The Tragedy of Bad Business Content
There is nothing worse than going to a business’ website and basically finding nothing. Obviously there’s some kind of content on most websites, but that doesn’t mean that the content is offering the reader anything that will convince them to trust or invest in the services a website offers. Bad business content is a tragedy and it causes a financial loss.
No business can afford to have bad content; every business must make sure they have content that creates trust, makes sales and supports the overall goals of a business. I am going to explain 3 common problems I see with website content.
What Do You Do vs. What You Sell
Every page of a website is typically focused on a particular subject, except for your home page. Your home page is your opportunity to quickly interest the visitor in the services that you offer and to create trust. Each individual web page should be focused on explaining exactly what it is that you do and not so much on what you are selling. Here is an example:
Let’s say you are web designer. Which is more exciting for a visitor?
1. “Web design services that include a content management system, five email addresses and hosting. Packages available include:…”
2. “We create a unique web design for every client that is based on their goals and needs. We need to understand what your goals are to make a website that will help you meet those goals. By understanding your needs we create a website that can make your life easier. Our goal is to provide you with a website that will positively enhance the reputation of your business, increase visitors from potential clients and most importantly increase revenue.”
Do not just state what it is that you are selling; take the time to tell me what it is that you offer that is different than your competitors. Why should I, or a visitor, choose you? You have to tell me and you have to convince me.
What you write should make the reader think about what their needs are and how you are going to help them meet those needs.
Who You Are vs. About
There is nothing worse than reading an about page that only explains the history of the company. Of course it is important to explain in at least one paragraph that you have a solid history, but again, why should the reader choose you?
- What do you offer that makes you different?
- Why should the reader trust you?
- Who are you and who works for you?
Give the reader the option to learn as much as they possibly can about your company and the individuals that work for the company. Use your about page(s) to create trust with potential clients. I don’t care what size business you have, creating trust is critical to future sales.
Example:
If your company installs safety pool fencing and each one of your salespeople and your managers are parents then use that information to make people think that your staff really cares about children’s’ safety. (However, one should NEVER list the names of children or ages for safety reasons.)
You want to use what is available to you to create trust, “Every employee at XYZ Pool Fencing is a parent and understands how important the safety of your children is to you. Let us give you some peace of mind by creating a safe environment for your children.” Simple, yet it appears that this company truly cares about the potential client’s children which leads to trust and then leads to a sale
Snooze-Fest vs. Thought Provoking
Is your content boring? Go read it. If it is boring to you it is boring to your visitors too. Make sure you have a strategy in place for your content too, as I said before, make the visitor think about what it is they need and how you can meet that need.
Use headlines that will make them think about why they must hire you, why you are the best choice and what the consequences could be of not using your services. Make sure to elaborate in the paragraphs following headlines to ensure that the visitor is convinced that your headline is factual.
Anytime you make a website visitor “think” you are not boring. By educating visitors on why your services will be a benefit to them in the future you are ensuring that they will not be bored. By doing this you are offering thought provoking content that will make you memorable. You don’t want to be forgettable. You want to be the person they remember as they read through your competitors’ sites and are not getting the information that they need or want.
Don’t Let Your Content Be a Tragedy
Having good content is not all that difficult. It just requires planning and really thinking about how you can make the reader “think.” Always be focused on creating trust with everything you write and lastly, make sure you are educating the reader on why the services you offer meets a critical need of the reader.
Melissa Fach has been in the SEO industry since 2007. She created her own agency, was the Managing Editor at SEJ, worked as an editor for Moz with their community team, she worked at Pubcon as the Community Manager for 5 years, and is an editor for SEMrush US Blog.
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