How to Write Content for Your Corporate Website

If you're a half-decent writer, you may not need to hire a marketing agency or copywriter to create content for your website. All it takes is a little know-how to come up with attention-getting content that will make your website shine. As a copywriter myself, here are a few tips to help you write a corporate website.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• Marketing Materials
• Graphic Designer
• Proofreader
• Links to Competitors' Websites.

1. Outline what you need to say. Most corporate websites include pages such as:
   
   Home
   About Us
   Services
   Benefits
   Testimonials
   Portfolio
   Contact Us
   
   Once you decide what pages you want, you can start populating each page with content.
2. Think about the message for each page. For example, you can go into your corporate history on the "About Us" page, but you can also mention that your company has XX years of experience on the home page, too. You can bullet your services on the home page, and then go into detail about them on the "Services" page.
   
   Jot down some bullet points as to the message of each page. Figure where you want certain tidbits to be highlighted so each page isn't repetitive.
3. Add a little search engine optimization. Do some research on the Internet to find out what keywords are "hot" for your industry. If your company, for example, makes kitchen cabinetry, you may want to include terms such as "kitchen remodeling" "kitchen cabinets" and "kitchen cabinetry" to name a few. It's also a great idea to offer a regional aspect for people looking for your business locally. For example, "kitchen cabinet maker in NJ" and "kitchen cabinets NJ" are great terms to work into the copy. Once you identify the terms you want, use them as comfortably as possible throughout the text.
4. Start writing. Use an attention-grabbing headline for each page. Instead of "Cabinet Makers" you could try something like "Distinctive Cabinets for Customized Kitchens." Play with the wording a little.
   
   When you get into the "meat," remember to speak to your intended audience. Will you refer to the client directly ("You can't afford not to use our services"), will you refer to your company as "we" on all references, or will you refer to your company in the third person ("Company A is the premier kitchen cabinetry company in New Jersey.")?
   These are things you need to keep in mind as you write.
5. http://www.edentitycoach.com Talk to the customer. No one really cares about the copywriting unless it offers them something. Instead of bragging about why your company is the best, or giving a history of kitchen cabinets (or your services/products) it's good to keep in mind that you need to explain the benefits of what your company has to offer. What can John Doe get out of the website, and why should he choose your company to build his cabinets?
6. Close the deal. I always end each page with a simple "call to action." For example, "Are you ready to find out how you can have the kitchen of your dreams? Contact us at 1-800-KITCHCABS or email us at [e-mail]." You get the point. The goal is to drive the reader to take action.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't go over 500 words on overview pages. If you need to go into detail, put it on subsequent pages to break up the content.
• Use paragraphs and bullet points. Web writing is different than other marketing copywriting. You need to keep content short and punchy, and formatted so its easy on the eye.
• Use the word "free." in the call to action, it's a great way to tell clients that you offer a free consultation. Or if you have a contest going, put a headline on your home page to prompt people to enter the contest for a free product.
• Keep the benefits in mind. Remember to highlight what the customer gets, rather than focusing solely on what your business does and how it does business.
• Review competitors' websites. Be careful not to copy-paste text. You want to get an idea of how their copy sounds and what their site is telling prospective clients. Use competitor sites as a reference and make yours stand out from there.
• Work with a graphic designer to visually present your message.
• Have at least one person proofread the website in its entirety.
• Don't overpopulate your content with keywords. Nothing is worse than reading a website where someone went keyword happy and the context of the message isn't even intact.
• Most people won't read the whole page. That's why you can break up copy with subheadlines, headlines and bullets. Make things easy to read and easy to grasp the reader's attention without sounding too scammish.