The real key is for those visiting your website to be impressed, enthused, excited and involved with your content. Yet, many businesses simply don’t achieve these goals. Here are a few key factors, applicable for both a start-up or a well-established operation.
Talking in a private language
Every business type has, to some degree, its own private language. This can involve abbreviations, acronyms, technical terms and the like. Used through habit, they soon become part of everyday speech within a business. Yet, for potential customers, such terms may be unknown, unusual, and even disconcerting.
The deep level of in-company product or service knowledge is often not shared in the outside world. Here’s a tenet which is appropriate when creating content: ‘Never underestimate your audience’s intelligence, always underestimate their understanding’. Explaining or simplifying doesn’t insult the former but it does help improve understanding.
Saying what the business wants to be heard
Another content problem is in saying what that business thinks its potential customers should want to read. This can focus the content on what a product or service is, rather than what it does. Yet, a potential customer is usually looking for an answer to one over-arching question: What’s in it for me?
They want to know how a need they have will be met, how a problem will be solved, or how a desired outcome will be achieved. The facts of the product become important only in achieving this goal. Yet, many websites simply talk about a product or service and how great those producing or delivering it think it is!
Missing out key details
This is simply a sin of omission. Again it’s usually caused by the high level of insider knowledge. In a strange town, you might ask a local for directions. Often, key parts of the information will be missed or unclear. This is because that person already knows the answer. The danger lies in assuming a starting point of knowledge that strangers often don’t possess.
It’s the same when creating website content. A certain level of understanding can subconsciously be taken for granted. This means that key considerations, or important details, can be overlooked. This leaves those reading the content less likely to be coaxed into action by it.
Which brings us to the final problem…
Neglecting to add clear calls to action
Business insiders are confident about the worth or effectiveness of their products or services. So they subconsciously might not feel the need to ask for action. Imagine you are attracted to someone at a party. You chat for a while, are getting on really well. Then, you walk away without asking for their phone number! Content functions primarily to complete a transaction.
Outsider benefits
The above points offer vital evidence of why it pays to have an outside pair of eyes (and mind) working on the content (and design) for your business website. To discuss the possibilities, contact our Healy Web Design team now for an obligation-free conversation.
