Website
Despite the revolutionary impact of social media, website content is still critical to the digital success and perception of businesses. We went into greater detail about how important it is to update your website content regularly in our most recent blog post, Why Website Content Matters, but even if you know why, there’s still the where, when, and how of posting website content to figure out. Here we provide some easy-to-implement steps on how frequently you should be sharing content on your site, where you should be sharing it, and what type of content you should be sharing.
The most important thing to remember is that consistency is key. Whether it’s posting new content once a week or once a month, the most important thing is to stick to that schedule. Customers need consistency so that they can know when to expect to see new material when they visit your website. If you consistently post a blog post three weeks in a row, and then miss the next three, reliability can be questioned.
Even if you can only commit to posting or updating once a month, make sure you commit so that customers can rely on the schedule you set, and in turn rely on your business. Assess your availability and level of commitment, set goals that are achievable and stick to them.
There’s nothing worse than going to a website, hoping to find the information or product you need, and being totally confused on not only where to find what you need. Making sure the structure of your content is easily navigable by having everything organized and nested under the appropriate pages, is absolutely critical in making sure people know they’re in the right place and can find what they need as soon as they land on your website.
Consider a clothing store’s website. When you land on their page, they immediately provide two - three options for you to click on: the Mens, Womens, or Kids department. After clicking on one of those three departments, you are immediately funneled even further into shoes or shirts or pants. So in less than 5 seconds, customers are able to arrive exactly where they wanted to be when they originally landed on the website, whether it’s on the women’s t-shirts or kids’ shoes pages.
Whether you offer home remodeling services, auto sales, or government services, this is a practice that should be in place on everyone’s website. Make it as quick and easy as possible for people to navigate through your content with the use of up to date imagery or nested menus.
According to Webfx, 34% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase (even an unplanned one!) after receiving personalized content from a website. In practice, this may look like blog posts that specifically address your ideal customers, pop up notifications on your website offering services or products you think your customer might be visiting your website for, or making sure the copy you use on your website is always highly relevant to the needs and interests of your ideal customers.
Coming up with this style of content, may sound easier than it actually is, so our recommendation is to set aside 20 - 30 minutes for a brainstorming session in which you write a list of anything and everything your customer might be interested in (even if it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your business). From that list, you can find areas where your business and their interests intersect or that you have knowledge that might be particularly useful to share with your customers.
As for the format of content, here are three quick guidelines to consider:
As we wrap up, we know that was a lot of information, so to summarize, just keep in mind these points:
When you focus on these three areas, you’ll create an enjoyable and informative experience for every existing or potential customer that is visiting your website. When your customer’s can quickly and easily find the information they need from your website, they’ll trust the credibility of your business and will be more likely to become a repeat, loyal customer… something we all want!
