Website Content: Your Biggest Sales Driver

If you have a small business or startup, you're probably an all-in-one shipper, customer representative, and web developer. While you want a flashy website with video, audio, and all sorts of other material, marketing research finds quality website content drives sales and is the biggest factor affecting online traffic.

Quality Website Content Drives Sales

Ninety-two percent of marketers report that content creation is either “very” or “somewhat” effective for search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing love high-quality content. In fact, their newest algorithms direct web surfers to the most relevant, high-quality websites. Superior, frequently updated content equals higher rankings on search engines.

Posting relevant information in the form of blogs, articles, or whitepapers can help develop closer customer relationships. The relevant information you're providing gives them your perspective as an industry expert. Customers may be more willing to do business with you because you're a thought leader who provides valuable content.

Knowing Your Audience

Before we begin any conversation on the types of content to put on your webpage, know your audience. You can have all the content in the world, but if you're missing your target audience, it's not going to have the desired results.

First, determine who your high-value customers are. This can help you find a persona for your website and determine how to target an audience. For example, if research shows that your target customers are 20-something millennials, retirement villages in Florida aren't going to be relevant. You may have to design your site with a minimalist aesthetic and post about the latest technological trends.

Types of Quality Website Content That Drives Sales

Once we establish a target audience, then we can talk about types of content:

• Think of each blog as an opportunity to provide your audience with relevant information and a way to subtly work in your sales pitch. They also provide an excellent opportunity to boost organic search rankings.

• Products and services. When discussing your product or service on your site, provide enough information to generate interest. Then, insert a clear, compelling CTA.

• Show the audience your business is growing. Share interesting content, and then position your business in the subject matter. It's an opportunity to look like the industry expert and insert your sales pitch.

• Social media. Do you want a successful social media presence? Then have interesting, fresh content with a mix of entertaining and serious material. This content then becomes sharable content, and those shares boost brand awareness.

Simple Tips for Good Web Copy

• Web surfers are usually impatient. Give them just enough to satisfy them, and then provide a clear directive (such as a contact form) if they want to know more.

• Let your content create a smooth transition from the conversation you're having with the customer to the CTA.

• Don't misspell or use bad grammar. This hurts your credibility.

• Let your content have energetic and descriptive words. Active writing engages your audience.

• Do your homework. Use analytic tools to research what people want to know more about, and then write on these topics. Cater to your customer with your content.

As a new small business, realize the biggest key to your success online is your content. You don't need a huge budget to create quality content. High-quality website content drives sales and gives you a great SEO boost. Know your audience, and see that every blog post or news article is just another opportunity to educate and subtly sell to your audience.

 

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This article, "Website Content: Your Biggest Sales Driver" was first published on Small Business Trends