Do I have to write more content?
This is a question that I am asked often by clients when I get to the content writing portion of a new website project. You see, what happens is we will give them what we call a working content document that outlines what they need to have on each page of their website according to their site navigation. After this is when they have to go back to their office and start writing about what it is that they do, what products they sell, etc.
Most will find that writing the Homepage, About Us page and the forms come very easily. What they don’t expect is that writing about their different categories and products is not so fun. It did sound like fun before starting but now…this is work!
Here I come in again, at this point we need to make sure that we are writing as if we are talking (selling) to a prospective customer face to face. After all, many have decided to upgrade or redesign with the thought that this will be a sales tool or even a virtual salesperson. So, we need to make sure that we are populating the content in the same manner than our original reason for doing this project was.
Now, after writing this content many times I need to go back again and ask for more content. You see, content is still KING in the online world. Search engines love it, viewers love it—so we need to do it. I will not stop asking for more content from my clients, and will always ask for it ahead of time as well. What we need to remember is the reason we started the web project in the first place. Hopefully that reason is to increase your business and add dollars to your bottom line.
If you have real world salespeople you would train them on what to say and express how and what your product is and does, Right? So why would you not want to get that into words on your website—this can be your best salesperson ever and you don’t have to pay them a commission!
My takeaway here is simple: write, write, write until you have explained exactly what it is you or what your product can do for your customer. If you need help then hire a good copywriter, you will be happy you did.
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Thanks for this, Scott!
As an ecommerce Web copywriter I often see ecommerce websites that have content in all the pages you mention, but they use canned manufacturer’s product descriptions. Or worse, they offer bare-bones descriptions that often don’t even provide the basics, like measurements.
They need people like you to remind them that content is King as in “Ka-ching”!
Comment by Anita — November 2, 2011 @ 8:19 am