Not so much ‘Blah, blah, blah’

By
Angie Herrera

There seems to be a misconception among small business owners regarding websites and the content they carry. Specifically, the text. Some folks seem to think that text isn't that important and that the design and "prettiness" of the site is all it takes to get consumers' attention. But that's only half the story. Let's be realistic here. People are emotional beings, driven by a combination of our 5 senses. And in terms of the visual aspect of a website, we are most often driven by what appeals to us visually. If you walk by two stores selling the exact same thing but one has a nice, clean, attractive storefront and the other nothing more than a cracked window and a hand-written sign, which would you instinctively choose? The first of course. Why? Because it looks like quality and it got your attention. But what if you walk in and the inside is nothing more than 4 cardboard walls with the goods being promoted in that storefront all piled up in a corner? Not so appealing anymore right? That's how a lot of websites are today. Even some of the most wonderfully designed sites. They look great and get your attention but then fail miserably at presenting what people are after in the first place: information. In other words, it's all bling and nothing to back it up. Visitors may initially look at your website "storefront" but if what's inside isn't as good then what's the point? And by what's inside, I don't necessarily mean products or service offerings. I'm referring to the text that helps tell your story. (You are telling a story, right?) Consumers are more and more informed these days. Presenting yourself or your products (through your site) as quality and whatever other positive marketing term you want to use but then not having any information to prove it isn't going to take you (or your site) very very far. Good design is rarely good design without good content. That's just a cold, hard fact. And that's where well-written copy comes in. Unfortunately this is an area where a lot of small business sites fail miserably. The thinking is that since we can write and probably do so on a regular basis, then we can write the copy for our website. Well, I have power tools and have taken wood working classes but I'm not going to try to build my own house. When it comes down to it, hiring a professional copywriter will help solidify your site. And not just your site. The tone of your text is also part of your brand. And like your logo, it needs to be consistent across all your marketing pieces. Brand consistency is key to recognition which breeds return customers (loyalty), which breeds increased sales (growth). It doesn't get any simpler than that. So when you're ready to hire a designer, don't forget to ask about copywriting. If hiring a freelancer, ask for recommendations on hiring a good copywriter. If hiring a design studio, ask if copywriting is part of their services. Because even though users won't read a lot of "blah blah", they will read what captures their attention – if its good.