You’ve given your web agency the go-ahead – CREATE OUR NEW WEBSITE! Now you have to show them what kind of content you want for the new site. You’ll get the first five pages going so they can review and place them, setting the tone for every other piece of content to follow. Keep these factors in mind when writing:
1) Use a Clean Slate.
It’s so easy to refer to your old site when you’re writing “new” content, keeping a window open and constantly comparing the two. Don’t do it. Fight that urge and take a step back to clarify your true intent for the new page. Think about current trends in your profession and the values that your business communicates on a daily basis. What message do you want to send readers about your brand? If your words are fresh, it will show.
2) Use Keywords.
A professional web agency will provide you a list of keywords based on your field of expertise. This list of words should always be at hand when creating content. Think about ways to repeatedly integrate those terms in a manner that is logical and readable. Remember, keywords without context will actually hurt your site. Search engines are adept at sniffing out sites that stuff keywords into the content without adding value.
3) Use Images.
According to Sweor.com, visitors spend more time looking at the main image on a webpage than the time they spend reading all of the text combined. Images are a powerful branding tool that can’t be ignored. Any images you have on deck will be helpful to your web designers. Sure, they can provide stock images, but photos taken organically within your company will always overrule any stock image. Determine image alt tags while you’re at it (and don’t forget to incorporate applicable keywords).
4) Use Lists.
People love lists. They are easy to read and the key content is already highlighted. Make it easy on your readers and yourself by creating lists in between larger paragraphs of information. Including lists within your layout will make it more visually stimulating and viewers can skim the information they need quickly.
5) Use the Final Word Count.
If you’re using a program like Microsoft Word to write up your material you should be using the Word Count tool.. Your pages should meet a 250-word minimum, otherwise the page is of no use to Google, from an SEO perspective. If you don’t have 250 words to share on a subject, then the significance of the page should be reevaluated. If you can’t come up with more material it would be better to slide that information in with a neighbor page. 250 words is a very thin amount of content. Viewers want to learn from your expertise. Don’t be afraid to really dive in and expand on topics!
If you’re taking the time to write your own website content you might as well do it right the first time around. Want the professionals to review your content or do the writing for you? Contact Informatics today!
