You know your website isn’t representing your brand as well as it could, but you also aren’t ready to invest in a new website. Maybe it’s time for a content facelift!
We often hear from business owners who’ve been told they should just scrap their website and start over. That’s a natural feeling for a web designer; that designer looks at your website, gets all distressed about the uninformed typography or outdated corner rounding, and wants to start from scratch and make you something wonderful.
When we have those feelings, we take a deep breath and look again, because often there is a lot you can do with content. This is especially true with WordPress websites, our specialty, but it’s often true with other content management systems as well.
Here are some content changes that can give your website a new lease on life:
New headers
If your website uses a slider or headers, just changing the graphics can make a difference (yes, those banners are content). Spring for a new professional graphic for your banner and you’ll see an immediate improvement.
Reorganize your text.
Even if you’re happy with the words on your website, reorganizing the text can often give your site a more polished look. Consider dividing your text up visually if it’s currently in a solid block. Think about placing your images consistently within the text if you’ve been tucking them in here and there. Use headlines to draw your readers’ eyes to the place you want them to go.
Try providing a little more space in and around your text. You already know what it says, so you find it readable, but your web visitors may need a little more help.
Move your call to action higher on the page. No call to action? That’s a problem right there. On the other hand, if you need to establish credibility before you call for action, make sure the content that does that job comes before the button for sending money. For example, your Donate button shouldn’t be obtrusively ahead of the information on what your organization does.
These examples should help you look at your content with an eye toward possible reorganization, but you might also benefit from printing out the text, cutting it apart, and physically rearranging it. So many people write without planning their writing out first that we often see pages that need to have information from the middle moved up and information at the top thrown away.
Optimize your content for SEO and conversion.
Let’s go back to the question of being happy with your words. Are you really happy, or has it just been so long since you actually read your website’s content that you’re accepting it as okay when it could really use a good polishing? We often work with clients who tell us the content at their old site is perfect, but once they see it in their new site they realize that much of the information is no longer accurate or that they aren’t sure what some phrases mean.
Bring a fresh eye to your content and make sure that it tells your story in the most compelling way, and that it’s still a good reflection of your company.
While you’re working on your content facelift, whether you do it yourself or with a professional web firm like Haden Interactive, you will probably notice larger changes you want to make. If the process gives you clarity about what’s working at your website and what needs work, the redesign you end up with in the future will be better and more efficient.
But you may also find that the content facelift accomplishes what you want for your website right now. Call Rosie at 479.966.9761 or contact us via web form if you know you need some expert support through the process.
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