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Struggling with writing content for your website?
Posted by Andy Smith (andy) on May 07 2009 at 12:33 PM
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7) If its an offer, make it time related.
We have offers on print that end on the last day of the month. The last week of every month is manic here.  Now tell me that time related offers don't work!

6) Get someone else to tell the story
Can you include a clients comments to give the content some third party credibility?  Add a photograph for even more impact.

5) Have a purpose
Why are you writing the piece?  Think about what you want the reader to do when they get to the bottom of the text and then ask them to do it.  It's called a 'call to action' and often overlooked.  Be specific, ask them to call you, email, or ask for samples (that last one won't work for banks.).

4) Make it snappy
Don't waffle and write in short sentences.  This will improve the readability as people tend to scan on websites.  Bulleted lists are good to break up paragraphs.

3) Make it original
Don't copy and paste from other peoples sites.  If you get found out (and its easier than you might think) your credibility goes out the window.

2) Make it useful
If you can add some genuinely useful information, people are more likely to hang around, come back for more and trust you as an expert.  If you are an IT expert, write about 10 keyboard shortcuts that are really useful (Windows key + D for the win!) and let people download it for free.  Make sure your phone number is on the bottom!

1) Check Spelling.
Grammar rules can be relaxed on websites, depending on your style.  If you are in a business where everything needs to be just so, then be careful starting your home page with 'Hey Buddy', but there is no excuse for bad spelling.

Finally, just do it!  Don't let your website get out of date.  If you are struggling with updating your website, like some advice or want some content written for you, we're all ears: 01952 457392 or email andy@runtimeuk.com