I recently spoke at a networking event on the topic of website content, likening the concept to the old chestnut “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything”. In relation to content, I’m of the opinion that your website has only one real purpose – to convince customers to buy from you. If your website has content that isn’t fulfilling this purpose, it may be time to trim the fatty content out and turn your website into a lean, mean, selling machine.
I always, always ask clients looking to build brand new websites if they need help with their copy (textual content). This is because nine times out of ten, unless they’ve engaged a professional copy writer, there will be elements that don’t resonate with their brand, are far too long-winded, or contradict what’s being said elsewhere. Sometimes, it just reads a bit odd on the page or rambles on for a while, but in worse cases, bad content can actually make a business look worse than they actually are, and could even lose customers. In these cases, it may be preferable to omit the offending content altogether.
For businesses that already have websites, it may still be worth your time to go through what you’re telling your customers; chances are, the business has evolved and the focus has shifted since the content was created. It’s a tough market out there, now more than ever. Competitors in every configuration of price, speed and quality are readily available at your customer’s fingertips, so be sure to emphasise your unique and individual strengths!
