Content is vital when it comes to online marketing, and many website owners understand this and take steps toward improving their web copy. Yet others are still just groping their way toward grasping this basic idea. Updating your web content on a regular basis might become a dreary job after a while, but it’s critical in maintaining your reader’s interest.
What to Do, What Not To Do – For Your Website Copy
Just as you don’t go to work wearing the same shirt every day, you need to refresh the content of your website constantly or people will steer away. Staying up-to-date may not be easy, but it’s not an impossible thing to achieve if you put in some discipline and follow a simple, common sense strategy.
Nothing New Under the Sun: Socrates’ Method
One way to approach your content repositioning is using the right questions to get the answers you need. Imagine you’re standing in front of a building with several entrances. You need to get in but you don’t know which door is the right one because none of them have an ENTER sign. You have to get in on the first attempt, otherwise you’ll be late for a potentially life-changing appointment.
One way to figure this out is to adopt what’s known as Socrates’ method. It’s called maieutics. Behind the weird name there’s something pretty simple. Yes, greatest accomplishments often stem from the simplest ideas that stare you in the eye. Essentially, Socrates’ idea was that truth is somewhere in your mind, but to get to it, you need to ask questions. Good questions, smart questions, which will eventually uncover the truth, and provide you with the answer you’re looking for. It’s what you need to do to find your way into your reader’s mind in order to write fresh and effective web content.
Why Is Fresh Content Mandatory for Websites?
Although the phrase Content is king has become an underlying principle of quality copywriting, many still fail to grasp its real significance. Why is content vital for your business success? Because it makes the difference between staying on top and being left out. Because now it’s the most important thing that search engines, and this means Google, care about. If your content gets stale, your website will get discarded by Google, and although you may have a great offering for your clients, something they need and desire, you will become just another face in the crowd that Google won’t recognize because it’s not different enough to rank well.
Therefore, fresh content is a must if you want Google to spot you and people to find you. Fresh content has become a mantra lately, is emphasized by Google, and taken seriously by business-driven website owners. It’s a rule of thumb that can make the difference between conversion and oblivion.
Search Engines Buy Your Ticket to the Show, But Don’t Forget You’re Playing For an Audience
When writing web copy you want to be visible to search engines so that your website or blog ranks well in searches, but don’t ever forget this is just a means to an end, not an end in itself. Your ultimate goal is hooking and mesmerizing your audience. To achieve this, you’ve got to take that leap and be them. Your content should always respond to your readers’ needs and desires if you want them to stick around. Quality web content that works has two outcomes: it helps and it entertains. Fresh content that is both useful and enjoyable is key for business success.
But what are the must do’s for fresh website copy?
Here’s the top 5:
1) Update Your Content Regularly
By posting new content every week you will improve your ranking and let people know you are there, alive and kicking.
2) Always Use Images
Adding images to your text will make it friendlier and more enticing. An appealing image can sometimes be as effective as a great headline, stirring people’s curiosity and prompting them to read. But make sure your text is at least as interesting as the picture.
3) Find Your Own Voice and Stick to It
Coherence and consistency are essential if you want people to recognize and remember you. A pretty face may help you offline, but online you’ve got to rely on your voice—that is your writing—to draw attention. Be friendly and informal if your business allows it, and avoid sounding stuffy or uptight, whatever your niche.
4) Always Edit Your Content
Your content may be fresh, interesting, and really valuable and beneficial to your visitors, but remember that poor grammar and punctuation can be a major turn off, and will undermine your credibility. Make sure you proof read everything before posting it.
5) It’s All About Sharing
To increase your website traffic, write engaging content that people will feel compelled to share. Insert social media buttons on your website and blog, and urge readers to share content. Theirs and yours.
By following these 5 simple do’s when writing your web copy, you will find it easier to create fresh content that increases traffic and boosts your Google ranking.