Traditionally, businesses believed that all web designing and branding agencies offered a complete website package – conceptualizing, designing, development, SEO, and web content. Some still think so.
However, over the years, progressive companies have started acknowledging that web content writing warrants a specialist approach because content marketing is about marrying your business message with great editorial instincts. Here, the challenges are many and to make matters tricky, there isn’t yet a permanent mantra for success.
So, if you are planning a new website, or upgrading your existing website, and are looking for content, here are a few things to consider:
Whatever be the objective for creating/recreating your website, the first step is to make a sitemap. It is the foundation of your website. It is the blueprint. When designing a sitemap, remember that your objective should be to educate your readers, and not to ‘just inform’ and certainly not to ‘just sell’.
With that thought being your guiding light, invest time and effort in creating a comprehensive sitemap. Involve all the key stakeholders and encourage them to add details, give suggestions, share inputs, brainstorm ideas, and list out their expectations.
A web sitemap creation requires insights and inputs from your corporate, marketing, sales, business, and HR teams. It is a collective identity. It is a culmination of their vision, experiences, thoughts, strategies, and aspirations.
If required, seek help to understand a sitemap structure, but do not outsource this crucial task. Neither your website agency, nor your content agency should be doing this. Your own people are best suited to create your sitemap.
Why am I making this website?
Who is the target audience? What do I wish to communicate?
What do I expect from this website? (Brand awareness? Sales? Both?)
How am I going to maintain this website?
Am I going to add content/update this website regularly? Is the website user-friendly or will I need to depend on a web agency for this?
A website is undoubtedly the primary point of contact for your business. Yes, it is not just an information sharing platform, but also an extremely powerful sales tool. Moreover, it is a ready reference about your company, its products and services, its people, processes, success stories and key developments. However, in cyberspace, you don’t have a swanky brick and mortar office or an enthusiastic sales representative, all you have are words, videos, and pictures, to invite, inform, and to engage.
Ensure that your website is a true representative of your real self.
Even after years of experience in writing for websites, some writers don’t know that writing for the online medium is very different (both creatively and technically) from writing a print brochure or a company profile.
The characteristics of web audiences are very different from those on the print platform. Writing relevant, engaging, and easy-to-read web content is as much of an art as a science.
Here are a few points to remember:
Flow of Information
Quick and Efficient – Easy to find
Standard ‘Intro-Body-Conclusion’ flow
Headlines
Supported with subheadlines and formatted text
A single headline is sufficient
Sentences and Paragraphs
Need to be short and crisp
Can be long-drawn and narrative
Print Resolution (dpi)
Low – Difficult to read
High – Easier to read
Distractions
Readers are often distracted due to social apps, pop-ups, GIFs, and app notifications
A reader generally finds a quiet and comfortable space to read
Speed
Readers look forward to quick reads (snack-y content) and fast information
A reader generally sets aside a dedicated time to read printed stuff
Referencing and Further Reading
Flexible – Can hyperlink to other online sources of information
Rigid – Needs to be all inclusive
Target Audience
Can be anyone, using any device, to access the World Wide Web
The key characteristics of the TA are generally known
Acquiring Audiences
Content needs to be optimized for both, readers as well as search engines – this aids discoverability
Content needs to be informative and engaging – distribution is someone else’s job
So, the next time you decide to copy-paste your brochure content on your website (or vice versa), remember these challenges your readers will face, and refrain from doing so.
Did you know? The attention span of the average Internet user is just 9 seconds per page!
Websites require a lot of different forms of content. Most of this is on the web page and directed towards the readers. However, a fair amount of content is also required for:
META Tags: Unique and descriptive META tags (Meta Title, Meta Description, Meta Keywords, Alt Tags) for the search engines – read more in Copywriting for SEO and SEO Strategy.
Flash Headers: Text that goes along with the creative images, flash headers, banners, etc.
Navigation Aids (Bread Crumbs): For large websites, portals, and e-commerce websites – making it easier to navigate. E.g. Home > Content Services > Content For Websites.
Anchor Text: It is the text that users click on (a hyperlink).
Visual Content: Videos, Infographics, Smart-arts, Graphs, Charts, etc.
Other Text: Podcasts, Downloads, Contact Us forms and Auto Reply emails, etc.
Writing web content is an adaptive process. Each topic is different and hence the style needs to be adapted according to specific needs. However, following are the general tricks of the trade:
Writing Meaningful Headlines: Readers need to quickly know if they have reached the content they are looking for. Informative headlines inform the reader that they need to stop looking and start reading. E.g.: ’Top 10 Action Movies’ is a better headline than ’Collection of Ten Best Action Movies’.
Informative Sub-headings: These add substance to the headline and aid recall. These also act as navigation cues allowing readers to jump directly to the section that interests them. Sub-headings also allow you to break the flow of text and introduce blank spaces, this eases online reading.
Inserting SEO Keywords: Only customized and original content, punctuated with the right keywords for your business and your geography, can help you attain the highly-coveted search engine success. Know more about SEO Strategy.
The World Is Your Stage: Web content should have a universal appeal, at least for your intended target audience groups. It should be as simple, with hyperlinks to reference material and Help/ FAQ menus. You never know who lands on your website.
Short Sentences and Paragraphs: Web content should be formatted such that visitors are encouraged to read. Most of us prefer to click than to scroll. Hence, your key message should be delivered through shorter sentences and smaller paragraphs.
Our deep-rooted knowledge for web content stems from our knowledge of web development and Search Engine Optimization. This allows us to follow trends and adapt to the changing habits of the web audience.
Our team of Content Architects understand and analyse your requirements. They are supported by Subject Matter Specialists who engage your in-house experts to understand your business, and the message you want to communicate. They also research, collate data, and develop the content strategy, while a team of web content writers script the prose, embed SEO keywords, and finalize the content.
We strongly recommend creating unique and original content for your websites. Nobody likes plagiarism – not your readers and certainly not the search engines!
Visit us www.lexiconn.in or drop us a line at content@lexiconn.in.
LexiConn also offers a free 30-minute content consultation session to help you with your content strategy.
Let's discuss how we can collaborate to unlock growth opportunities for your organization.
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