15 More tips for a better website – Issue no. 6

Write enough copy

Here’s how much copy you need to write: however much you need to get EVERY important point across. Period.

Streamline your content creation

• Commit to a publishing schedule. Plan it so that it works for you and for your readers. Don’t overstretch yourself. You don’t have to publish daily.
• Keep a list of blog post ideas. Whenever clients ask you questions, add them to your list.
• Outline your posts. Because it prevents you going into myriad irrelevant directions, and speeds up your writing and editing.
• Follow proven blueprints. Don’t waste your time reinventing the wheel. Most blog posts follow straightforward structures.
• Start writing early. The best content evolves over time.
• Have a spare post ready for publication. For when life overtakes.
• Use a kitchen timer. It will help you focus. Write for 30 minutes before rewarding yourself with a brief walk or a cup of tea.

Link to previous content

If you already wrote some content about the topic of your current post, don’t forget to link to these posts. It will make your post stronger because you show some authority on the subject. Next to that, your link-structure is also of importance for your ranking in Google.

Explain the next steps after the form is submitted

A big mistake when designing forms is to neglect what happens after the form is submitted. Have you ever submitted a form without knowing whether or not it was successful or what happens next? It can be pretty frustrating.

After your users submit their form, two things should happen so they’re not left in the dark:

1. A confirmation that the submission was successful should be displayed very prominently.
2. Explain to the user what the next steps are. Will they receive a confirmation email? Can they login immediately?

Whatever the case may be, tell them what will happen next.

Check for outdated information

Scroll down to the bottom of your webpage to where a copyright date is listed. Is it still recent? According to Small Business Trends, a website appearance that looks out of date is an instant turnoff to customers.

Good animation is invisible

You shouldn’t notice that you’re looking at animation.

Test your call-to-action button text

Instead of saying something like, submit, or sign-up, use your button text to tell your visitors what they should expect on the next step after clicking that button.

Write a KICK-ASS introduction that hooks the reader in straight away

OK, so someone clicked through to your page…

GREAT.

But that’s just half the battle.
Your next job is to keep them there. That’s why your introduction needs to be absolutely kick-ass.

Here are three tips for writing your intros:

• Keep it short
• Tell the reader exactly what they will get from reading your post
• Hook them in

It doesn't have to be perfect

Remember that everything doesn’t have to be “perfect” before you publish. Make your content as complete as it can be and you can always optimize it later.

Provide multiple contact options

Every user may have a different preference for how they want to get in touch. Some love the ease of sending an email while others enjoy the simplicity of picking up the phone. Still more will expect to have their problem solved or questions answered over social media. If you don’t provide your audience with options, they may choose to avoid connecting altogether.

Distribute, distribute, distribute

It doesn’t matter if you hire Stephen Covey to write for your blog, if you don’t distribute it, then nobody is going to read it. Share on your social media profiles (that one is obvious), but also approach other bloggers (guest blogging), contact influencers, comment on forums, relevant online groups and even YouTube videos.

Use photos of people from your company

Why every ecommerce website needs a blog

• Great Content Marketing Tool
• Additional Entry Points
• Improving SEO Rankings
• More Links
• Building Trust
• Getting Noticed

The function of a meta description

First, lets be clear about the function of a meta description for your page. Its main purpose is to get the visitor in Google to click your link. In other words, meta descriptions are for generating clickthroughs from search engines. For SEO, it holds little value.

Use Bullets, Bullets, Bullets

Bullets will enable the user to quickly get all the information they want: benefits, ways you solve their problem, and key features of a product/service– all in a short amount of time.

Optimise your images for the search engines

1) Save the image file with a keyword-focused name

The first step in optimizing your images is to save the actual image file with a keyword-focused, descriptive file name.

2) Always complete the Alt Text field of your images

The best way that you can communicate to search engines what the image is all about is by completing the Alt Text field. Think about the message that you want to convey when coming up with words to use for your Alt Text. Keep it short (5 words max). Using an SEO keyword that describes what your post is about is ideal.

3) Make the file size as small as possible to encourage a faster load time.

4) Let captions be your friend