How do you write a business website?

If you’ve recently set up a business, you either:

A) have a website already

B) agree that getting one set up is top of your priority list.

To keep costs down, you may be using a platform like WordPress or Squarespace, which allow you to set up a template and add or remove sections and pages as and when you see fit. But how do you go about writing your site - surely that’s a task for a professional copywriter, isn’t it?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

While writing may not be your forte, no one knows your business quite like you do. So, you may feel you’re the best person for the mammoth task of writing your website.

If you’re on a budget and want to craft your own content, here are some pointers…

Do Your Research

You want to populate your website with the information your customers want and need - and that may involve doing some research into who they are and what they’re looking for. You don’t want to make your website a vehicle for sales, as such, but keep it a nice, light place for people to dip in and out of content that they will enjoy.

Make the most of a blog and post regular, useful content - and share your company’s backstory to let customers know a little more about how you got into business. Make sure things are relatable, if you can - and easy to read. Your customers want to know there’s a human behind your brand.

Don’t litter your content with too many keywords, either; remember, content should be written for people, first and foremost, and not the Google algorithm.

Sure, the right keywords may mean more people land on your site. If when they get there, though, they don’t stick around, filling your site with relevant keywords and phrases will have proved counterproductive.

Be a Stickler for Grammar and Spelling

By having a go at writing your own website content, you’re allowing your personality to shine through in your marketing messages - which is rarely a bad thing. If you do choose to forgo help from a copywriter, though, just make sure you check, check and check again when it comes to proofreading your content.

Spelling and grammar errors won’t look good, so be meticulous when proofreading your site and you’ll be glad you were.

Get a Second (or third!) Pair of Eyes on Your Site

Written your site? Ask a friend or some family members to take a look over it. They may spot things you’ve missed - or have some suggestions you haven’t thought about yet. They will also be looking at your site as a potential customer might - and if they don’t find it easy to navigate (or read!), neither will your target market.

Take comments on board - but if you really believe in what you’ve written, too, try not to get too bogged down if criticism comes from just one person.

Don’t Be Afraid to Tweak It

If your site content doesn’t seem to be working for you, wait a little while but then don’t be afraid to tweak it. When you do, though, always back up your content - just in case you lose what’s already there.

Plus, if you change the order of key pages or swap their URLs, ask your web developer to ensure the old pages ‘point’ to the new ones, technically speaking. That way, any benefits you have built up on your site in terms of search engine optimisation won’t go to pot.

Get an Expert to Do It

If all else fails and you’re tearing your hair out trying to write your own website content, get a copywriter to do it for you. As well as a full website copywriting service (whereby I write your website from scratch), I also offer a more affordable ‘Content Audit’ option.

The latter sees me provide you with a document which offers some hints, tips and suggestions - as well as some minor edits - to help you refine your website content yourself. Giving you an element of control and relieving you of a bigger website copywriting bill, a content audit is great value for small to medium-sized businesses. Just get in touch with me - a Huddersfield copywriter who can help you stand out online - if you’d like to learn more.

Until next time…

Simplify Your Website and Boost Your Sales and Enquiries

Remember when the advice given to any business was to have a website? Just that one piece of advice: get a website. It doesn’t have to be special, or beautiful, it just needs to be functional.

Somehow over the years, this advice has changed. The advice became: add more calls to action. Get people to sign up to your newsletter by using a pop-up on the home screen (make sure you sign up to mine while you’re here - ha!).

Mobile access is vital — make sure every page is optimised and suitable for smartphone users.

The only piece of advice I agree with in the previous paragraph is to make sure your site is screen optimised. That’s just good sense. You want everyone to easily be able to access your site, whether they’re on a state of
the art Macbook or a clunky old tablet with a smashed-up screen.

Everything else is unimportant, really, although I do find my newsletter pop-up helps to boost my mailing list a bit. Here’s how to streamline your website to make it clearer and easier for your customers to use.

Only Use Calls to Action When Relevant

Don’t you hate it when you’re at the shop trying to pay for something and the cashier asks:

“This is actually on a three-for-two offer, do you want to grab another one?”

It’s great to get something for nothing, but when having to enact that offer is a hassle, it can often hardly seem worth it.

Here’s a similar scenario: If you’ve just nipped into the shop to buy a pen, and you’re being asked if you want a Kinder Egg and a bottle of Pepsi Max because ‘they’re on offer’, this calls into question the idea of relevance.

Do you like these items? Maybe. Would you buy them on a different day? Perhaps. But right now, when all you need is a pen, the extras don’t feel like a bonus. They feel like a pain in the bum.

Keep your call to actions relevant and use them sparingly so they retain their impact and you’ll see much better results than if you pepper them all over the place.

Use a Maximum of One Pop-Up

Pop-ups are the website equivalent of a sales assistant asking: “Can I help you?”

I’ve mentioned already that I have a pop-up on my website. It works well for me, because it’s not too intrusive and it’s offering something genuinely useful — the opportunity to sign up to my newsletter and pick up some handy hints and tips you can use in your business.

