Don't Make These Mistakes When Writing Content for Your Website

As a business owner who understands the importance of being present in the online world, you’ll likely realise that your website needs content. And not just a bit of text on your home and service pages, either. You need content in the form of blogs and guides that help build consumer trust and ensure search engines see you as an authority in your industry.

So, while you might understand the importance of writing content for your website, that doesn’t mean you won’t make a few mistakes as you put pen to paper. These errors, in particular, are among the most common - and the most crucial not to make: 

Making the Website Content All About You

It’s natural to want your customers to know about your achievements, but focusing on their needs and experiences will make them feel appreciated and understood. Your content should prioritize your customers' interests over your awards or trust signals.

What does that mean? Your goal through your website's blogs and articles is to inform, educate, and assist. You’re trying to help customers address their pain points. Provide clear instructions and advice for doing so, and the natural consequence is that some of them may choose to use your products and services.

Overusing Jargon and Buzzwords

Every industry has buzzwords. They’re popular words or phrases that sound important, but are used so often in specific jobs or fields that they eventually lose their real meaning. Think: ‘circle back’, ‘synergy’, ‘pivot’, and ‘deep dive’. Read any professional newsletter, internal email, or article, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t feature at least one buzzword.

However, it’s not just general jargon that’s an issue; specific industry jargon is, too. You can’t hope to capture the interest of everyday customers if you’re only using language that other experts in your industry will understand. 

Once you’re aware of the words that are thrown around your industry the most, you’ll find it easier to avoid using them. 

Writing Walls of Text That Are Hard to Read

Have you ever tried to read an article consisting of walls of text? It’s hard work. If you’re a time-poor skim reader, long, unbroken paragraphs are not your friend. Ensure your content is suitable for readers with both short and long attention spans by prioritising scannability with every article. This means:

• Headings

• Bullet points

• White space to break up ideas 

Writing content for your website is just the first step. The hard work lies in making sure it’s optimised for readers. 

Not Proofreading Content Before Posting it 

If you don’t proofread your content before posting it, you may not pick up spelling and grammatical errors. While the occasional error won’t be held against you, repeated errors and glaringly obvious ones may affect your reputation. 

At a minimum, run your eye over the content before you post it. You may also like to use your word processing software’s built-in spell checker, or another tool such as Grammarly. 

Writing Content for Your Website that Neglects SEO

You’re writing blogs to be helpful and informative. But you’re also writing them for SEO purposes. This means that you’re creating human-first content that search engines will find. 

SEO optimisation involves: 

• Integrating keywords specific to your industry into your content (including the H1, paragraphs, title tag, meta description, and URL) 

• Structuring the content with headings and bullet points 

• Adding alt text to images

• Linking internally 

• Being mobile-friendly 

• Posting frequently and consistently

• Being present on social media

• Including a FAQ section 

Keyword Stuffing

Learning how important strategic keywords are for blogs and articles, you can be tempted to include as many of them as possible. However, overloading sentences with unnatural keyword repetitions is the opposite of helpful. Not only does it annoy readers who know the keywords are intentional, but it can also hurt your rankings. You’re best to let your natural keyword integrations pull their weight. 

Not Outsourcing to the Experts - Write Southland 

When you’re busy taking care of your customers, you’re unlikely to give your website your full attention. However, an updated, relevant, and optimised website is crucial for welcoming new customers. Refresh your website and keep it fresh by entrusting content creation to Write Southland. We’ll perform a thorough assessment of your website and provide optimised content that positions your business as an authority in your industry effortlessly. 

We look forward to giving your site the literary facelift it deserves. Schedule your consultation today!