When designing a website, many amateurs make the mistake of believing a ‘pretty’ website is all you need. Wrong! When it comes to websites, content is king. Without proper content, search engines like Google will not be able to find your site to share it with others. Visitors to your site will leave, as people cannot become engaged with ‘pretty’. But most importantly, lack of content makes your website generic, showcasing your business as no different from your competitor’s.
To create the optimal website content, you should concentrate on the following areas of to distinguish yourself:
- Navigation Text: Website users have come to expect certain categories of navigation on the sites they visit, but this does not mean you can’t be creative. The “About” page’s title may better reflect your company’s personality when titled “History and Heritage” or “Making a Difference” or even “How We Do It”.
- Copy Text: There should be at least one paragraph of detailed copy on every page of your website so search engines have something to read in their algorithm, to properly direct search traffic. Even if your home page is created just to lead people to more applicable internal pages, make sure you include a paragraph about the company, detailing the categories of what your company offers.
- Imagery: Always use imagery to stand out from your competitors. For example, every spa website seems generically the same, with the same Zen sand images, blue and tan colors, and close ups of a woman’s face looking serene. To stand out from the crowd, ignore these trends and focus on other image-themes that are less utilized, like ‘regrowth/rejuvenation’, ‘cleanliness’, or ‘energy-enhancing.’
- Audio/Video: Technology has grown to make it easy to share audio and video clips online with your audience, which helps your business demonstrate its true specialties. Remember: We humans communicate more by word and action than we ever have by the written word. As such, a narrated video-tour of your pet boarding facility will speak more to your potential consumer than any text saying “we have a clean and happy dog center.”
