How do you create a website that’s, well, perfect? While the answer might vary depending on who you talk to, those of us who know good sites from less good sites will all agree it’s the right combo of the following ingredients:
Beautiful design
User-friendly UX
Smart content
Here are the major content items you should have on your website, and how to make sure your message is right on point.
Homepage – Keep Things Welcoming and Tidy
Your homepage is your website’s welcome mat – so the text you choose to put here not only sets the stage for the rest of your website, it will be the deciding factor of how your first impressions are received. And everyone knows: it’s the first impression that counts the most. So don’t disappoint! The text on your homepage should be in line with your brand’s voice and unique tone – and it should be kept to only the minimum that is needed to get your message across. Basically, it should answer 5 main questions:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why do you do it?
What's in it for your visitor?
How does your visitor get started?
While you can add some extra info about your products or what makes your business special, you really should stick to these basic info elements. But don’t worry – you can add way more info and text on your website’s other pages.
About Section – Tell Everyone Who You Are
Think about it this way: when you land on someone’s website and click on the ‘About Us’ page, what do you expect to find there? Most people will be happy to discover an informative text section that details who is behind the business, and what purpose their website serves. While you want to make sure you write text that answers these questions clearly, you also need to find the right balance of detail and length. I suggest keeping it on the shorter side while making sure you include any important information that makes you and your business special. If you really want to go into intricate detail and include everything from the inception of your business to present day operations, and your favorite hobbies and so on, then it’s best to split your texts into neatly titled, digestible sections. This way when people want to learn more about you, they’re not overwhelmed by a very long paragraph that they need to sift through in order to find the information they’re looking for. They likely won’t read it.
Product Page – Enhance Your Merch with Stellar Descriptions
If you have an online store, the text that lives on your product page is hugely important. Great product names and descriptions can make the difference between people browsing your merchandise, and making purchases. And if I have to guess, you’re probably more interested in getting people to buy. If that’s the case, putting the extra time into writing individual descriptions of your products is a worthwhile investment. Go into as much detail as possible – be sure to give clear dimensions, and describe what makes this product special and worth buying.
Contact page – Make Getting in Touch Easy as Pie
Great news: if people are looking at your contact page, there’s a good chance they want to talk to you. This definitely means that you don’t want to drop the ball once they’re there – you’re going to want to engage them with inviting text. Generally speaking, it’s best to keep the text on this page minimal. People who come to this section of your website have a purpose, so don’t waste their time by making them sift through lots of text before they can shoot you a message. In two words: be concise.
Footer – Close with Style
Many website owners don’t give their site’s footer the attention it deserves. And this is definitely a mistake – your website’s footer is prime real estate! Depending on your website’s needs, you can choose to add different elements to your footer like social icons, your contact details, or more – there are plenty of ways to get creative with your website's footer. But if we’re talking content, our favorite is to utilize either a quote that aligns with your brand’s values or a positive testimonial from a customer.
CTAs – Generate Action with Buttons
Call to action buttons are basically the unsung heroes of most good websites. While different types of sites may have very different end goals, they tend to share one common objective: get people to complete an action. What that action may be can vary – for an online store it might be to make a purchase, for a photographer’s portfolio it might be to book a session. The most effective way to get your site visitors to click through and complete these steps is by using buttons that not only clearly indicate an action, but entice you too.
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