So, you started a business, and, what’s more, you’ve kept that business running.
It’s all great. You’re working on your own terms. You have customers, and more keep trickling in…
But could you do more? Could you increase your lead generation so you don’t have to keep greasing that squeaky wheel?
Yes, you could. You CAN.
How do you start bringing in more leads in the background so you don’t have to market so hard?
Easy.
You need content baked into your marketing. ?
Content does it all:
Builds trust with customers
Solidifies your authority in your niche
Gets you found via Google Search
Nurtures your audience
And, once you know how to write great web content, you can rinse and repeat so your business website will be full to the brim with helpful, useful, targeted content that nurtures prospects and converts them to loyal readers, subscribers, and even buyers.
Sound good?
In this guide, we’ll get into the “how” of writing web content, including 4 simple steps.
But first, let’s touch on the “why” – why does content marketing work now more than ever? ?
Why Web Content Works Now More Than Ever
Getting content on your business website is more important than ever before.
Why?
Because publishing content helps your business marketing align with the way consumers shop.
Consumers these days are savvy:
They research their purchases because they want to know if their choices are “worth it.”
They buy from brands they trust. (According to a Raydiant survey on consumer shopping habits, customers are more likely to leave behind physical businesses with no online presence in favor of an online substitute IF they feel no loyalty to the physical business. 48.7% said they replaced products they previously purchased at physical stores with online alternatives.)
They go looking for information on just about anything that pops up during their day. (Do you have a Google trigger finger? Do you look up questions online on just about any topic? So do your customers. Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Google searches have topped 6 billion/day.)
Content works because it builds your online presence, positions you in Google search, and draws in today’s conscious, research-geared consumers.
[bctt tweet=”How do you start bringing in more leads in the background so you don’t have to market so hard? Easy. You need content baked into your marketing. ? More on content’s power + 4 steps to writing web content:” username=”ExpWriters”]
4 Key Steps to Writing Great Web Content for Your Business
Now that you know why you should create web content, it’s time to think about how.
How do you write web content that accomplishes the goals we mentioned earlier (lead generating, audience nurturing, authority building, Google ranking)?
Start with these 4 key steps. Think of them as the necessary prep work you need to do before you start putting down sentences and paragraphs. Rinse and repeat for every piece of content you write.
(And here’s the great part about doing the prep: the actual writing part will come much, much easier. ✨)
Step 1: Establish Goals for Writing Your Web Content
First up: What do you hope to get out of writing and publishing web content?
What do you hope to gain? Do you want…
More web traffic?
Greater brand awareness?
More leads?
More customer engagement?
Higher loyalty to your brand?
You can achieve any or all of these goals with your content. Choose the ones most important to you, and focus on them. They’ll guide you forward, especially when you start planning content topics to write about.
Step 2: Consider Your Audience
Over and over and over again, a question you should be asking yourself before writing web content is who are you writing for?
You’re NOT writing content for yourself. You’re not writing for your brand or clients.
You’re writing for the people who need the solutions your brand or clients offer.
“Who are you writing for?” is vital to know, but once you figure it out, don’t get too comfortable. Your audience isn’t a static entity, but rather a living, breathing, ever-changing organism.
They’re people, and people’s needs and desires grow and change right along with them.
If you keep asking “Who am I writing for?” regularly, and research to get the answer, you’ll have a good grasp on what they need from your content:
What questions do they have about your subject/topics?
What are their unique problems?
What solutions can you provide?
This laser focus on your audience is essential. It’s what differentiates successful content that gets read from the stuff that gets lost in the online content trash heap.
No time to research or write your web content? We can do every step for you. Hire our team today.
Step 3: Search Engine Optimize (for Readers, Then Google)
So, you know your audience. (If you don’t, go back to step #2 and get clear on this. You can’t move forward without that knowledge.)
Now it’s time to leverage your audience insight and use it to pinpoint your content topics and keywords.
Why? When we talk about digital content, SEO is major.
Do competitor research to see what’s resonating with their audiences. Find content you could improve on, and write your own, better versions.
Step 4: Structure & Format Your Content for the Web
The final piece to writing web content is all about how you structure and format it.