It appears once on the homepage once you reach my site, and once you’ve entered your email address (or clicked out of it), it goes away, never to return.

Keep using pop-ups throughout your site, or worse, set them up so they keep returning on every page, and you run the extreme risk of getting on everyone’s nerves. Your well- meaning pop-ups quickly turn from slightly useful to incredibly annoying.

That helpful shop assistant offering to show you what aisle you need to be on has started following you around the shop, asking you, every 30 seconds, if you need them to get anything for you.

You’d leave the shop, wouldn’t you? I’d run out of the door. People will do the same to your website.

These are my main two website content tips for 2020…

Stop hassling your customers. By now, everybody knows how websites work and what they need to do
in order to purchase items or find the information they need. If not, they’ll use your chat box, call you, email, leave a comment on your blog, or message you on any of your available social media profiles. They’ll reach you!

If you’d like a hand with looking over your website, get in touch with me and we can work together on a website audit to get everything back in perfect working order.

Until next time…

How to Improve Your Customers' Experience with Great Web Content

When you’re creating web content, the golden rules you read from experts all over the Internet can become overwhelming. Add to that the ever-evolving trends and changing SEO practices you need to keep up with - and before long it can all seem a little out of your control.

I always say that the most important point to remember when you’re writing anything for the web is that you’re creating it for a customer. So, when you’re writing your content, think about how it can genuinely improve your customers’ experience of your website.

Not sure where to start? Here are my tips on improving your website’s customer experience.

Write for Humans

Your customers and website visitors are humans. It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to begin to distance yourself from your audience, especially if you’re elbow deep in SEO keywords and product descriptions. Take a good look at the content you’ve created and ask yourself one thing: ‘does this sound natural?’

Of course you’ll need to take your own company’s branding into account, and what’s natural for one business might seem unusual or awkward for another.

Make it easy for yourself and put your metaphorical feet inside your customers’ shoes. Take a little browse around your site. Are there any pages that seem off to you? Could your writing use a little less jargon? Make a list and use this to inform how you amend your content.

Be Positive

You might not have noticed at first glance but you may be talking your business down. You need active calls to action in your web content in order for it to be truly functional, but increasingly savvy consumers are getting wise to this, and they don’t like it.

The best reaction to this is not to force it. Don’t try sneaking your ‘Buy it now’ links into text - and instead be upfront. Offer help, support and a friendly team member’s undivided attention to your customers  in return for a quick chat about their needs. It sounds much more positive than a fake offer or a ‘time’s running out’ deal.

Aim to make your customers happy and you’ll be glad you did.

Offer Something Unique

Your customers are looking for value - and this is called ‘value propositioning’. They’ll understand what your company does quickly, and they’ll even grasp the basics of your products within a few minutes.

What you need to show them is why your business can offer something nobody else can.

• How can you pique their interest?

• How can you delight them?

• How can you fix a problem they didn’t even realise they had?

• What can you do that goes above and beyond?

• Why should they subscribe to your blog?

Don’t just list your team members. Talk about who they are, why they’re great, what they can do for your customers. Use your web content to create a connection, and you’ll stand out far above the crowd.

Use More Straightforward Language

Just because you use acronyms within your office all the time doesn’t mean your customers will understand what they mean. Even if your industry-specific products come with long-winded, technical descriptions as standard, break them down so that anyone could understand their benefits and appreciate their usefulness. Think of it this way:

• A parent could be buying this for their tech-savvy child

• A newcomer to the industry could be looking for equipment they need

• Acronyms could vary between countries and within industries.

Jargon can easily be misunderstood and can present a barrier through which your customers are unlikely to try and break. As long as you use the wording expected of your business and industry, speaking simply and in straightforward language will only make you seem more professional, not less.

If you’d like to find out more about how to create great web content, or you’d like to chat about how I could support you with yours, contact me today. I’d love to help.

Until next time…

How to Run a Website Audit

If you’ve been busy running a business, there’s every chance you’ve not had time to look at your website in a while. It’s understandable. Once your site’s up and running, there’s a big temptation there to let it purr in the background, bringing in enquiries and signposting towards your services without much input needed from you at all.

Although there’s nothing stopping you from using your website in this way, it’s worth thinking about whether you’re getting the most out of this huge resource. You pay for URL and your server space, so why not get the most you can for your money?

Your Website is Your Shop Window

If a shop had the same display in the window day in, day out, would it entice you to go in and spend your money there?

While it might not be hugely important to look flashy and new at all times, simple housekeeping tasks each month can help to refresh your content and entice returning visitors to take action.

Take a look at the following tasks page-by-page and see if you could fit them in monthly, or even three-monthly:

●     Services - Have you added any new ones? Are any out of date?

●     Products - Are your product descriptions still up-to-date? Do you have more to add? Have you got any new photographs to showcase them? Should some be taken off the site?

●     About Us - Is this still up-to-date? Have you won any awards or new business that could be included here?

●     Testimonials - Who have you worked with recently that you could request a testimonial from? In an age of reviews, new clients are more likely than ever to trust customer feedback.

