Nowadays when people are interested in a company, product or service they’re likely to log on to the Internet and do their research to figure out where to go for the best deal. It’s the reason why your company got a website in the first place – to help people find you online and gain clientele. Just an online presence, however, is very 1999. It’s your website copy and presentation that will help prospective clients decide whether to do business with you.
First impressions can create a lasting impact and, when it comes to websites, this can work in your favour; however, it could also work against you. Far too many local businesses take the step to reserve their spot in cyberspace, yet never bother going beyond “Under construction”; or else they simply put up an image and their company’s particulars and leave it at that. It’s proof of the misconception that just “being” online is enough to reel in the business that you usually would using traditional media. However the missing element that can help you drive your business forward online is your website’s content.
Your website is the online face of your company the shop window on the high street. In the same way that you (ought to) have a standard professional greeting messaging when answering an incoming call, your website needs to maintain the same professional standards in its appearance and text. If I come across a website that has bad grammar and worse spelling I’ll break out in a sweat, start hyperventilating and direct my now badly shaking hand to the red X in the corner. Now that might be exaggerated, but the fact is that a poorly written website will have a negative effect on your company’s reputation.
Stuffing your company website with useless bits of information that are irrelevant to your business is not the solution to gaining more clients, but, well formulated content that pertains to your company and its products or services could set you apart from your competitors, both locally and abroad.
Your website content needs to read well as much as it needs to look good. You wouldn’t use a very small font on your site because it would be difficult to read and browsers would get annoyed and just move on to another site. In the same way, badly written text is also difficult to read and the consequences will be the same. Whether you prefer your website to have huge chunks of text or to be sparse with its content – there are various opinions about this – the important thing is that each word and sentence is correct and does not distract your potential customer. Mixing up words like their and they’re does not help your company’s reputation. If you can’t give your website the finishing touches that it needs, just how thorough are you with your services? Clients are a demanding breed who will nitpick and make assumptions based on what they see.
Your website is your 21st century marketing channel; your chance to tell people about your company, your products, your services. What makes you the preferred choice? Why should they fill in your contact form? Why should they download your brochure? The fact that people can get information from the comfort of their homes without having to visit your offices is a convenience that they want to take advantage of. However they need to be convinced that they are not wasting their time by visiting your site, and the way in which you can do this is through the words that you choose to use. Make their visit and informative and entertaining one; don’t allow them to stumble over any errors. Ensure that all information is kept up-to-date and show prospective clients that your company is current and cares about their customers.
If your company has a funny startup story, relate it in the About Us page. It will help lessen the gap between you, as the business and the web user, as the potential client. By making your company sound more friendly and less austere you are creating a relationship with your website browsers. Naturally, if you are an investment firm, relating a story about how you gambled your shareholders’ money in order to win more money would not be the best path to follow. Any anecdotes or quotes always need to conform to the values of the company and need to be well-written.
The process taken for a prospective client to become an actual client (who has traded their money for your product/service) goes through several stages; in a nutshell it involves the client deciding that they need the product/service to researching what’s available on the market to actually paying for it. Optimizing your website copy to suit the needs of prospective clients will improve your chances of being their supplier of choice, thus resulting in more sales.