This is all about optimizing for usability – for your audience and search engines.
Web content must look different from say, physical content like books, essays, and academic writing.
You have to structure your content for screens and the low attention spans of the people behind them.
Structure your content with headers and subheaders. Split up each content piece into manageable chunks of information, so a scanning reader can find what they’re looking for on the page.
Use bulleted and numbered lists, bold text, and other types of formatting to call out important information and break up walls of text.
The days where you could throw money at ads and expect results are over. A staggering 96% of American users don’t trust ads, and they’re not alone in that.
Clearly, you need a more organic approach to generating leads if you want to grow your business, which is where expert content can help.
Websites that publish new content consistently increase their traffic by 3X on average. We’re talking 15+ articles a month, which is no small feat.
That effect only compounds as you publish more and more content. Blogs with over 300 posts get 3.5X times as much traffic as those with fewer than 50, just to give you an idea.
Here’s the problem though. If you run a business, your time has a cap.
You can’t spend all your time researching and writing, or the rest of your business will suffer.
Maybe you don’t even like to write, and that’s okay. After all, one key aspect of running a successful business is knowing what aspects of it to outsource and that’s where (professional) web content writing services come in.
[bctt tweet=”Many businesses are having a hard time generating leads and traffic. Ads aren’t even helping too. The solution? Publishing new content — consistently. @JuliaEMcCoy explains why you need web content services.” username=”ExpWriters”]
4 Reasons Why Hiring Professional Web Content Writing Services is a Smart Business Move
1. Pro Web Writers Have a Strong Grasp on SEO Best Practices
2. Expert Voices Have Fresh Takes on Your Industry
3. Professional Content Writing Saves You Time and Money
4. Seasoned Content Writers Can Help You Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Right now, you’re probably asking yourself, “How can a web content writer for hire save me money?”.
It’s true – hiring experts can be expensive, but the benefits of content writing are all too real.
The numbers speak for themselves – businesses that take content marketing seriously get up to 6x more conversions than their counterparts. That’s because great content writers can help you find an audience, tap into their needs, and speak to them through your brand.
In other words, the right web content writing service is worth their weight in gold.
If you’re not convinced yet, that’s okay! Hiring expert services isn’t something you should do lightly. That’s why we’re going to dig deep and break down all the main benefits content writing can bring to your business.
1. Pro Web Writers Have a Strong Grasp on SEO Best Practices
You’re probably familiar with SEO, at least in concept.
Search engines use complex algorithms to determine which websites they show you whenever you run a search. Google alone weighs in over 200 factors in determining which results they’re going to show you and in which position they appear.
We know what most of those factors are, but the precise formula search engines use is a secret as closely guarded as KFC’s mix of herbs and spices. Plus, search engines update their algorithms often so you can’t get around them.
Here’s the problem – as a business, you want your web content to appear as close to the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs) as possible.
On average, the first three results for any search get around 68% of all clicks within the first page. The first result alone gets 48% of all clicks, which makes it a goldmine.
As if those numbers weren’t scary enough, 90% of users don’t make it past the first page of results. Your business might as well not exist if you can’t make it to those first spots.
Getting there takes more than good writing, though.
The competition for those top results is fierce across the board and popular websites are locked in a cutthroat game of optimization to outpace each other.
To become relevant, your web content writer needs to follow best practices, such as:
Targeting the right keywords and knowing how and when to use them
Structuring and formatting content for the web
Having a specific audience in mind and optimizing your content for them
It sounds pretty simple when you break it down. However, SEO is a science, and if you want to publish content with a fighting chance of making it to the top of the result pages, you need expert writers in your corner.
[bctt tweet=”The ideal web content writer needs to know how to target and use the right keywords, how to format web content for online readers, and how to optimize your content based on your target audience. – @JuliaEMcCoy ” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Expert Voices Have Fresh Takes on Your Industry
No one knows your business better than you do. That’s a fact.
Whatever product or service you sell, it’s probably something you know inside and out. In theory, that means you’re the best person to write about it.
When you bring a new writer into your team, they’ll need to play catch-up – there’s no way around it. However, a seasoned writer knows how to take your ideas and find the perfect words to express them.
