Seven Questions to Make Your Website Content Better
The words on your website — have you spent much time thinking about them? Have you looked hard at what you website is saying and how it’s saying it to anyone who visits, including the coveted Google robots that are indexing your site to get you those search results you want…
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you look at your site content.
What Google Cares About
What words and phrases are you using?
The words you use, should mimic what your audience is using to search for you. These are called keywords and phrases. What is your audience entering into that little search box on Google to find you? Make sure you include these words and phrases on your site, along with close alternatives. Want to be known locally – don’t forget to include location keywords on your site
For example, we probably should use “web design”, “Charlotte”, “Squarespace” and “small business” keywords on our site and phrases like “Charlotte web design help” in our key phrases.
How many relevant words do you have on your site and how often are those words being added to and changed?
The more relevant content you have on your site, the more Google is going to send your audience to your site over your competitors. This is why some businesses blog or produce other content for their sites regularly.
What Your Audience Cares About
Are the words on your site easy for your audience to scan? (actually Google cares about this too)
Formatting matters. Use headers, bullets and visuals to help your audience easily find key words on your site.
When someone comes to your site, can they immediately tell who you are and what you are going to do for them?
- How quickly you say it matters.
- You literally have a few seconds to tell them what you do – think of your site as a billboard and your audience is in a car flying past.
- How you say it matters.
- Keep it simple, make it informal, and add personality as appropriate for your audience – just remember, they need to be able to pick out those key words in what you’re saying.
Do your words talk to your audience?
It’s tempting to write about why you’re the best, but you should really write about the problem you are going to solve for them. What pain do you take away from them or value above and beyond do you add?
Do you have clear call to actions?
What do you want your audience to do? Sign-up, contact you, call you, buy something, read something. Keep a simple goal in mind and make sure what you are asking them is very clear and easily found. Remember, they are a fast car, you are a billboard.
Do your words ooze credibility?
Don’t forget this one, especially if you offer services – what on your site says, “Hey, I’m an expert. I can do this, and I’m good at it.” This could be reviews, ratings, rankings, testimonials, blurbs along with your portfolio (not just the pictures!) that explain what problem you solved for the client, or even mentions of certifications.