Web Content For Beginners – 5 Tips To A Successful Website

Did you realize that the words on your website can motivate people to buy your product or service? The words are what engage your visitor and inspire them to keep reading, or irritate them so they leave your site in a matter of seconds! The longer a visitor stays on your site, the more chance there is of them taking the action you want them to take — whatever that may be. Writing websites is an acquired skill — web copywriters don’t come cheap. But my tips below highlight some simple things you can do yourself, straight away, to help convert visitors to your website into paying customers.
Tip 1: Don’t Know Where to Start? Just Do It!
Are you finding it hard to sit down and start writing your web content? Getting started is often the hardest part for any writer. Tell yourself that for now you only need to write a rough draft. Jot down phrases and words that you might want to include in your web copy. It’s much easier to rework even the roughest of drafts than to stare at a blank page waiting for the perfect copy to magically appear.
Tip 2: But it’s MY website…
Sorry folks, but for once it’s not about you! It’s all about the reader and how your product can benefit them. What are people looking for when they come to your site? What problems do they have? Make it very clear in your web copy that the visitor can get whatever they’re looking for from you. Tell them how you or your product will meet their needs or solve their problem. Use the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ a lot and keep the words ‘I / we / our / your company name’ to an absolute minimum.
Tip 3: Know Your Keywords
Keywords are words your potential customers will type into a search engine when they are looking for your product or service. Use a keyword research tool (such as the Google AdWords one) to find out which are the most popular words used in searches for your product or service. Choose a handful of highly ranked keywords and write them down on a piece of paper. Keep this in front of you when you are writing your web copy, so you remember to include them. A few per paragraph will probably suffice, and don’t forget to put some in the headings and sub-headings.
Tip 4: Short and Sweet
Don’t try and impress visitors with big fancy words or long complicated sentences. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. The more concise your copy, the easier it will be to read — and the longer your visitor will keep reading. Aim for sentences of around 15 words, and paragraphs of around 45 words. Be strict if you need to cut down the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Delete any words that aren’t absolutely essential or think of a more concise way to say something.
Tip 5: A Compelling Call to Action
Hurrah, your visitor has read to the bottom of the page — now what? What do you want them to do next?
Call you to book an appointment?
Order your product?
Sign up for your newsletter or a free report?
Go to another page on your website?
Put a specific call to action on every web page. Make it easy for your visitor to take the next step.
Conclusion
Incorporating these simple tips in your web copy should be pretty easy to do and shouldn’t take too long. With a healthy combination of well-researched keywords, “you-oriented” concise copy, and compelling calls to action, you stand a good chance of converting a higher number of your site visitors into paying customers. If you’ve gone to the trouble and expense of getting a website, why not maximize its full potential by taking on board my simple tips — for free?