How to Craft Compelling Website Content that Converts

What if you could transform your website from a passive online presence to a dynamic conversion machine? Join me today as we uncover the secrets to crafting website content that not only attracts visitors but converts them into loyal customers. From understanding your audience’s needs and desires to actionable steps to improve your website content, today’s episode will help you optimize your website for maximum conversions!


Mentioned Resources

---> Understand Your Ideal Customer

Episode 63 - Understanding Your Ideal Customer to Increase Website Conversions

--> Optimize your use of Social Proof

Episode 45 - Boosting eCommerce Sales with the Power of Social Proof Strategies

--> Improve Website SEO

Episode 24 - Breaking Down SEO: A Comprehensive Guide to Boosting Search Engine Rankings

Episode 33 - Unlocking the Potential of Keyword Research to Skyrocket Your E-Commerce Success

 
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Transcript

Carrie Saunders: 0:01

Running an online business is a constant learning journey. I know it has been for us the past almost 22 years. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal, though, is the content you create for your website. Today, we're diving into how crafting compelling website content not only attracts visitors, but also converts them into loyal customers. This topic is super important because your content is often the first impression potential customers have of your business, so join me as we explore the secrets to creating content that converts.

Carrie Saunders: 0:35

Welcome to the e-commerce made easy podcast. I'm your host, k Saunders. When we started this business, all I had was a couch, a laptop and a nine month old my main goal To help others. Now, with over 20 years in the e-commerce building industry, and even more than that in web development, I have seen a lot. I love breaking down the hard tech into easily understandable bits to help others be successful in their online business. Whether you're a seasoned e-commerce veteran or just starting out, you've come to the right place, so sit back, relax and let's dive into the world of e-commerce together. Welcome back to the e-commerce made easy podcast.

Carrie Saunders: 1:10

Today, we're focusing on one of the most vital elements of your online business, which is crafting compelling website content and making sure it converts. With website content, it's more than just words on the page. It's your primary tool for engaging with potential customers and persuading them to take action. Just like when we meet somebody in person, we want to make a good first impression and we generally are very friendly and talk about one topic at a time. Typically, we want to do similar on our website. Typically, we want to do similar on our website. So the first step, though, in creating great content is knowing your audience. You need to understand who they are, what they need, how your product or service can help them. So usually, when you meet somebody in person for the first time, you're going to get to know them first before you start going into more about you and what you might be doing and how you might be able to serve them if you're in a networking setting for business. So it's similar for our website. We need to make sure we know who we're talking to as our potential clients come to our website. So that means diving deep into your buyer persona and identifying the key problems that they have and desires that they want. So once you have a clear picture of your ideal customer, you can tailor your content to speak directly to them. Just like when you're in person with somebody. You start to learn about them and then you feel like you can connect with them and talk a bit more directly to them and really have that interaction that you want to have. So if you haven't done an exercise like this for your business, make sure you check out episode 63 of our podcast for more details on how to do this, and we will have this linked in the show notes.

Carrie Saunders: 2:57

So, but in general, you're going to want to think about questions your customers are asking and the problems they are trying to solve. So really think about that. What are the questions they're asking and the problems they are trying to solve? So really think about that. What are the questions they're asking and what problems are they're trying to solve? Your content should provide answers and solutions to these questions and problems. For instance, if you're selling eco-friendly products, your audience might be concerned about sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. Address these concerns directly in your content to show you understand and care about the values. So make sure you're speaking their language when it comes to this. And this is where doing the exercise in episode 63 can really help, where you're really digging in to the pain points, their concerns and the language they use around it as well.

Carrie Saunders: 3:42

Now, something that's also very important is creating clear and compelling headlines for your website. They are the first thing your visitors see and they play a crucial role in whether someone decides to read further or not. Your headlines should be clear, compelling and promise a benefit. They need to grab attention and entice readers to want to know more. For example, instead of a generic sentence like our services as a headline, try something more engaging, like transforming your home with our expert design services. So you've got those keywords where you're transforming your home and you're talking about your expert design services, so one they know. If they're looking for transforming their home, they know you may be a good fit. It catches their eye. Rather than our services is very generic and super broad and it doesn't really draw the reader in to read more about it. So this tells the visitor exactly what they can expect and really highlights the benefits of who you are. And, as a bonus, this not only helps you convert better with your customer, but it also helps your search engine optimization rankings too.

Carrie Saunders: 4:51

So when you create headlines with keywords and keyword phrases, like our example here, they tell search engines that these words are important for the page that they're on, they will look at the heading tag, which is the type of tag you should be using in your software service, which can be easily chosen in there. There's really not any modern software out there. They can't choose a heading tag anymore. This used to be a bit more complicated for search engine optimization but, honestly, anymore most business owners can do a basic search engine optimization and get pretty far with it. So make sure you use heading tags for those big subject lines that are the main topic of your page, and so be sure to use these words you want to find most in these heading tags. So make sure you're not just using plain paragraph. Whenever you're using these keywords, use the heading tags. We want to make sure our website is scannable, and using headings and subheadings really helps with this.

