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Is your website saying everything it should?  Your website’s purpose is to attract, inform and inspire visitors and customers to keep coming back. Many times, too much attention is placed on visual design and functionality, that the actual content of a site is often overlooked. In the end, positioning your company as the right choice for your customers all comes down to what you say, and how clearly you say it.  Is your site content achieving all it can? There are four key ways to tell.

Is it short and concise?

Studies show that cutting the content of a website in half increases readability and reader interest  levels by about 60% - being concise pays off!  Since most web readers scan websites (79% of readers in fact) vs reading the complete page (just 16% of readers) it’s vital that information be presented in a clear, direct manner, and any information not vital to the reader be removed.  So, how do you tell if your web page copy needs a trim? If the majority of your pages will require scrolling to accommodate text, it’s time to start the editing process.

Is it organized?

Content organization is another factor that can hinder or help a reader’s ability to understand your message. Ensure readers find the information they need by organizing your web content using headings and sub-headings, bullet points, highlighted key words. Use short paragraphs containing only one theme or idea to keep content easy to digest and scan over.  Try the inverted pyramid writing style – start each page or section with the conclusion to tell readers upfront what the page is about, then focus on how to go about achieving those end results.

Is it up to date?

The key difference between the internet and almost every other form of communication method is the speed at which it changes.  Web visitors expect information to be relevant to the moment, and can easily find more up-to-date information from one of your competitors, if your own content is outdated. Your web content should reflect current facts about your services and products, your industry and your business - no prospect will come to you with their business based on outdated pricing, service offerings. If a potential customer dismisses you as an option based on your outdated website content, you will have lost business that could otherwise have been yours.

Is it perfect?

Visitors can find hundreds of alternatives to your business – in an instant. If your website appears outdated, has poor spelling and grammar or links that don’t work properly, it communicates sloppiness and a lack of professionalism. There’s no excuse for a website that doesn’t meet acceptable communication standards. Proof read, spell check, and edit - then do it again to make sure each web page reflects your company’s unique expertise in your industry.

Your website is a 24-hour business card, always available with the ability to attract or repel prospective customers at any time of day, anywhere in the world.  Not only does it need an attractive design, intuitive navigation and functionality, web readers need the right content to makes decision-making easier. Review your website, then give us a call to make the most of your online business investment!

Your website is your most important marketing tool that will always be evolving – you shouldn’t think of it as a one-time investment but rather as a chance to connect with customers look for you and your services, every day.

This post is meant to serve as a basic guideline for website managers or anyone responsible for updating or creating content for their CMS-based website. These tips are for people with little to no experience working with a CMS, and will ensure that your content translates gracefully onto the web, while still maintaining a maximum level of usability and ensuring consistency across all of the pages on your site.

The web uses the RGB color model. CMYK and Spot colors typically translate well, however website managers must be aware that the web uses only the RGB color model, and translating CMYK and Spot colors (from a print project for example) to RGB might change the look of your website or not achieve the color or look you may have been going for.

Many clients and end users (the ones making the updates to their sites using a CMS) are not at all familiar with design principles or html and cascading style sheets (css, used for web page styling – basic and advanced). So, for example creating custom font styles (classes) for use in the middle of a paragraph would require the creation of custom classes, and while this can be done and set up initially, if the user ever needs to edit or add similar classes to other elements of a site, they likely will not know how to. Keeping the design simple is best.

Keep designs simple. Avoid different font size/color/style for one word in a paragraph; keep styles consistent. Generally, a website should have a heading style, a sub heading style, and the general text style. This way the end user editing the website doesn’t have to learn html & css to figure out how to keep the website looking consistent, and is therefore able to present a more professional online presence to anyone visiting the site. The sample below is a basic example of the efficient and standard  way of formatting type for the web, very similar to print design and production practices.

Only use web safe fonts: These are fonts that are supported across all major browsers. A basic list of web safe fonts may be found here: http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html

Today many new websites are built using powerful web tools like content management systems, and now people of varying skill levels are able to add new content to their sites with ease. When you find yourself in this position, keep in mind these basic tips, and if you have any questions or comments about your site, feel free to contact us to discuss them.