Last Updated on Mar 25, 2013 by Jenna Scaglione
You may have thought you checked all the boxes and crossed all the “t’s” with your website, but if you aren’t meeting your sales quota, your content could be to blame.
Yes, there are dozens of problems that could be the culprit and you should investigate each possibility. But, I find that when webmasters create their checklists of potential issues, they rarely look closely at their website content.
Your content is just as important as your design. It compels people to continue through your site to purchase your items and showcases your brand and the features and benefits of your products. If your design is great, but you still lack sales, it may be a good idea to take a look at your content in more detail.
Here are two common issues I see with website content:
Poor Grammar
You don’t need to be a wordsmith to write grammatically correct content, but you do need to know the basic rules.
A website that lacks proper grammar displays a lack of professionalism. People understand that you may not be the best writer, but they will not understand why you can’t hire an editor or writer to create or edit the content. Do you not have the money? Does that mean your business is not making enough money? This is the potential thought process of your customers.
No Emotional Connection
One of the easiest ways to keep people on your site is to evoke a connection with them right away. This is also done with images and appealing website design, but content is just as important. The way to evoke an emotion with content is to think about the pain points of your customers and the solutions they need. Instead of simply stating the features of your products, add true benefits to the descriptions.
For example, if you are selling an online marketing course, one benefit may be that it is created by experts in the field. This is a nice feature, but it may not evoke emotion. Dig deeper. People that are interested in online marketing are most likely searching for freedom from debt or a 9-to-5 lifestyle. Or, maybe they started a business and don’t have the capital to use traditional marketing methods but they want to live the internet lifestyle. In this case, a benefit would be:
- More time with the people you love
- Freedom to work from anywhere in the world
- No more telling your kids you will make the next recital because you have to work
- No more worrying about relying on a faltering economy and living paycheck to paycheck
These feature and benefit statements will connect with your customers and cause them to want to read more of your website.
This step requires deep target audience research, but when you get it right and connect with your customers through content like this, you will see an increase in conversions.
Connection and professional copy are two effective strategies to winning your customers and increasing your sales.