I need content for my website!

...but I'm not quite sure what to add that will be useful. If you find yourself asking this question as you begin to think about content creation for your website, be comforted by the fact that you're not alone. Many of us who need to deliver our message on the web are not professional writers or journalists. Coming up with content that is both useful AND unique can feel like a tall order. But to successfully deliver your message about your product or service does not necessarily mean you need volumes of information. For many small businesses, all that is really needed for a successful site, is a few pages that both describe your service/product as well as anticipate questions your potential customers might have.

Sell Yourself

A few questions your potential customer might ask, straight out of marketing 101, to get the creative juices flowing:

• Why should I choose you and not your competitor?
• What am I getting for my money? Is it a good value?
• Can I be confident with my purchase? What guarantees or warrantees do I receive to make me feel warm and fuzzy.
• What are your qualifications or years in business?
• What are other customers saying about you? Do you have customer comments, testimonials or case studies?

Who are you?

Providing information on a website has the effect of removing the human element from the interaction. The reason for the widespread use of the About Us type page is to help remedy this. Many customers often feel more confident when they know a little more about who it is they are buying from. For companies with an established track record this is the perfect place to tout it. I feel better if I know the company I am dealing with has been in business for 10 years instead of 2 weeks.

Newer businesses can add a personal touch by describing things such as:

• Biography of the business owner
• How you came to be in this business
• What in your background led you to this kind of work. A funny or interesting anecdote is even better.

Where are you? How can I reach you?

Perhaps the most obvious information you will want to add to your site is your address and phone number. Hours of operation or availability are also useful. Many websites display maps from Google or Yahoo as a visual description of the location of their business.

Answer the same question 8 times today?

For people trying to find out about you and if you have what they are looking for, pages containing frequently asked questions (FAQ's) can often hold the answer they are looking for. Well thought out FAQ pages have a dual benefit of informing the customer and saving you time. The site visitor is also presented useful information to questions they may have otherwise not asked.

Articles

Visitors to your website are probably interested in your product, service or industry, and will appreciate articles that relate to the subject matter. If you are not up to the task of writing your own content or at least need some serious proofreading/rewriting of your copy we can refer you to a professional content writer that will research, rework and/or rewrite your content creating professionally written articles.

Awards and Recognition

If you have been recognized by your community or by an associated organization for your efforts you might consider adding it to the site. This is just another way to gain a bit of a prospects confidence in you.

Pricing

Another obvious but valuable topic you might choose to cover on your site. Adding price information on available goods and services has the greatest effect on reducing time spent on the phone with prospects according to feedback I have received. This is not always preferable for business models that rely on phone traffic from inquiries and should be evaluated based on your businesses needs.