Three rules for building a website you can be proud of

Your website will do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to your content marketing. If you think of all your various content channels as a sort of spider web, your site exists as the central hub.

With the right SEO approach, it’ll be a place where readers experience your business for the very first time. It’ll also be linked back to across other communication channels - such as emails and social media. In short, getting your website right is important. So, today, we’re here to help you make sure you get it right.

We could probably write a whole book on what first-class website copy looks like - and, more importantly, what it doesn’t look like. But, for now, we’re covering three of the most basic rules to follow when building a website to be proud of. Which brings us nicely onto point one…

Remember that less is more

Less is also more when it comes to your website copy itself. This also goes for your design - too much busyness will only distract from your core messaging - but let’s just focus on the words. When was the last time you read a website in its entirety? And we mean every single word on every single page. It’s probably very rare, because who has time for that? What people tend to do is scan. They’ll take in a subheader and some keywords, but they’re not going to linger initially. Research shows it takes about 0.05 seconds for readers to form an opinion on your website and decide whether they want to stick around or not.?

You simply haven’t got the time to waffle. If your reader can’t gather what your business does, your personality and values, and, most importantly, the value you add to their lives, in a matter of seconds, they’ll probably click off and look elsewhere. Harsh, but true. It also only takes 2.6 seconds of scanning before a user focuses in on a particular section, meaning you haven’t got the space to waffle, either. A long page that demands a lot of scrolling will quickly lose the interest of your audience.

Hence why less is more. Writing exceptional website copy is a true test of writing clearly and concisely. Of condensing powerful messaging into neat, little packages. If there are small details you need to include, give them their own page.

Our top tips for keeping your website copy on the lighter side? Get rid of the jargon. Get rid of all the fluffy, filler words such as meaningless adjectives that don’t actually tell your audience anything. You can also use visuals like bullet points to break up larger chunks of text.

Don’t be selfish

Now, we know this one sounds counterproductive. But your website copy shouldn’t be all about you. A selfish website talks exclusively about the business and how great it is. It goes into excruciating detail about the founding story, all the challenges it’s overcome as a brand, and how ‘innovative’ and ‘technologically advanced’ the product or services are.?

An effective website only talks about the business in as much as how it makes your readers’ lives better. How your product will save them X amount of time or money. How your piece of technology will significantly streamline their own business and daily operations, for example.

This can also be helpful when looking to condense your website copy as per our first point. If you’ve got a ton of preamble about your business and its journey before you get to the benefits you add to your customers’ lives, you’ve got some easy cuts to make.

Prioritise the customer experience

We couldn’t share our top rules for winning websites without mentioning the customer experience - i.e. how your website is designed. First impressions are 94% design related. Meaning no matter how brilliant your website copy, if it’s displayed in a user-unfriendly way, it’s never going to reach its full potential.

You want your website design to guide readers through the site. To put all your expertly crafted copy in front of their eyeballs. Lots of buttons and small CTAs throughout will encourage readers to explore the depth and breadth of your site, not just your homepage.?

There are a lot of business websites out there. A lot of which will offer the very same products or services as you. But, there are also a lot of ineffective websites out there. By taking the time to get your website right, you can gain a competitive advantage and secure more market share.?

If you’re struggling to produce written copy that accurately and effectively sells your brand, then Coster Content can help. Whether you want to improve your internal team’s written communication through training, or outsource your content needs entirely, contact us on 0161 413 8418.