Are You Sabotaging Your Website With Lousy Content?

Have you ever read a really bad book with a fascinating cover?

At the end of the day, it's still a bad book, right?

There comes a point where proper design can only carry the success of something for so long before the reader recognizes the subpar content for what it is.

This is why when it comes to your website, even the most impressive design work will appear second-rate if the content isn't held to the same standard.

If gone untreated, this can lead to dissatisfied visitors, a high bounce rate, and conversion rates low enough to make you cringe. 

To keep your business safe from all of the above, it's important that you avoid these 5 lousy content oversights at all costs.

You're forgetting about your personas

It's important to keep in mind that although it may be one of your greatest marketing assets, your website is for your customers, not for you. 

If the content that you employ is all about your business, your product or service, or your features, you're doing it wrong. While you want to highlight the unique benefit of what you're offering, it's important that you're tying the customer back into the equation. 

What can your product or service do for them? 

How to fix it: When creating the content for your website, reference your buyer personas. By keeping their wants, needs, and pain points in the forefront, it will be easier for you to craft content that lends itself specifically to them.

There's way too much 

Website content that feels overwhelmingly long occurs when the content creator is trying to appeal to everyone all at once. 

With that being said, without a clear picture of what specific information your ideal customers are looking for, it's easy to say too much. 

The trouble with websites with this much written content is that they often times scare visitors away. When they realize how much writing they have to dig through to extract meaning, they're quick to move on to their next search option.

How to fix it: Get rid of the fluff. Focus on providing visitors with just enough information to fuel their conversion decision and nothing more. 

You're forcing keywords in 

While you certainly don't want your website to be hidden on search engine results pages, keyword stuffing is never the answer.

Not only does it look spamy, it is spamy, and it disrupts the natural flow of your writing. 

If people get the feeling that you're employing cheap tricks, they're going to lose faith in your credibility and bounce off of your page. 

How to fix it: Optimize for your buyer personas first, and search engines second. Rather than focusing on piling on keywords that may or may not accurately represent your business, work towards creating something shareworthy. If your content speaks the same language as your personas and they can easily recognize the value, they'll be more likely to return to it or share it with their network.

It's inconsistent

If there are multiple people contributing to the content you put forth on your website, it's important that they are all on the same page. 

Small inconsistencies (internet vs. Internet or e-book vs. ebook) throughout your content have a tendency to stick out and denounce your credibility. 

At worst, these inconsistencies will make your writing appear confusing, and put you at risk of losing the trust of a visitor. 

How to fix it: If you're writing the content in-house, take the time to sit down with all of the contributors to review and agree upon one way of saying things. If you're out-sourcing your content, be sure to provide the writer with a list of preferred formatting considerations, or plan to review the content several times before you green light it.

It blends in 

When it comes to effective website content, steer clear of any and all clichés or business jargon.

While many businesses are under the impression that big words make them appear credible and valuable, they often have an adverse effect. 

Rather than call upon clichés to do the talking, consider what can be done with your content to make it stand out. 

How to fix it: If you're a HubSpot user, or thinking about redesigning on the HubSpot COS, you can utilize personalization within your content to set yourself apart. When leads see their name or their business' name appear within your content, they're normally want to know more. Simply put, if you can peak their interest, you're on the right path.