Structuring and writing content for business websites

Over the last 20 years, I have been involved extensively in structuring and writing content for business websites either for my company or other companies that I worked for. I think that due to my type of work -tech sales- I am keener in websites relevant to B2B software and services.

Before I start and even though I acknowledge that this is a cliché … Your site should be designed, built and easily consumed mobile-first!

Tools, Processes and Techniques

Some of the prerequisites for setting up the website’s structure and writing the business content with a marketing and sales twist are the following:

1. Knowing well the language of your content and frequently checking your grammar and syntax. In terms of content pluralism, it’s helpful to use synonyms and expressions that are industry-relevant with your business likes. Check other blogs and websites for that and by any means avoid plagiarism. Being original is not good for the soul .. but also for sales. Google is detecting original authors!
2. Content should match UI. In other words, a WYSIWYG editor along with a good theme will allow you to structure your content along with the theme’s widgets and create an appealing result …with a sales twist! Each page should be structured aesthetically based on what it communicates to visitors supported by a unique flair of individualism.
3. Being fluent with a CMS (Content Management System) that you select will save you time and frustration. I use WordPress but any will do. There are hundreds of open-source CMS out there. Depending on the size of your content and the number of content contributors, I recommend WordPress for smaller content schemes and Drupal for larger ones. Important Note: Invest some time to learn the ins and outs of your CMS that you are using and don’t be afraid to get help from a professional.
4. Being a good typist. Typing fast means that you will be able to “map your thoughts on a screen”, efficiently. This will increase your productivity and will alleviate the frustration of missing your thought coherence while you are thinking and typing. These are my favorite apps so you can excel on typing: 10FastFingers.com and Keybr.com
5. Images are the main constituent of your website’s content. Use Pexels and Pixabay and select relevant images with your content. Don’t be afraid to use abstract images that trigger imagination and reveal creativity. After all, images catch the eyes and text touches the soul.
6. Last but not least, give the right credits and kudos to the people that assist with the website development process. You most definitely you’ll need people that know photoshop, gimp, illustrator and front-end development.

Content is the King!

First and forest, writing effective content for a B2B technology website requires knowledge on the subject and the peculiarities of the industry. You need to simply and effectively describe how YOUR technology can become somebody else's solution.

Content Curation is a very important aspect for web content. Words, phrases, paragraphs all matter not in terms of grammar and syntax only … but because content meaning and wording along with keywords and metadata is how you increase your organic search results. Be careful with the selection of your words and always ask yourself: Is this word descriptive of my business context? Is this word indicative of my products and services? Is this word and/or phrase aligned with this site’s personality. When you curate your content you grant personality to your website (your personality). You turn content into context!

This is the methodology -aka workflow- that I use:

1. Ask yourself: Who will be reading your website

Knowing your audience is the key to gain sales momentum. You must know the market that you operate, the demographics of your visitors and even the buzz words that are commonly used … to attract attention. Remember that original content that “speaks the language” of the industry and is easily comprehended by your intended audience will increase visibility and sales. It will also “raise some eyebrows” of your competitors.

2. Start with the Vision, the Mission, the Purpose

Spend sometime to think why your company, products and services are so different from the rest. What is your True North? What is your mission of entrepreneuring in this industry? What is that you are doing different? What is your offering, your value-added proposition to the market and what purpose does it serve? Being honest to yourself and writing in all honesty and clarity is what will make your website successful. A dear friend of mine back in my graduate school days used to say: “You are insulting the reader” … because I was writing double-space with large, weird fonts. ??Never assume that your readers are inferior in understanding your language and thoughts. If so … you will probably get bad customers, anyway!

3. Menu Structuring and digital Assets Management

Open up an .xls (google sheet) sheet. Write down your main and secondary menu. Your footer menu as well. Include shortcuts, socials, Call To Actions (CTA), newsletter forms, contact details, disclosures and terms. Please … don’t be original! Originality to your website’s real estate can create frustration. Users are surfing the internet for hours every day (as you). Make “Contact us” easily visible. Everybody knows that “About” is about your company. You get the picture! Maintain your originality in content authoring and curation. In terms of digital assets, use short videos that can easily reveal their purpose. Select your images and photos. Make schematics were needed and use standard methodology (ALT description) and sizing to assist SEO and CDN. After all, your website should be fast and clean.

I hope that I shared some of my “wisdom” on Web Content Management. I am also sure that I have forgotten a few things … so most probably I will revise and resubmit on a later time. Please reach out to me. I will be happy to help!