It seems that no matter the business or client, getting website content organized is like pulling teeth. It’s almost always a challenge.
I’ve worked on an embarrassing number of website projects that began design and development phases with virtually zero content, or legacy content that we knew would eventually be replaced once the website was live.
I’m not even going to address the SEO value of content here, I’m just talking about basic website content.
Why is Website Content a Challenge?
Reason #1 – It’s dreadfully boring. It usually involves work that is tedious and uninteresting. Planning, copywriting, copyediting, revising, finalizing (and revising again later).
Reason #2 – Nobody is made responsible. There is nobody who is formally responsible for organizing the content. Alternatively, there is somebody from the business that is given the responsibility, but they are either busy with other tasks or are not personally invested in the website project – an engineer, for example.
Reason #3 – Nobody has time to do the work. James from the marketing team may have accepted the job of spearheading content, but he’s also buried in his normal day-to-day responsibilities. The same issue can arise with agency copywriters who are already saddled with other projects. The end result is that content can take a long time to organize, or it was rushed and is of poor quality.
Reason #4 – Responsible party lacks domain expertise. If you’re working with an agency or freelance copywriter, they may be masters of correct grammar and narrative style, but they probably won’t be very knowledgeable about engineering custom pressure vessels (or whatever your niche is).
Reason #5 – Lack of unifying vision. This is a tricky one to nail down, and is usually why agencies employ talented designers and project managers. You might be able to talk about your products or services ad-nauseam, but organizing that body of work into a unified vision that is simple, engaging, and valuable is the real challenge.
Content Strategy Through the Lens of the User Journey
When a new user visits our website, we want them to learn something useful, engage with our business, and maybe even share some of their hard-earned cash. That sentiment isn’t meant to be malicious; it’s just a matter of fact that any given user experience –including websites – is going to be transactional in some way.
Let’s look at the key phases of a typical user’s journey:
- Discovery. User finds the website somehow – either a business card you gave them personally, or from an online search.
- Evaluation. User evaluates the look, feel, and content of your website to determine if it aligns with what they want to see. Sometimes, they compare this to other businesses’ offerings.
- Conversion. The user takes an action that places them somewhere in the revenue-generating funnel.
- Purchase. After some deliberation and back-and-forth communication, the user transforms from a prospect into a customer (or client).
- Bonus: Retention. If you deliver on the users’ expectations the first time, they may come back again in the future. If you’re lucky, they’ll even tell others about you as an unofficial brand ambassador.
When we understand how the user journey works for our unique business, we can implement strategies that make the journey easier and more efficient. For example, SEO is primarily about capitalizing on the Discovery phase by publishing website content that has inherent value and drives new organic web traffic.
Getting Started with a Rough Outline
Your average small business probably doesn’t need more than 5-10 pages on their website. No matter the client or size of the business, I always start with these four essential pillars:
- Homepage – The first thing your users see. The homepage needs to create a strong first impression and establish credibility for your business.
- Commercial Value (Products or Services) – Every business has something that is commercially valuable to them – something that drives revenue and growth (at least, in theory). That might be physical products, or a professional service.
- Company Profile (About) – From the user’s perspective, “Who are you and why should I trust you?”
- Call to Action (Contact or Request Quote) – The user has gathered enough information that they’ve decided to start a conversation. How can they contact you?
Is there more to it? Yeah, absolutely, but this is just to get us started. As we start building content, it will become more obvious which pieces are missing.
Homepage: Creating First Impressions of Your Business
Ask any web designer what the most important page on a website is and they will probably say it’s the homepage.
The first page a user visits when they discover your website is called the landing page. For the majority of sites, this is the homepage. It is probably the first thing users will see related to your business. It immediately establishes your brand and communicates what you do. If you’re lucky, it does this well and you’ve already created some credibility and trust with the user before they’ve even evaluated your services.
What Content Should Your Homepage Include?
- What do you do, in general?
- What do you do, specifically?
- Why should I trust your business to deliver on my expectations?
Notice the hierarchy of bullet points here from general to specific. The primary function of your business should be obvious within a few seconds of the page loading. Here’s two examples of a highly visible marketing messages at the top of a homepage:
“Serving North Texas Since 1979”
“Plumbing Problem? We Fix Busted Pipes”
Which do you think is more effective at communicating the function of the business?
Commercial Value: Presenting Your Products & Services
If there is any place on your website for you to talk about how great your business is at what it does, this is it. Your product and service pages are like a resume being reviewed by a potential employer. I’m probably not going to contact you just because you build fences – I want to see why you should build MY fence.
It’s not always necessary to get users to commit to purchasing at this point. The real goal is to engage them and for them to view your business as a viable option. How can your prospect make a purchase decision between multiple choices if you don’t give them something they can use for comparison?
What Content Should Your Commercial Pages Include?
- What exactly are you selling?
- What makes your product or service valuable (or useful)?
- What makes your product or service unique from others like it? What is the value proposition?
- How can I learn more? Or, how do I contact you?
Company Profile: Build Credibility by Telling a Story
The company profile page, often phrased as “About Us”, is the one place where you can and should talk about yourself.
Your business is family owned, gives back to the community, and has a wonderful story to tell about humble beginnings and a dedication to service. This is your opportunity to build a narrative around your business that builds additional credibility and authority for your users.
Have you ever looked at a business online and wondered whether it’s run by real people? It’s easier to place our trust in people we can see as opposed to a faceless business entity with a logo plastered on top. This is why we keep the About page – it is the most humanizing, relatable component of our site.
What Content Should Your Company Profile Page Include?
- What does your business do?
- What sets your business apart from competitors?
- What are your values, goals and/or mission statement?
- Who are the actual people behind the business entity?
Call to Action: Making it Easy to Contact You and Communicate With Your Business
Your contact page needs to do one thing: make it incredibly easy to talk to you. Whether that’s your physical location for a walk-in, your phone number, or a contact form – do not make the mistake of burying the lead here.
Have you ever visited a restaurant’s website and been unable to find the menu? That frustration is exactly what we want to avoid when it comes to communicating with customers. Make it easy.
What Content Should Your Contact Page Include?
- Business Name
- Physical Address or Location
- Phone Number
- Contact Form
- Miscellaneous Contact Methods
- Supplemental content, reviews, testimonials, etc.
Don’t Forget About User Intent
Website organization ultimately comes down to a structured hierarchy of pages with formatted areas of content.
We organize pages in a specific way because it more closely aligns with the user’s intent, which makes their experience faster and easier.
Imagine we didn’t structure websites (or textbooks) this way. Let’s say you sat down and wrote everything about your business in Microsoft Word in paragraph format and published it to your homepage. You would have a very boring essay on your hands that few people are interested in reading.
If somebody wants to hire a contractor to build a fence, then we should make it easier for them to get the information they need to confidently make a purchasing decision.
And when they’re ready to convert, it’s time to get the hell out of the way and make it as simple as possible.
