Your website probably has lots of content, but why does it need to be there? Do the words and images on your page exist as filler, or are they helping you to reach your bottom line sales and marketing goals?
A lot of business owners, if they were being honest, would have to admit that they use content as an afterthought. They know they need a website, and that website needs content, so they fill it in themselves or hire someone to do the job. However, they often forget that the content has a few distinct purposes. If you overlook any of them, your website (and business as a whole) will never be as effective or profitable as it should be.
To give you a sense of what we mean by the “purpose” of your web content, let’s look at a few of the things your text and images should accomplish…
Your Content Should Provide Clarity and Definition
When potential customers first visit your website, you only have a couple of seconds to inform them about what you do and convince them to stay. So, the first job of your web content is to provide clarity and definition. A visitor should be able to tell immediately who you are, what you have to offer, and whether you are a good fit for their needs.
Your Web Content Needs to Guide Customers in the Proper Direction
Even if you do a great job of informing website visitors about your business and unique value points right away, they are probably still going to need more information. So, the second job of your content is to point them towards the product pages, service descriptions, or other items that help them find the answers they need.
Your Text and Images Obviously Have a Sales and Marketing Purpose
Assuming a website visitor is a good match for what you have to offer, your content needs to stoke their interest and create a sense of desire. That has to reinforce the notion of what you have is better, or offers more value, then what they can find elsewhere. Otherwise, you aren’t going to be able to generate sales and conversions.
Your Content Should Reinforce Your Company’s Branding
It is often overlooked that the content on a company’s website is (or at least should be) a reflection of their overall branding efforts. It should give off a certain tone and personality. After all, more people will see a website than they will the average billboard or print ad, so a home page might be the most important identity piece of all.
Content is Extraordinarily Important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Even with all of these other factors to consider, we shouldn’t forget that Google and the other search engines primarily crawl content on websites. So, if you want search visitors to find you, you have to do a good job of incorporating well-researched terms, phrases, and geographic markers into your content with regularity.
When you step back and think about it, your web content has a lot of different jobs to do. If your text and images aren’t up to the task, then it’s going to cost you sales and credibility week after week. So, we advise you to think very carefully about the purpose of the content on your pages… and to ask yourself whether or not what you have posted to your site is really helping you reach your goals.
Looking for help with web content, online marketing, or search engine optimization? Contact our team of experienced creative experts today to see what we can do for you!