Sometimes, they’ll also have fresh takes on just what your audience wants to read about.
Just being a talented writer isn’t enough, though. What you want are web content writing chops, and here’s why:
Pro web content writers know how to get your business the attention it deserves. You know how to run a business, but writing is their business. A professional web content writing service will know how to take your products or services and find the right words to lead readers through your customer journey.
Coming up with new content ideas is hard. Writing an occasional blog post is hard enough. Now imagine doing it twice per week or more, for months and months on end. It’s enough to burn anyone out, but a seasoned content writer for hire can keep up with the demand and help you come up with new ideas.
When it comes to coming up with new content ideas, in particular, seasoned web writers will probably have experience with keyword research tools, such as SEMrush:
It’s that expert-level research that separates random blog posts from successful content. Businesses that don’t have a content strategy (we’ll return to this concept later!) can spend years blogging and not see sustainable growth.
That’s not a position you want to find yourself in.
Professional web writers can bring a lot of value to any business. The real question is whether that value is higher than what their services may cost you.
[bctt tweet=”Being a talented writer isn’t enough. Writing for the web needs pro web content writers who know how to get your business the attention it deserves using the right words for your readers. They can help too in creating new content ideas! – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
3. Professional Content Writing Saves You Time and Money
The time part of this equation is simple – writing compelling content for the web isn’t something you can do in five minutes.
Nowadays, online audiences are more discerning than ever. 87% of customers will research products online before committing to a purchase. That means without a strong online presence, your business will suffer.
Let’s say, you have an online store that sells running shoes. That’s a niche with fierce competition and a quick search for “best sports shoes for running” can give you an idea of what you’re up against.
As you can see, some madman went ahead and compiled a list of over 2,000 of the best running shoes you can buy at the moment. That is both impressive and downright scary.
The point is, breaking into the top results for competitive search terms requires a massive time investment. It’s not enough to write compelling content – that content needs to be best in class if you want to drive traffic to your business.
Just picture how long it takes to write one of those massive “best of” posts with dozens, hundreds, or thousands of entries and you begin to see the real value in professional content writing services.
More importantly, you need to keep in mind how much your own time is worth. Paying expert web content writers frees you up to take care of big-picture tasks, rather than focusing on putting together massive running shoe comparisons (unless that’s the sort of thing you like, no judgment ).
[bctt tweet=”Ranking in the top results of Google needs high-quality content — and you can’t just do that in minutes! ⏳ In creating long-form high-ROI content, expert web content writers can help you save time and money. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
4. Great Writers Can Help You Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
If you’re serious about content marketing for your business, then you need more than just the occasional blog post.
A content marketing strategy is a system that helps you achieve the following goals:
Understanding who your audience is
Planning content that offers valuable information
Putting the plan to action and writing
The delivery process, which involves scheduling, publishing, outreach, and more
Publishing a single blog post that gains traction is a great start. However, it’s just that – a start.
Content marketing is all about long-term sustainable growth. You build a house brick by brick through your content. Each new addition complements each other by bringing in more traffic and leads.
If someone promises you quick results, then they’re not a reputable content writer, but just someone looking for a paycheck. This type of marketing requires patience, but it can pay off big time.
I teach how to build a content marketing strategy step-by-step in the Content Strategy & Marketing Course. Learn more about it here.
[bctt tweet=”Look for a professional web writing service that can help you build your own content marketing strategy and knows how to apply those data — like target audience, engagement times, preferred content types — to your content. ️ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
Hire the Perfect Web Content Writing Services for Your Business
You probably have a pretty clear idea of where you want your business to be six months from now, as well as a year, or a decade down the line.
Developing a successful business takes a lot of work, so you need to take advantage of any tool and service you can that gives you an edge.
Web content writing services are an investment. Written content is far more engaging than ads, and 70% of customers would rather learn about your business by reading about it than getting barraged with sales pitches.
All you have to do is find the right words or the right content writer.
If you need web content writers for hire, check out the packages Express Writers has to offer.
