Web Podcast - Episode 6: Preparing your website content

Read the transcription of this podcast:

Episode six everybody, we’re talking about content today.

When you’re doing your website we have to do content. As they say, content is king. I believe this is true, as well as a few other things like design too.

If you can get a good mix of design and content, you’re going to have a good website.

Most people write their own content, most web designers write their own content for their clients. For example if you came to my company we would get some details, our content guy would talk the process through as in how your business works, how long you’ve been established, your experience. All of it.

We get all that information then we format the content for each page. If you’re doing it yourself, plan the pages that you’re going to have on the site, and then go and start writing some short bullet points for each of these pages, then formulate them into paragraphs.

You need to plan with bullet points then paragraph it to get it into proper content.

As I’ve said in a previous post keep the content simple. Especially at the top of the page. You need two headlines, a brief paragraph, and some bullet points.

If it’s the about us page and you have a profile on there, you can go into detail, but on a website 80% of people are just looking for short and sweet stuff. They’re not looking to read through a novel of information.

Don’t write novels for every page. If you are going to write a lot put it further down the page and summarise at the top.

Start with that.

If you're’ not sure what your web designer is doing in the form of content you could ask them if they’re writing content for you or do you have to do it yourself.

If you’re in the dark don’t worry. Follow my instructions here, give that to your web developer. That should help in terms of content.

Other things that are important in the content is how you lay the website out, in terms of what is presented to the user first.
On the homepage we don’t want a big get a quote button straight away. You’re better to have information that tells the user a bit about you before they commit to buying.

People don’t just go and buy stuff off someone without reading about them first.

Start with things like your key differences, or your experience. Just something short. Tell people where you are and what you do.

We’re a web design company, so we say “Professional web design company in Auckland” and then we have a little paragraph and some buttons that say view our services, view our portfolio.

Then when the user is viewing our services, at the bottom of the page we have a get a quote button. They’ve briefly read about us on the homepage, they’ve clicked services they’ve read all that. They’re probably ready to get a quote now.

It’s like a storyline, you’ve got to do it in a certain sequence. You can’t just jump into bed with someone. You need to do it the right way. You have to woo them and tell them about the business.

Again, very briefly. Don’t go into too much detail.
You tell them about the business, you tell them your experience, who you’ve worked with.

That will sound like the sort of company people will want to work with.

Keep it simple. Structure it in a way that’s a storyline or has a sequence to it that’s not just get a quote now.

Think about it, plan bullet points, paragraph it and get the correct imagery to compliment it.

I’ll go into imagery in another episode.

Thats Matt from RAZOR Web at RAZOR Web Design Wire Podcast, thanks, and join us again next time.