Content Is King

As Tim Fitzpatrick said in the lead article, content---the words and information on your website---is more important than graphics. How much more? Look at any financial site and imagine it without the words. Does it have any meaning?

Put back the words, and imagine the site without any images, colours, or graphics---just the text. It still has meaning.

Content is king. Graphics just enhance the written content.

So spend more time figuring out the content of your website than its appearance. Find words and phrases that build confidence in you, and encourage readers to deal with you.

As you write your website content, realize it is not like writing an essay, or a magazine article. People don't read websites. They scan them, looking for useful information.

Also, they can make a website disappear with a click, while magazines can lay around the house for months. They may pick up a magazine again and again, reinforcing its messages. But, your website can vanish in a click. And poof, you're gone.

This means you have to get your idea across quickly, before the point of no return. Think of billboards, and headlines.

Headlines are powerful. They are what newspaper readers see first, and what makes them decide to read on, or not. So try to phrase your most important point in 5 words, or less. If that doesn't grab the reader's attention they won't read the rest of your message.

Which means you have to figure out the aim of your website, and the message you want it to convey.

Spend time on figuring out what to say. Think about those to whom you are writing. What do they bring with them when they open your website? What are their expectations? What do they want from you? What are they hoping for? What can you say that will make them think, "Yes, I'm in the right place. This guy might be able to help me."?

In short, what is it that you want to say? Figure this out. Then write the headlines to pull them into reading it.

Hey, you could even write an eNewsletter the same way!

Content Is King - To learn more about this author, visit Donald F. Pooley's Website.

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