly written copy, and visuals that are low quality or unprofessional. It can also be copy that focusses far too heavily on jargon that the reader doesn’t understand. These types of content will not engage or capture the reader’s attention, which will negatively affect your audience’s overall impression of your business.

How can I use website content to drive sales without being too ‘salesy’?

A great copywriter is one who ensures their copy sells to the web user, making it such an intuitive experience that it feels relevant to them and not a sales pitch.  The main thing here is to focus on the benefits of the product or service. For example, you can talk about how the product or service can improve your website visitor’s life in some way.

You can also highlight customer testimonials or case studies to show how others have benefited from using the product or service. This type of content will help to show the web-user that you are an authority in your field, and that they can trust you to provide a quality product or service.

How often should I update my website content?

It’s important to update your website content regularly to keep the reader’s attention. However, there is no set rule on how often this should be. It depends on your business and the type of content you are publishing. A good rule of thumb is to update your content at least once a month. This will help to keep the reader’s attention and ensure that they are seeing fresh, new web content every time they visit your website. A good way to achieve this can be to set up a website blog and publish new blog posts on a regular basis.

How important are CTAs (Call to action)?

CTAs (call to action) are important for guiding web-user to the next step in their journey. A well-written CTA will encourage your web-user to take the desired action, such as making a purchase or subscribing to your email list. There are many ways to write effective CTAs, but some tips to keep in mind include making the CTA stand out from the surrounding text, and ensuring it is relevant to the page it is being used on.

The way you would word a CTA will differ depending on your audience. For some situations, the direct approach of “Sign-Up Now”, “Buy Now” or “Join Today” can be incredibly impactful.

In others, it can be beneficial to get a little more conversational with your audience, such as “Sound too good to be true? Find out more”, “I need help” or “Want us to take care of it? Book Now”

What are your recommended website content tools?

New online tools like Canva are fantastic to help get you started and polish up your content.

Tools like Remove.bg can be really effective for removing backgrounds from your images.

In terms of copy text, there is no tool out there that can rival the abilities of a professional copywriter to really get the message and tone of voice right for your audience and maximise the potential of your website.

Equally, if budgets really are too tight, or perhaps as a supplement to your main site’s wording, Jasper.ai is a great artificial intelligence copywriter that can help provide you with a solid framework for your writing.

If you want to outsource copywriting, where would you start? (With small vs. large budgets in mind)

The first thing I would suggest doing would be to ask your web designer if they have a preferred copywriter. Chances are that if your web designer is within your budget, anyone they suggest is likely to be too. This will also give you the confidence to know that the two professionals will be able to work together to provide a website with content and structure that complements each other, flows beautifully and guides your audience on their journey to you want.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a web designer, I would start by asking around within any communities that you are a part of. Either the Digital Transformation Team at Unlocking Potential, or perhaps any other peer networks that you have access to – they are likely to have some recommendations for you.

Then in advance of your initial chat with your new copywriter, have a think about your audience, your end goal, and the process your webs-user might need to take to get them to that end goal. And don’t worry if you don’t have the answers – a good copywriter will know all of the right questions to ask you to help you find them!

Check out more resources and stories on our blog.

If you’re looking for ways you can use digital tools to improve your business’s competitive edge or to hit long term goals – get in touch with the Digital Transformation Team – telling us about your business.