Tag: website content

Always check your site content in situ before signing it off

It’s important to check raw website content when it’s in draft form, expressed as a Word or .txt document or whetever. But seeing new content in context gives you a final vital chance to weed out any imperfections. 

Wise site owners like to check new site content in situ before signing it off. Here’s why:

• it’s easier to see if the new copy works in sympathy with the design to make the biggest possible impact
• it’s easier to spot areas where the flow could be improved to make your message clearer or more powerful
• it helps you spot areas where the formatting could be changed to improve response and conversion 
• stuff like stray formatting errors, duplicated words and weak arguments are easier to spot on-site

How come it’s easier to spot improvements to content in situ?

It’s probably very simple. Presumably you’re experiencing the copy in a fresh visual context so improvements leap out at you. Whatever the reason it’s a foolproof way to make 100% sure your new website content works as hard as it can.

Refresh your website regularly

Use every available weapon to keep ahead of competitors!

Online, competition is fierce. But there are plenty of things you can do to stay ahead of the pack.

One important (and often overlooked) way to stay sharp is to make sure your site is updated regularly.

There’s a shop in Brighton’s North Laine whose window hasn’t changed for almost a year. It is open for business. But spiderwebs are steadily colonising the display which looks more and more faded, tatty and neglected week on week. You get the impression that nobody’s home and nobody cares.

Take the scenario online and it’s just as disheartening to find a website unchanged month on month. Just like on the high street, to keep shoppers inspired and sales healthy your site - your shop window – should be dynamic, exciting and stimulating.

Luckily there’s plenty of scope for new online content. A handful of random ideas in no particular order:

• Linking to new, exciting content – articles, power pages, newsletter, archive, Q&A, customer feedback
• Rewriting product and service descriptions
• Event marketing: write new content based around events like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day…
• Introducing special offers, new prices & products, complementary products, new services & business partners
• Asking for visitor / customer feedback via questionnaires, surveys and opportunities to vote
• Announcing new research, white papers, successes, case studies and testimonials
• Promoting a customer competition
• Setting up a blog
• Including targeted RSS feeds

Avoid disappearing up your own corporate backside by remembering to stay focused on visitors’ needs. While news about your business is exciting to you, it won’t perk your visitors up anywhere near as much. Stick to things that’ll interest them: customer, industry, product, service, information and offer-based content.

Last but by no means least, something that’s often forgotten. While adding fresh content is vital, it’s equally important to remove old, out-of-date information from your site. Best of all, regular updates also make search engine bots ‘n’ spiders happy so deliver an ongoing natural boost to your site’s visibility.

If time’s an issue, take on a good copywriter.