How to come up with killer website content and drive SEO

First impressions count, so when it comes to crafting the content for your website, it has to be spot on. You must charm the pants off potential clients, send them into a clicking frenzy to find out more about your products and services, and have them whipping out their credit cards and entering those magic numbers before they can say, “online shopaholic”. How?

Here are 7 tips to creating killer website content and helping to drive SEO.

1) Write like jovial Jack, not pompous Percy

Nobody wants to talk to the bloated fellow in the corner of the pub with the supercilious smirk and the arrogance of Kanye West. People like friendly souls, which is why you should use conversational English in your website and avoid jargon at all costs. If you want people to congratulate you on how clever you, try your mummy, not your customers. Ditch the corporate speak and keep content simple, welcoming and engaging.

2) Be concise but informative

A great website will have all the necessary information, without being too wordy and sending visitors to sleep. The goal is to hook the visitor on the home page, so make sure you explain how customers will benefit from your products and services. Tell people what you can do for them, pronto. Sussing out what competitors are doing is a great start when trying to come up with website content. Do your homework, and it will pay off.

3) Simplify the navigation menu

While creativity is key with your content, it’s best to keep the navigation menu as straightforward as possible. People don’t have time to decipher what you mean by abstract page titles, plus they often sound wanky. Nobody gives a toss about your company “realising a dream”, but they might want to read your “about us” section to make sure you’re not a Nigerian conman.

4) Research keywords

When it comes to creating website content, SEO should be at the top of your mind. If you can nab the top spot in Google, that equates to roughly 33% of the traffic, and potentially more sales. Think about the keywords or phrases people type into a search engine when looking for your product/ service, then use those words throughout your copy. Beware, Google penalises sites that overuse keywords, so be clever in the way you disperse them throughout your site.

5) Use sharp headings

People are strapped for time and often just skim the information on your website. Your headings can either snare visitors or send them packing. Try to incorporate your SEO keywords into headings where possible and make sure the titles are sexy and snappy.

6) It’s called a blog, not a bog

Incorporating a blog into your website is a great way to make sure it is constantly updated with fresh content. However, you can’t just create a steaming pile of cow dung and expect people to consume it eagerly and share it with friends. You must invest time and energy into your business blog and make sure it’s consistent. BuzzSumo is a fantastic online tool to find out which blogs have been shared the most online. For more inspiration, check out Ink Big Copywriting’s recent post about how to write a business blog here.

7) Invest in imagery

A picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure you use high-quality photos that will appeal to visitors. You can source images from online photography providers such as iStock, but they are generic and ubiquitous nowadays. Rather, it’s a better idea to pay a photographer to capture fresh images of your products and business in order to illustrate what you do. Embedding videos into websites is also a good SEO technique, and helps to reduce the bounce rate on the page.

If you’re overwhelmed and finding it difficult to craft your website content, it may be worth employing the services of a copywriter. Ink Big Copywriting can help create compelling content with SEO in mind. Please get in touch by emailing: hello@inkbig.com.au.