Speaking to Every Website Visitor - Not Just Some Visitors

When visitors arrive at your small business website, the goal of your content should always be to speak to each visitor in a way that suits that visitor. That can be a complex job. Each website visitor has a particular way of looking at website content. Some respond to information in short blocks that speak briefly, and to the point. Others prefer to look first at your website's navigation system and choose topics of interest to them from the options there. Some look at the text content and focus on lists of linked bullet points to help them navigate the site. Still other website visitors are readers, and carefully read the text content on each page they visit on the site. The bottom line is that your website will perform best if its content speaks to every visitor, regardless of that visitor's browsing preferences.

How well your site retains and converts visitors into leads and customers depends on reaching as many of them as possible. The higher the percentage of visitors who find their preferred way of browsing websites, the higher the number of visitors you'll convert. That's why it pays to present your message in a way that suits all visitors, not just some. It's a challenging job.

Professional web content writers understand this need, and create content that meets all of those goals. The wording of your navigational links, no matter how you present the navigation is important. The inclusion of well-written bulleted or numbered linked lists, complete with brief expansion text, attracts a certain percentage of your visitors and leads them through the site. For the serious readers, well-written content gives them the information they need and leads them to make contact, visit your location, or order directly. Each part of your website must communicate clearly and market your business effectively.

Far too many websites neglect one or more groups of targeted visitors. There's no reason your website cannot reach every visitor. In addition, content that covers all three areas of visitor interest also presents additional opportunities for effective organic SEO keywords and phrases to appear, improving your search engine results.

How well does your current website meet these goals? Email Me for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your current website. I'll send you a report that will tell you, along with suggestions for ways to improve your site's communication with a broad spectrum of visitors. See the links to the left for samples of successful websites I have written, to see how a website can reach every visitor.

How Much is Your Best Salesperson Worth?

If you're like most small to medium-sized business owners, you already recognize the value of your best sales personnel. They are the ones who represent you to your customers, provide information, answer questions, and close the deals that make your business profitable. Losing a great salesperson is a real catastrophe for most businesses. So, you do whatever it takes to retain sales staff members who get that critical job done again and again. You select your sales staff carefully, train them to present your company in the best possible light, and give salespersons the support and tools they need.

Your website is a sales tool, too. It's on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year. In many ways, your web site is the best sales tool you have - or it should be. Today, a large part of your business comes from your website. A typical potential client or customer makes an initial choice by searching on Google or another search engine, and then visits web sites that appear in the search results. What happens next can make or break the connection between a website visitor and your business.

Far too many small and medium-sized businesses neglect to use their website as the powerful, effective sales tool it can and should be. The key to success with business websites isn't a flashy appearance and lots of colorful graphics - it's information and marketing. The informational content of your website must be a powerful marketing tool for your business. Other factors of website design are important, too, but if the content doesn't do its job, your visitors will simply click their browser's Back button and move on to your competitor's website.

Professionally written website content presents your company's message in a way that encourages website visitors to make contact with you, and that's the goal of your website. By identifying with your customers, leading them around your site and providing the information they need, effective website content naturally entices your visitors to call, visit your location, or place an order. Without effective content, your website is just a brief pause in their search for products and services.

How effective is your current website content? There's a quick way to find out. Email Me for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your website's existing content. I'll give you a brief analysis of your current content, showing you its strengths and weaknesses, and suggest ways it can be more effective. I have a proven record of creating successful website marketing content for business websites similar to yours. You can see samples of websites I've written by clicking the links to the left.

Effective Web Content - The ARC Principle

What makes your website content effective? It seems like a simple question, but it's really not. There's no single thing that makes website content work for you. It's a combination of several factors. For my own use, I created the ARC Principle to use when writing content for business websites. Here are its elements:

• Acquisition - Acquire the attention of your site visitors. There are many ways to do this, but I find that speaking directly to visitors and letting them know that you understand why they came to the site is the most effective technique. Make the visitor the subject of the first paragraph of all content.
• Retention - Retain the visitor on the site. Do this on business sites by presenting information the visitor is looking for. Normally, that means talking about things the visitor wants - products, services, or information. It rarely means talking about yourself or how great your business is. It can also mean guiding the visitor to visit other pages on the site, using links and navigation tools. The longer you can Retain the visitor, the more likely you are to make a sale.
• Conversion - Converting the visitor to a client or customer is the primary goal of all business websites. If you've Acquired the visitor's attention, Retained your guest on your site, and provided information he or she can use, you should be able to Convert the visitors into customers and clients by simply asking them for their business. Just give your visitors a chance and help them contact you, and your job is done.

It's still not all that simple, but effectively-written content that covers these three elements well will work for you and increase your business. If you want professional results from your content, hire a professional to write it. That's the easiest road to effective web content.

Email Me for a free evaluation of your web site's content. I'll be happy to help you understand how expertly-written and effective content can convert your visitors into leads and sales. See samples of successful websites I've written by clicking the links on the left of this page