Wordiness of your words. Improperly grammared. Missspelled words. Creatively void. Missing or unreliable information. Poorly structured sentences and paragraphs and sentences. Repetitiveness.
Do any of these describe your website’s content? It may not seem like a big deal, but if your content is not clean, crisp, and to the point, you are losing business. Sure, you want to put your own spin on your content. You want it to be entertaining or stress the importance of certain products. I get it. And you can (and should) do this. However, your site should not contain business-killing errors.
This now brings me to the section titled: Business-Killing Errors:
- Forgetting the Theory of Relativity (not that one)
- Broken Linkage Equals Massive Stinkage
- Married to the Morpheme
- Plain Jane vs. Fancy Nancy
- A Nitty Gritty Grammatical Pity
Unless you’re a stellar writer with time to dedicate to your online content, you need to spring for one. While it’s my profession to question website content, more often than not I find myself asking, “for the love of everything holy, who wrote this and why?” Sadly, I’m not usually in working mode while stumbling upon these diamonds in the rough.
The good news is that you don’t have to worry about competing with these businesses. Very few people will actually solicit their services. The bad news is that you may be one of these businesses. Don’t panic; we’re going to get through this together.
Deep breath in… and exhale. Alright, let’s go.
Today’s online consumer has notable traits that your content should target. These include shorter attention spans, higher expectations, the need for some level of transparency, and the security blanket of knowing that you’re easily accessible. If they cannot get what they want from you, they’re one click away from your competition.
Here are some easy tips to ensure that potential clients not only click on your site but stay on your site, as well.
1) Ensure up-to-date content. Do you have a blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page, or another social media outlet that shows daily activity? If the answer if no, you need to sign up now and sign in often. This is the easiest way to stay on the radar. Remember: out of site, out of mind. While you should update on a daily basis, make your posts relevant. Nobody wants to waste time reading mind-numbing blabber about your thoughts on the weather.
- Are you a tech site? Write about the latest trend in your specific area or a controversial topic that's up for debate.
- New restaurant or shop? Advertise daily specials, new entrees, customer reviews.
- A bare bones startup? Show growth by referencing excitement about your newest gig or write a survey questioning what consumers expect from new businesses.
The options are endless (but not mindless).
2) Every link should actually link. How frustrating is it to click on a link and find that it leads to an error page, a page under construction, or back to the main menu? I’m normally a patient person, but the consumer in me is rather demanding. When it comes to links, I’m as cutthroat as the next. Clicking on 2 broken links sends me directly back to a search engine while uttering a number of my favorite profanities. Where was my promised content? This ‘bridge to nowhere’ shows a lack of reliability, which translates into carelessness about the customer. Don’t be that business. If I can’t even find your content, how will I know what you can do for me? Help you help me. Fix your links.
3) Does your site look like it should be on an episode of hoarders? If it’s jam packed with information, the answer is yes. I understand wanting to be clear and detailed, but nobody has time to read all of that. Further, most don’t have the patience to sift through the clutter to find the information they’re looking for. Don’t make them. If you want to include detailed information, use a (working) link to direct them to the correct location and be concise. In most cases, less is more. Just make sure it’s worded properly. In a nutshell, treat your website like your love life: always leave them wanting more, dangle the carrot, make them buy the milk.
4) Content is more important than design. Don’t believe me? Look at Craigslist and Amazon. Compare Myspace to Facebook. Sure, a fancy-looking site may pull them in, but if the content isn’t there, they’ll get their fish from another pond. These websites are pretty plain to look at, but the information is relevant and reliable. Hence, loyalty is gained, consumers return, word is spread, new business is built. It’s cyclic in that roundabout way.
5) Alright, so you have the correct amount of information. Your links work. Your content is up-to-date and concise. Congratulations! You’re on the right path. One more thing: is it written well? Punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization, spelling, verb tense, word choice, delivery, and sentence length are important factors when dealing with content. It sounds like a lot; I know. But really, it’s just the basics of solid writing with a side of marketing. Let’s consider a few facts about today’s written word.
- The typical sentence length is much shorter than it was 20 years ago. Aim for an average of 9-18 words per sentence.
- Many best selling books read at a middle-school level. I’m looking at you, 50 Shades of Grey.
- You learned these basics at a young age, and grammar rules often change. It’s okay to need a brush-up; admitting it is the first step.
Hopefully, you’ve gained some insight into the World Wide Web of website content.
If you don’t have the time to dot your i’s, cross your t’s, and, you know, the rest of that stuff, hire someone who does… like me (shameless yet sincere plug).
Please contact me at: [email protected]
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