Our world is increasingly dependent on technology, and brick-and-mortar storefronts are becoming less and less common. Instead, businesses are creating online shops and websites to serve as their storefront. As such, the success of an online shop is usually a reflection of how effective their web design and website content is.
A website tells the audience exactly what to expect from a business. From the overall aesthetic down to the smallest design details. Essentially – what you put on your site matters. As such, you want to be careful and purposeful when planning out content for your website.
How Content Marketing Works
Content doesn’t mean just writing. It encompasses the images, videos, and the overall design of a site. Furthermore, content serves as more than just information—it’s marketing.
Everything on your website should convince readers to rely on your business for their needs. For content strategy, Brisbane business owners should consider every detail of what they choose to publish on their website – including possible aspects they might have overlooked. Covering all possibilities makes for efficient content marketing, which translates to a fantastic return on investment.
So what makes for a great content strategy? Here are ten tips for creating a successful website for your company.
Successful Content Strategy Tips & Ideas
1 – Review your current website content
Before you do anything else, go over your current content first.
Some of the copy you already have might just need some tweaking. Re-working and improving your current copy will save you a lot of time and can help focus your vision for the future. While you are reviewing the copy, search for typos or awkward wording and begin to correct those.
Go through and review the images on your website. If the current imagery needs improvement, go through your photo assets and look for better alternatives that have high resolution for easier viewing.
Also, keep an eye out for repetitive content that seems unnecessary. There’s a difference between encouraging readers to buy and hammering them with the same message.
2 – Know your target demographic
While you are either writing new content or correcting existing things, take some time to consider your target audience. Consider the keywords that would attract your target audience. Carefully use this information to shape the current copywriting and imagery on your website. If what you have doesn’t suit the intended audience, you can determine how to change it.
Ultimately, the adage of marketing of “know your customers” proves accurate time and again. Knowing your audience will create more engaging content, which will lead to more customers and higher retention rates.
3 – Create a Site Map
A site map serves as a blueprint for your website. It’s similar to how an architect uses plans to create a building. It will show you the grouping of content and how you could or should move it around.
There are a lot of different programs and websites you can use to help you create a site map, such as GlooMaps and FlowMapp. These programs will help you plot out where you can put things or make edits in the future.
Site maps can help you determine how you organize pages and if you need subpages. Is one page enough, or do you need to split it?
Plan it out before you start publishing. Less is always better, but make sure you have sufficient information. Sitemaps are also great for SEO!
4 – Don’t focus on SEO content alone
A mistake that people make often is focusing on keywords too much and overloading their content.
While keywords are necessary and help your page rankings on search engines, they can make content difficult to read. More significantly, overcrowding with keywords can decrease your rankings because people won’t be clicking or staying on your pages. Finding that balance is essential.
Use your keywords, but make sure you are writing for human beings and not just a search engine. Instead of repeating the same types of keywords, use synonyms or similar phrases so that content flows but doesn’t become repetitive.
A good rule of thumb is to use one keyword per page and use variances to bulk up the content. Also, break up any big blocks of texts with things like bullet points and images so that it’s easier to view on a computer or mobile screen.
5 – Use CTAs consistently
The point of content marketing is to make casual readers into customers. The best way to do that is through CTAs, or calls to action.
As the name implies, these calls encourage readers to act. Consider calls such as ‘contact us’, ‘click to learn more’, and ‘buy now’. CTAs work best at the end of a content piece, such as at the end of a blog or social post caption. The CTA should always relate to the type of content being advertised.
6 – Keep your website content up-to-date
Don’t update your site once and then leave it. Staying up to date is the best way to stay relevant.
You will have to plan to update your pages frequently. If your products or services change, don’t wait too long to update your inventory or pages. If you pass milestones or have a particularly successful service, then let your readers know!
Frequent updates will also ensure your content remains relevant and engaging. It will also keep your bounce rate low, and search engines will prioritize your website more.
7 – Write about them, not about you
While your audience must know the “story” of your business, there is a difference between storytelling and “storyselling”.
It seems counter-intuitive since the point of content is to turn readers into buyers. However, instead of talking only about your business, you should focus on how your business can help them.
Avoid solely focusing on how great your business is. Give evidence of your success through customer testimonials. Appeal to your audience with straightforward language, not industry-specific jargon. Make it about them, not you.
8 – Use interesting and relevant images
Throwing pictures and videos on your page for the sake of diversification is not practical. Just as your CTA should relate to the text, so too should the videos and images.
Images keep your page from being an unreadable block of text, so they are essential in keeping people interested.
Images don’t have to be pictures, either. You can use graphs, charts, or other related items.
9 – Group website content by similarities
This point relates to your site map, but it is worth pointing out again: group your content by topic.
You can’t have different topics on one page, or your site feels jumbled and awkward. Your site will look more organized and easier to follow with logical grouping.
If your site is easy to follow, your conversion rates are also likely to increase. Customers will be able to find what they need, and they’ll feel more comfortable buying from you.
10 – Use help where you can
If you have a team, delegate tasks to keep your website up to date and keep your content cohesive. Remember, you don’t have to do it all alone.
You also can hire an agency to help with a result-focussed content strategy. If you need help, it is out there for you.
Conclusion
When it comes to content marketing, Brisbane business owners are at the forefront of innovation. Implementing these strategy tips will point your website in the right direction.
A professionally-designed website by a web design agency can significantly help your business achieve higher results. We can help you organise your website, enrich your content with SEO tactics that work, and polish the design with beautiful imagery.
For more information on making a powerful and effective website for your business, get in touch today.
