Four Ways to Improve Your Website’s Content
Refine your content strategy

In 1996, Bill Gates wrote the now-famed article: ‘Content is King’. In it, the tech entrepreneur suggests that the success of one’s website is determined primarily by the quality of content: “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet.”

Bill Gates didn’t become one of the world’s richest men by accident. Today, his shrewd prediction is widely accepted by industry leaders, recognising the role of content as a key component in attracting and retaining customers. An excellent website populated with poor copy is like living in a house with no furniture; sure, it might seem pretty, but looking beneath the surface will reveal that it’s actually quite awful. In this article, we’ll outline how you can refine your online content strategy in four simple steps.

Plan, Plan, Plan…

There are certain prerequisites that must be taken into consideration before starting your content plan: market research, customer personas and pain points. Conducting proper market research is the most critical stage, as it will lead to you finding out details for the two latter points. It would be wise to consider these things in the earliest stage of a newly commissioned job, giving you time to form a solid foundation for what you’ll be writing about and for whom.

Other things to think about include the timescale, what the writing will address and how long will each page be. In the most diplomatic sense of the word, it’s not uncommon for the uninformed client to dictate proceedings. Remember to be assertive of your analytical and design knowledge to show the client what would be best for their website.

Another common obstacle that must be navigated is the notion that content from the client’s old website is suitable enough to be transferred to the new shell. Check for yourself to find out if this is true. Informing a client that a new direction is needed isn’t always easy, but sometimes it’s the best course to yield results.

Editing Is Underrated!

Behind every piece of great content is an unsung editor; the writer will always get the credit, but the editor’s role is equally as important. Stand-alone editors are wordsmiths who have the ability to bend words to their will. If hiring one of these specialists is simply not in your budget, then it’s high time you mastered the fundamentals of this important skill for yourself.

It must be noted that editing isn’t a quick fix. It’s a gradual process that involves a number of incremental stages. Proofreading, correcting the spelling, grammar and punctuation, restructuring and reorganisation of sentences and paragraphs and finally the subject matter clarification. Producing content of the highest quality involves going through this cycle a number of times. Sure, it sounds like a time-consuming pain, but remember: no pain, no gain!

Landing Page Perfection

The landing page contains crucial sales copy, the quality of which can determine the total number of converted leads. Although the copy on the landing page is usually short in length, don’t think this is where you’ll have the least amount of work to do. Clear, concise and utterly without ambiguity, the copy here should ultimately address and solve problems in one fell swoop.

The landing page content should be accompanied by a clear CTA button integrated into the site technology to complete the sales funnel. This way you’ll be maximizing your sales potential.

Regular Blog Maintenance

Your website needs to be regularly updated for SEO purposes, but the downside is that a regular business simply doesn’t have enough content to fulfil this obligation. A good way to counteract that is the maintenance of a weekly blog.

What do people post on their company’s online blogs? Thinking of interesting topics that visitors will regularly engage with and share is tricky. The bonus is that you can write about anything you want. Whether the blog is related to your business or not, as long as you’re regularly posting articles containing keywords you’ll be covering your SEO obligations.

Wrap Up

Content marketing is a tried and tested method that has evolved with the times. Is it really effective these days? Yes, it is. When implemented with a well-planned content marketing strategy and patience, content marketing can give your business the results it craves. The steps outlined in this article are designed to polish your written content and elevate it to a level worthy of a quality web design.