●     Contact Us - Is this page as enticing as it could be? How many people visitors use it per week? Is there a way to make it easier to use?

If you can keep on top of your content bit by bit, it’ll seem much less of a mammoth task.

Next, you need to think about:

Sprucing Up Your Whole Website

Every once in a while, perhaps every six months or so, it’s really good practice to have a full look through every page of your website to make sure customers are getting as much out of their visits as they can.

This can be daunting, but there are ways to break it down. Take a look at this task list and see how you could make the job easier for yourself, using your site and site analytics.

Readability

●     How easy to read is your website, on the whole?

●     How many of your key messages or business aims shine through?

●     Do your call to actions suit the content they’re placed in?

●     Are there any parts that stop the flow of information?

Navigation

●     How easy is it to get from page to page?

●     How many clicks does it take most visitors to complete a transaction?

●     Which pages cause the most bounces?

●     Which pages are the most popular?

●     Do any pages take a long time to load or have formatting issues?

●     Are there any pages that are unnecessary? For example: indexing pages, home pages, temporary holding pages, or pages that could be amalgamated with other related pages?

Tone

●     Does the content on your website fully convey your company's attitude?

●     Are there aspects of your content that seem out of place, or copy and pasted?

●     Is there any part of your website you don’t like, for no real reason?

Note answers to each down with examples of pages you’d like to improve, and you can come up with a plan together with your team.

You can also look into this full website content audit template by the Moz site, which is really comprehensive.

Get a Copywriter to Do It!

Copywriters are excellent digital content creators and spend their lives online. That’s makes us ideal for carrying out your time-consuming, always put-off web content audits.

We look into your web content objectively with a fine-tooth comb, picking out parts you may never see yourself and improving your pages in ways you might never have suggested.

Interested in spring cleaning that website? Get in touch today.

How to Increase Business Sales (In 5 Simple Steps!)

You’re at your wits’ end with your business: your products aren’t selling as fast as you’d hoped, your email inbox is drier than the Sahara Desert, and your mailing list is still just 15 people long. What to do?

First, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Even the most successful companies have to adjust their business strategy from time to time.

Instead, then, read on for five easy steps to increase sales for your business. No more tearing out your hair in frustration; let's get cracking!

Show You Can Be Trusted

In short, are you credible? It’s not enough to tell clients that they should put their hands in the pocket (or fingers to keyboard to type in their debit card digits!) to buy your products. Why should they trust you any more than a random bloke on the street offering up a dubious-looking 'brand-new' iPhone for £20?!

Here’s where you can whip out those testimonials and case studies we know you’ve been itching to use. Displaying evidence on your website of third-party support, even as small as including the logo of companies you’ve worked with, can show potential clients that you can be trusted.

This CXL article lists other ways to increase trust with customers, as well as some great tips to boost conversions for your website.

Build Up Your Social Media Presence

You can keep telling yourself you’re fine with your 50 Instagram followers and 15 mailing list subscribers, but if your sales seem to be taking a nosedive, it may be time to build up your following.

Make sure you choose the right networks. Compare social media demographics with your business’s target audience to avoid making a beeline for the wrong people. If you write content for businesses, for example, LinkedIn might be a better platform for you than Tumblr.

Post regularly and with content relevant to your business, too. You’re more likely to grow a loyal customer base if you stay connected with them once a week, as opposed to once a month (or, dare I say, once every few months). Keeping your social media accounts updated shows your clients that you’re available. 

(Shameless plug: if you need a hand with managing your social media accounts, have a look at my portfolio and give me a shout!)

Offer Freebies

I love free stuff. You love free stuff (and if you say you don’t, you’re probably lying!). Giving freebies to people who visit your website is a good way to give them a taste of the products or services you offer without a monetary commitment.

You can also offer free incentives to get people to join your mailing list. In exchange for subscribing to your mailing list, offer free guides, eBooks, or anything else specifically tailored to your business. It’s a win-win situation for both parties!

Don’t Get Cold Feet About Cold Emailing

Cold emailing isn’t exactly fun. After all, the name itself doesn’t exactly invite warm feelings.

Still, perhaps by reaching out directly to potential clients, you’ll bring your sales from all right to amazing.

Do your research and personalise your emails to individual clients. People don’t want to get a spammy email that looks like it could’ve just as easily been sent out to 50 other people. Show why you’re emailing THEM instead of the hundreds of other businesses out there. Also be sure to show how you and only you can help them with their problems.

Check out HBR's guide to cold emailing for some more excellent tips.

Promote Time-Sensitive Sales, Discounts, or Promotions

It seems counterintuitive to discount products in order to boost sales, but customers are attracted to savings, even if the savings are marginal.

This can include offering a discount when people sign up for your mailing list, bundling products and services for a reduced total price, or dropping prices for a limited-time promotion. Be sure to clearly define start and end dates for promotions, just in case a client decides to continue working with you after a promotion ends.

Have any other tips to up business sales? Do feel free to share in the comments below.

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