3 minute read
Digital content publishing has taken many steps forward since the advent of the personal website in the 1990s. Where assembling a web page used to take weeks, an intimate knowledge of Internet code writing, and be accessible to relatively few people. Now, you can build a website in a matter of hours on WordPress or Wix with little to no code knowledge that will be accessible to billions of people.
Knowing this, do you think it's time your website got an update? If so, here are some tips for building the type of content your customers might respond to.
Map Out the Customer Journey
This is one of the most crucial steps in the website-making process, yet one that many people skip entirely. Instead of treating your website like a services menu and approaching it solely from what you have to offer, try to think about what your potential customers would be looking for. If someone was thinking about giving you business casually, what kind of website copy would warm up that lead? If they were more willing to buy, where would they look for your services or contact information?
By putting yourself in your client's position, you'll be able to plan out a website path that feels natural and is friendly to its users, no matter how techno-savvy they are.
Write like a Person
It can be intimidating to start with a blank page and have to fill it from scratch with your own words. We want to write the perfect page and bring in droves of customers, often to our detriment, as we struggle to get anything down on the page. To combat this, try talking out what you'd say to a client face-to-face and take bullet-style notes of what you say. You can use these to write personable, easy-to-read web content that tells potential clients not only about your services, but also your personality.
Don't Fear the Wrapper
Perhaps you have no trouble filling your website with stellar written content, but you're nervous about the graphical content that should reinforce your writing and wrap the presentation side of your site in a neat bow. Fear not! There are many options for creating or purchasing what you need to make your graphics pop.
- hire a graphics firm to design your logo, website color palate, or layout
- use pre-set templates for your website of choice that already have coordinating colors and sets of layouts to choose from
- have a professional photographer take custom headshots to ensure maximum quality
- purchase high quality stock images that relate to you and your business, or create them for free on sites like Canva
These are just a few of the ways to get graphics for your website. Whichever you choose, be sure that the images you use speak to you and your business personally. If you want clients feeling serene and positive about you, don't use images of cloudy skies or disgruntled stock models.
There's no better time to improve your digital presence than right now. By trying these tactics to optimize your web presence, you can show clients that like you, your business is looking toward the future and adapting to meet their needs.