There are over 300 million websites out there and this figure is rising on a daily basis. A Google search for “plumbers in Reading” brings back almost 6 million results. Even a more specific search term like “emergency plumbers in West Reading” produces over 2.5 million results. With so much competition out there, it’s more important than ever that your online content is fresh, relevant, informative and persuasive.
It’s also vital that your website hooks your reader’s attention as soon as they land on it. As a rule, internet users are impatient and demanding. Maybe they’re looking for something during their lunchbreak and they’ve only got ten minutes. Maybe their water pipes have burst and they need to find a plumber before the water ruins their carpets. Whatever the reason, if they don’t find what they’re looking for on your site within a few seconds, it’s so easy for them to click the Back button, go back to the search results and choose another website.
Your website copy is the number one tool in informing, persuading and engaging with readers. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? And yet so many websites focus purely on the design of their site while completely neglecting the quality of the words themselves. Of course the design, images and layout are important, but without the engaging copy to go with them, they’re unlikely to result in a conversion. It’s like when car salesmen polish and wax their older, rustier cars to try and make them more tempting to customers. They might look shiny and new from across the showroom, but get up close and you soon realise it’s still just a dodgy old motor.
From a more scientific perspective, Google’s recent Panda update has made the quality of website content even more important. Put simply, Panda places greater focus on user-friendly content that people actually like. So engaging, compelling copy could actually improve a site’s ranking on Google. We’ll look at the Panda update in more detail in the coming weeks but for now, you can click here to watch a video by optimisation experts SEOmoz, which explains it nicely.
Basically, good quality web copy could make the difference between a user leaving your site within seconds, and picking up the phone and making an order. Which is why you should always ensure it’s well-written, persuasive and – most importantly – enjoyable to read. After all, no one wants to read a boring website, do they?
