Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Does Your Site Need a Content Cleaning Crew?


Your web site is your online store. Like a brick and mortar store, it has an exterior and interior design. Both are designed to present the contents of your store effectively to customers. But, it's what's inside either store that is your product, the very stuff you're selling.

If you go into a store to do some shopping, you might be attracted by its exterior design. When you go inside, though, if you find the shelves and merchandise badly displayed, shelved haphazardly, or it's dirty and worn out, you probably head for the Exit sign without lingering further.

The same concept applies to your web site. No matter how nice the design looks, if the content on your site is poorly-written, misspelled, and ungrammatical, your visitors are not going to linger. Instead, they'll head for the Back button and leave without really seeing what you have to offer.

All too often, web site content seems like an afterthought. The web site budget gets spent on fancy graphics, slick gadgets, and bandwidth-wasting images and videos. When it comes time to plug in the words that actually tell visitors what your business is about, there's no money left.

So, the web designer, business owner, or some college kid ends up writing the content for the site. That leaves the site badly organized and weakly written, just like the sloppy and dirty brick and mortar store that will soon be closing its doors.

Professionally-written content is the answer. Budget for it when you budget for website development. A professional writer can produce content that will make visitors want to stay and see what you're about, then convert them to paying customers.

People who write for a living understand the importance of dynamic, interesting content. They make their living producing it. If they aren't able to do that, they don't make a living and have to find something else to do.

If you're planning a new web site, don't forget the importance of effective content. Get in touch with a professional content writer at the earliest possible stage in development. Consult with him or her about how content can add power to your site, then contract with the professional to produce that content.

How effective is your current web site's content? If you don't know, you may not know why your site's not performing the way you expect. Have a pro look at your content and see if there aren't areas that need improvement. If you discover that your content is lacking in punch and coherence, it's time for a rewrite.

If you're not sure about the quality of your web site's content, you can Email Me for a free evaluation. I'll be happy to help you create and revise content to target your audience.