5 Web Design Must Haves: The Power of Content

Without content, you are just a website on the Internet without value or personality. So, what is Orlando web design without content? It is nothing. Content is one of the most powerful tools in marketing. It can drive customers to you or push them away. The way you use it can even help you target your buyer personas. Therefore, if you want a strong Orlando web design, make sure your website content is strong too.

Messaging

There are four basic questions you need to ask yourself regarding the content of your website.

• Will people know what I do within seconds?
• Will they understand what page they’re on and what it’s about?
• Will they know what to do next?
• Why should they buy/subscribe/download from this site instead of from someone else?

Ideally, you want your visitors to know the answers to these questions. It should be readily apparent what your site is about, what they can do there and why they should take action.

On your homepage and most important pages, consider these helpful tips in delivering the right message:

• Create a few headlines and sub-headline ideas for your most important pages. To combat question #4 (why should I buy from you?) use a powerful value proposition and steer clear from generic clichés, gobbledygook terms, and corporate speak.
• Make sure to include clear call-to-actions and next steps. Include links in your body copy, next step links at the end of the copy and calls-to-action wherever appropriate. Include a little direction and you’ll be glad you did.
• Test your copy. For the most accurate indication of a winning headline, use A/B testing to determine which variation drives the most conversions. You can use tools like Google’s Website Optimizer or services like 5 Second Test.

Educate and Offer Value

Even though the purpose of a corporate website is to provide information about your products and services, not everyone is ready to buy when they first hit your site. Second, remember it’s not all about you. What’s in it for them?

• Offer more than just product content. Provide eBooks, whitepapers, videos, and other forms of content that is educational. This will nurture prospects through your marketing and sales funnel until they are ready to buy, plus, they will feel as if they are receiving valuable information along the way and not just a sales pitch.
• In product-specific content, write as if you are speaking directly to your audience. Use words like “you,” and “we.” Be transparent. Make yourself sound human. Speak their language.
• Write your product content as if you are helping them solve their problems. Avoid “we are the best” speak and instead use “this is how we help you….”

Importance of Quality

knows having a lot of content is a good thing, but in the days where search engines are getting smarter and buyers are becoming more selective, quality content is truly king. Quality content is a definite must-have for any website. This includes:

• Offer unique content. People love this and so do search engines.
• Write for humans, not search engines. People don’t read like robots.
• Provide value and educational content that helps others.
• Do your research when paying for content that is written by third-party services. Some work well, others do not.
• Keep content fresh. Having news that’s two years old still sitting on your homepage will probably give your visitors a bad feeling.
• Know your audience. Providing content that is specific to your buyers makes it more relevant for them, and in turn, higher quality.
• Include evidence when needed. If stating facts, numbers, awards, testimonials and etc., try to back it up with a source and give credit when credit is due.
• Know your subject well. You probably don’t want an auto mechanic writing about brain surgery. Accurate content equals quality.

Blogging

Blogging is without a doubt one of the most important assets to any inbound marketing strategy and it’s a perfect complement to your website. Here are some reasons why you really need a blog:

• It creates fresh content and more pages of content, which is great for SEO.
• It helps establish you as an industry authority and thought leader.
• It helps drive more traffic and leads back to your website.
• It’s a great channel to converse and engage with your audience and customers.
• It’s a great way to get valuable inbound links! Blogging isn’t as difficult as you think. There are plenty of blogging tools you can use to get started. If the ability to create content regularly is your main concern, there are inexpensive blog writing services (called Content Marketplaces) like Zerys and WriterAccess that will help you get started.

Make Content Shareable and Social

Social media websites have seen and exponential growth in the past decade and continue to grow larger every day. Oftentimes people will “Like” a post, product, or blog entry, causing all of their friends to see what they like and even provide them with a link to find it themselves.

Consider this type of network effect for your own website. Make it just as easy for people to share and socialize about your content and resources. It’s almost blindingly obvious why you should take advantage of this opportunity. Providing people with excellent content that can be shared with their peers will surely increase your flow of traffic.

• Add a sharing widget or plugin to every page on your site. This will enable visitors to share your pages via all the major social networks. Tools like AddThis or ShareThis are easy to install and provide you with analytic tracking as well.
• If you’re on a blogging platform like HubSpot or WordPress, there are plug-ins available that enable people to share your articles plus auto-publish content to your social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

These five important Orlando web design must haves will help you create fresh, powerful content that drives visitors to your site.

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