Running a business in today’s market with any kind of success is impossible without some form of advertising on the Internet with a content writer. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar establishment in your neighborhood or own an online business, advertising and other kinds of written content that is visible on the Web is vital for your success.
When you have your business website set up and are just starting out, there are ways to ensure that you’re taking the path to success with your venture with a content writer.
There are a great many small online businesses that fail soon after they launch because either the webmaster didn’t have enough experience to properly handle their customer services issues, or they simply couldn’t generate enough traffic to make a profit. I’ve seen it happen firsthand.
In order to avoid this, you should make use of all online tools available to you, and one of the most vital of those tools is a professional Web content writer.
These writers can help your business grow by bringing a steady flow of traffic to your site and helping you avoid the common content errors that so many first-time web masters make with their sites.
Web Writing Should Be Unique
One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make is assuming that Web writing is the same as other kinds of writing. This is especially common if the webmaster created their own site and is confident that they can handle the content as well. However, this is usually where the problems begin; poorly optimized content fails to bring in traffic, and the site starts to fail almost instantly.
Hiring a Web content writer will allow you to avoid these problems because they understand that people who browse the Web do not read or react to material like other readers. This particularly applies to people who are looking to buy a new product or service. They are much more likely to scan text instead of reading it in depth, and if they cannot find what they are looking for right away, they tend to move on. A content writer can both draw and keep readers for your business by:
Performing keyword research in order to optimize your site’s keywords more efficiently
Use search engine optimization (SEO) to improve search engine rankings
Create fresh content for your site in order to keep its rankings high
Turn readers into paying customers with engaging, persuasive content
Creating social media posts and increasing your overall Web presence
By hiring a content writer to perform these tasks, you will not only be assured that the challenge of Web writing is being handled by a professional, but you will also have more time to spend on your site’s development and the development of new products and services.
Using Social Media
If you have considered using social media to promote your site, hiring a content writer can help streamline and improve this experience. When many small business owners first start out, they discuss their business on their personal Facebook pages and ask their family and friends to help spread the word. While they might get a few new hits, this method usually is not successful. When you hire a content writer for your business, they can create a Fan Page on Facebook that is dedicated to your products and services. Not only will they write up a fresh and creative description of what you sell, but they will also discuss how buying it will benefit anyone who visits the page. Because these Fan Pages are often the first exposure to your product that people will experience, it is vital that they are easy to read and explain in a direct way what your product is and why they should spend money on it.
One error many web masters make when they create these pages is that they try to be clever or too subtle about what they’re offering, and people simply end up being confused instead, so they click away. A Web content writer is often experienced in creating material for business and consumer sites and can build a Facebook Fan Page that will attract readers both on and off the site.
A Higher SEO Standard
Understanding SEO is one of the most important factors of how well your site ranks on major search engines and how much traffic they drive to your site. Other than link building and banner ads, which take major time, effort, and may not always be successful, SEO is the most important factor when it comes to being a presence online. This is why hiring a content writer for your business is so important; the better they can optimize your keywords and raise your rankings, the more hits you will receive.
Many web masters believe reading a few SEO articles will enable them to choose the right keywords and use them effectively, but this is a task that is better left to a professional, especially where profit is involved. While you might choose the right keywords, overusing them will flag Google’s Penguin algorithm, which scans sites for pages that engage in keyword stuffing. This will cause your page ranking to plummet or even worse, it will not show up in the search results at all. When a content writer creates the material for your site, he or she will avoid these problems to ensure that your page’s ranking remains consistently high.
Efficient Site Turns Web Browsers Into Customers
When people who browse the Web click on a business site, the probability that they will become a customer is directly related to how long they stay on the site. The longer they stay and the more the content engages them, the more likely they will spend some money.
A content writer can help this happen by writing persuasive yet straightforward material for your landing page. The quicker a would-be customer can get the information he or she is looking for, the more satisfied they will be. Content writers can cut through extraneous information to get to the meat of the matter quickly, which avoids reader frustration, the number-one reason that usually causes them to click away from a page.
By targeting what readers are looking for and giving it to them the moment they arrive on the site, content writers can turn browsers into customers, increasing your profits and paving a path to success for your business.
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