Carrie Saunders: 5:50

And then another thing you want to make sure you're doing in your copy is to make sure you're focused on the benefits, not the features, of your product or service. So when you're writing your content, when you're focusing on this, it really helps connect the customer to what you do and who you are. Benefits really resonate with audiences on an emotional level rather than features. And features are kind of like you're being talked at, not really talked with, and so benefits? Answer the question what's in it for me? That's what you're going through your customer's mind all the time, no matter whether they consciously realize it or not. They're thinking about what is in it for me. Do I need to stay on this website any longer? Am I going to get any value from it? So when you put yourself in that sort of mindset, they will stay longer.

Carrie Saunders: 6:42

If you're really answering the questions of what's in it for me and talking so, for instance, if you're selling time management tool, don't just list the features like calendar integration and task reminders etc. Instead highlight the benefits. Something like save hours each week by effortlessly organizing your schedule and never miss an important deadline again really speaks to that high achieving consumer who wants to make sure they're reaching their deadlines and they're saving time. We all want to save time. So that really draws them in rather than, oh, we have calendar integration, we have task reminders, you know, that's kind of you kind of expect that in all software out there that's related to time management. But when they draw you in and say, hey, we're going to save you time and you're not going to miss those important deadlines. That's really going to draw them in and make them perk up and really listen to you. So can you think of something recently that got your attention because it was worded for benefits you will receive?

Carrie Saunders: 7:51

For me, getting back in shape is a current goal of mine, probably like many of you, especially post-pandemic. We've been trying to find our new normal in this world. You know, three, four years after the pandemic really hit. So would you be drawn more to a phrase like lose 10 pounds in five weeks, or would you be more drawn to feel good, have more energy and reach your weight loss goals in just 20 minutes a day? The first one leaves so many questions unanswered, like how am I going to get there? Will I actually be able to reach that 10 pound goal? How much time is it going to take you? The second one gives you a bit more of the benefits and is a bit more clear on the outcome and the process. You're going to be able to do this in 20 minutes or less. That really draws the reader in a lot more than just something generic like lose 10 pounds in five weeks.

Carrie Saunders: 8:43

And then another point we want to do is use social proof. Social proof is a powerful tool in convincing potential customers to take action. This includes testimonials, reviews, case studies and any endorsements from credible resources. People are more likely to trust your business if they see that others have had positive experiences as well, so make sure you include testimonials from satisfied customers throughout your website and, if possible, use photos and real names to make them more credible. We don't want to be putting out reviews and testimonies that look like somebody else made them up, right? So case studies can show how your product or services has helped other businesses or individuals also get great results, and it can be incredibly persuasive.

Carrie Saunders: 9:31

So sit back and think about the last few times you purchased something online. I know I just purchased something the other day and the first thing I did was I looked at the product reviews. It was a tangible item that I was going to receive in the mail, and I bet you do the same thing when you're buying something that is a product that you're going to receive. You probably look at the reviews of that product first before you make a decision on whether to buy it or not, unless you've already bought that product before and you already have confidence in it right, or if it's services, I bet you look for testimonial or case studies. I know I have done this myself. When I'm buying services from people and maybe coaching services or something like that I have looked for testimonials or case studies to see how well they did with their clients. It's definitely human nature to be skeptical as well as we want to know what others like and do not like. It's just human for us to do that.

Carrie Saunders: 10:30

So if you haven't already check out episode 45 on more details on how you can optimize your social proof on your website we go into more detail there. All right, so great content is useless unless no one can find it right. So optimizing for search engines is imperative and we talked about this a little bit earlier on in this episode, and that's why it's essential to optimize your content for search engines as well as your customers, and anymore you can do both at the same time. But if we just take a little bit of extra time to make sure we really nail down the keywords for a specific page, that's going to help not only boost our customer confidence and having one topic at a time helps the customer focus, but it also helps you in search engine rankings. You want to make sure each page on your website only focuses on one main topic, just like a report to your teacher at school. You're going to have one main topic for each report. You do right. So you want to do similarly on the web, and search engine optimization is like a long game. It will keep working for you for years to come once you build it up.

Carrie Saunders: 11:45

So don't ignore it and don't think, oh, I'll get to that later. Go ahead and start now. Start simple. Start with things I'm teaching you on this podcast, and you'll start gaining traction over time. So once you get the mindset that search engine optimization isn't scary and it is something you can do, you will make progress. It really is something that I accidentally fell into. Back when we started our business, I found out I was doing a great job of search engine optimization, and when I look back, it's because I was doing a great job of search engine optimization, and when I look back, it's because I had one main topic per page. I discussed only one thing. I can't stress that enough. I know we like to put lots of things on a page many times, and it's something I have to make sure we don't do too, because sometimes we do, but making sure you do that is super key.

