We get asked a lot by our clients if they can write their own website content. Many agencies out there have a process where they tell you what they want the design to be, build everything out on a server, and then they send it to you, expecting that YOU will handle your own website content.
So, where do you start? What images do you need? Where do you get the photos they want? There is this section that says UVP, what is that?
Ultimately what happens? Confusion, chaos, and a website that doesn’t resonate with your users. If they don’t connect, they don’t convert — that’s the bottom line.
Most business owners are fantastic when it comes to marketing or sales, so you’d think this would be easy. So why doesn’t this approach work?
Website Copy is different from Sales Copy.
Most business owners know marketing, can write sales copy and can talk about their products. However, the way that we do this on a website is incredibly different and requires a specific understanding of how users navigate the web and will browse your site. It’s called UI/UX, which is a fancy website way of saying how your users use your website. The strategy behind and the execution of your UI/UX greatly affects how far they will navigate and how they will respond to your calls to action (CTA).
Good website content engages and leads your visitor along a path to your ultimate CTAs. It’s hard to write your own copy if you don’t understand how this works.
Most of us talk about the wrong things.
Most of the time, business owners will talk about their products and services and forget to tell the customer exactly HOW these things will make their lives better. I’ve always heard that clients don’t buy nails and wood, they buy houses. We’re all great at explaining what we do, but we’re all typically bad at explaining the benefits. Then you toss in a scrolling webpage, and an overwhelmed visitor. What you have is a recipe for a visitor that won’t convert.
Users Require a Path
If you’ve ever been to one of those corn mazes on Halloween, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Your users are quickly trying to figure out the location of the exit. Every site is essentially a maze, and so you have to assume that every customer is confused when they first arrive at your site. A killer content plan maps out that journey right from the start.
First, we try to get them to take action # 1. If they aren’t ready to do that quite yet, we give them option #2. If they don’t choose option #2 we keep informing them until they get to option #3 (another way of asking for options #1 and #2). We LEAD them down the road to connecting with you using the content as the vehicle.
Sure, design plays into this, but the best design in the world will not make up for confusing content or content that doesn’t engage them or spark their interest.
3 Quick Things YOU Can Change on your site to Improve Conversion – TODAY
- Make sure in the main hero area of your website you have the following:
a. What do you offer?
b. How does this benefit your client?
c. How can your users get it? - Check your website for the amount of time you talk about yourself vs. the amount of time you’re talking about your customers. We struggle with this too. We know who WE are, but all of us struggle with our customers sometimes. A great website content writer will bridge this gap. Take a look at your current website and see if you are talking to them about them, or only about yourself?
- Make sure you have a way to connect with you plastered all over your site (CTAs). The minute a user has to figure out that your button that says “Go” means “Get Started Today” or “Contact Us to get your Free Estimate” – they are a goner. Don’t use random button text, tell them what hitting that button will do and why it’ll change their lives in about four words.
How is Muletown Digital Different?
We handle all of our websites, even our smallest business websites with the content-first approach. That means we figure out WHAT goes on your website, WHY it goes there, HOW it plays into the entire strategy, and ultimately the most engaging way to say it. Donald Miller from StoryBrand always says something like, “The enemy of clarity is noise.”
A confused customer will leave.
Our goal is to write website content for your business that is CLEAR, CONCISE, and CUSTOMER-FOCUSED.
Need help getting your content straightened out or putting a strategy in place? Get in touch with us today!
