A Short Website Content Tutorial

'Content is King' - a cliché, but it is the entire reason for the website. Razzle dazzle has a short shelf life.

Your visitor has probably found you through a search engine which means that you already have part of his attention. The job of the content is to ensure that you keep it.

Do you spend only a few seconds on a web page? Do you get frustrated when a web page takes time to download? Of course you do - so why would you expect the visitors to your own website to be any different? They want to know:

• Am I in the right place?
• Who you are;
• What you do;
• Where you are;
• How much it costs (maybe);
• What can I do on this website? . . .

. . . in short order on the home page.

Decide who your target audience is and write for that audience. Eliminate any verbose passages, remove unnecessary adjectives. On the home page, state in clear simple English what it is you do and make sure to include plenty of keyphrases (click here for more on search optimization).

The internal pages of your website offer more latitude but never add more text than you require to get your message across.

Keep the tone informal - your website is not a contract. Use 'we' and 'you' whenever possible, particularly if you are in the hospitality trade. If you are in a specialist area, think of including a glossary - don't include acronyms and jargon in the website if there is a chance that the readers will not understand it.

A typical business website will have the following basic structure:

• Home page with a simple but comprehensive description of your products or services. The content has to be very carefully thought out for this page.
• About page with details about the business, where it is, length of operation.
• Products/Services pages.
• Latest News page with topical items.
• Contact page with form.

We will be happy to answer any queries (in plain English)!