Carrie Saunders: 12:34

Also, do some keyword research to find out what terms your audiences are using to search for your products or services. So incorporate those keywords naturally into your content, just like you're talking to a friend or a potential customer on the phone, but those keywords in there, naturally. You don't want to be overusing the keywords either. That's called keyword stuffing and something that you used to be able to do like 15 or so years ago and actually get ranked higher, but now search engines don't like that. So make sure you're not keyword stuffing. Make it very natural, like I talk about a lot on the podcast when you're using your words in a natural way and a way you might converse with your clients. You're going to do better with search engine, all right. So also, oh, and before I forget and you want to look at episodes 24 and 23, we're going to link to those as well on the show notes. That is more in-depth about improving your search engine optimization and keeping your audience engaged and getting those keywords right. So make sure you look at those two episodes if you haven't yet.

Carrie Saunders: 13:39

All right, now next to the next subject. Now, I almost forgot that. All right now. Next to the next subject. Now, I almost forgot that. All right. So call to action. So this is something super important and something that we're working on getting better at here at our business, because it's something very easy to forget and very easy to overlook, especially when you're in a hurry doing your day-to-day things and putting out the things right. So every piece of content on your website should have a clear call to action, or a CTA for short. So whether it's signing up for a newsletter, downloading a free guide or making a purchase, your CTA should be compelling and very easy to find. Using action-oriented language and creating a sense of urgency when appropriate really helps. For example, instead of just simply saying the word submit for a button, use instead something like get your free ebook now or start your free trial today, or maybe just simply the words buy now. If you're selling a product or a service, the more specific and enticing your CTA is, the more likely visitors are going to take that desired action.

Carrie Saunders: 14:45

We talk about clear and not clever on this podcast frequently and you always want to be clear with any call to actions. It's super, super, duper important and it really helps you boost those conversions and you'll have a lot more people click on that button. When you do that, customers like to know what to do next, so always be guiding them on the next step in the journey with you. It's something easy to forget to do, I know. Like I said in the beginning of this little section, it's something we forget to do sometimes, but it's something we're working towards. So we recommend having only one CTA per page when possible as well. Too many choices will confuse a customer and a confused mind says no. So one make sure it's clear and not clever your call to action. And two, if at all possible. Ideally you want to have one call to action per page on your website, all right. So the next section let's keep it simple and engaging.

Carrie Saunders: 15:41

So this is something that is really easy to fall into the trap of being a bit more formal with our language on our website, because that's what we're taught in school. You know we want to be formal, we want to look professional, but on websites it generally works much better that have your content easy to read and engaging. So we're talking short paragraphs here, we're talking bullet points, and subheadings should be used to break up the text and make it much easier to digest. You want to also try to make a conversational tone when possible that reflects your brand personality and makes your audience feel like they're having a one-on-one conversation with you. So this kind of breaks the rules that we learn about in school, right, and we want to do this, though, because, let's say, you go to a store and you're asking the salesperson a question about a product. They're not going to be like super formal with you, they're going to be professional, but they're going to have a conversation with you. So we want to emulate that on a website.

Carrie Saunders: 16:42

It's so easy to fall back into that formal writing trap that we learned from school on our website, and I know we've done that before in the past, and you just need to make sure that you're looking at these things and making it conversational, because people have short attention spans, especially on the website. So you want to get to the point quickly and make sure every sentence adds value. When possible, you want to use visuals, such as images and videos, to complement your text and to keep your audience engaged, and this helps break up text. So think about how you read, especially online. I bet you look through the headings, bullet points and any short sentences and scan those first to decide whether you're going to read more. I know that I do, so think about that the next time you're writing copy or revising copy on your website. Keep it clear, clean and concise and very easy to scan.

Carrie Saunders: 17:37

All right, so that was quite the action-packed episode with a bunch of tidbits. Hopefully you've learned a lot about that. So crafting a compelling website that converts is both an art and science here, and you want to first understand your audience. You want to create clear and compelling headlines. You want to focus on benefits. You want to use social proof. You want to optimize for search engines.

Carrie Saunders: 17:58

While you're doing all this, it's totally easy to add that little tidbit in. That's how I encourage you to and you want to have a strong call to actions and keep your content simple and engaging, and you're going to significantly see increase in your website conversions when you follow each of these steps. All right, so thanks for joining me on this episode of our e-commerce made easy podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please rate us on Apple podcasts and share it with your fellow entrepreneurs and online business owners. We love hearing your feedback, so feel free to email us at podcast at bcsengineeringcom and don't forget to subscribe when you're listening on the podcast or on our YouTube channel, and we will see you next week.