How to write your website in 60 minutes
By Chris Mole |
Don’t be daunted at the prospect of writing your website copy. Here’s a simple
outline that shows you how to compile the framework for a successful business
website and it shouldn’t take more than 60 minutes.
If you’re like most
small business owners, the prospect of writing your website fills you with
dread. You don’t know where to start and you’re not sure what to write. Or
perhaps you already have a website and you’re wondering whether it’s really
working to build your business.
Well, here’s some good news. Follow the
simple steps below and you’ll have laid the groundwork for an effective business
website that will not only turn visitors into customers but will also rank well
with the search engines. And you can achieve this in just 60 minutes … maybe
less.
The reason for a 60-minute time limit is that it forces you to
focus on the key aspects of your business.
Of course, in 60 minutes you
won’t be able to write everything you’ll ever want to include on your website.
But you will have the basic information that your customers need to do business
with you. And you’ll have a website that’s already way ahead of most small
business sites in terms of effectiveness.
Step 1
So let’s start.
The first step – and one that most people overlook - is to think about the words
and phrases a potential customer would enter into a search engine to find your
site. Website designers and copywriters usually call these
“keywords”.
For example, if you’re a dentist in Christchurch, you might
come up with “dentist, Christchurch, NZ” plus other phrases such as “dental
services”, “cosmetic dentistry” and any other field of dentistry that you
specialise in.
Take a few minutes to think about these key phrases, as
they apply to your business. Imagine you are searching for your business in a
search engine. What words would you enter? Remember, people tend to enter
phrases of two or three words into search engines, rather than single words.
Once you have selected three or four key phrases, these will become the
foundation of your website content. This should only take 5 to 10 minutes. It is
a vital step that most businesses neglect when writing their
websites.
You will need to keep this list of phrases in front of you as
you write your pages, and make sure your keywords are on every page.
Step
2
Now it’s time to start writing your home page. The first step is the
headline, which must catch the attention of your readers immediately, otherwise
they may click away without reading further.
Your headline should contain
your most important key phrase. It may be as simple as “Bill Gummer, Dentist,
Christchurch, New Zealand”. But don’t just put your company name in the
headline. It must tell the reader exactly what your business is about. Another
five minutes for the headline.
Step 3
The next step is to write
two or three sub-headings. These must tell the reader what your product or
services can do for them. For example, continuing the dentist theme, you might
say: “Are you looking for a dentist who will ensure you feel no pain during your
treatment?”. Or: “Top quality dentistry at an affordable price”. Or: “Cosmetic
dentistry is our speciality”
Okay, now you’ve spent about 20 minutes and
you have a main headline and two or three sub-headings. These are what most
visitors to your site will read first. Only later will they get to the copy
between the headings. This is why you focus first on the headlines.
Step
4
Now it’s time to write the main copy for your home page. Imagine you
are chatting one-to-one with your potential client. Tell them why they should
choose your business over someone else.
Refer to your list of keywords as
you write, and try to use at least one of them in each paragraph, with the most
important phrase in the opening paragraph. Your home page doesn’t have to be
long. About 250 words is enough at this stage, to get across the essential
facts.
Make sure you include vital information such as your contact
details, street address and opening hours on your home page.
You should
be able to complete this in 10 minutes. Total time elapsed, 30
minutes.
Step 5
Next, you’ll need to write a page about your
products or services. Start by making a list. This should only take two or three
minutes. Then, take each item on then list and say a bit about it. Again,
remember you a talking one-to-one with your reader, so don’t be too formal, but
try to weave your keywords into your copy.
This is the page where you
should also include prices, if appropriate.
If you get stuck for words
here, don’t worry. You can come back later. But at least you now have the basic
framework of your page. Later, you can expand this page with more details. Don’t
spend more than 10 minutes on this page.
Step 6
Next, write a page
called “About Us”, or something similar. If you’re a one-person business, this
can be similar to your curriculum vitae. If you’re a larger business, it will
include the history of the company and its main achievements.
Again,
don’t take too long over this. Just jot down the key facts, which should only
take a few minutes. You should include photos of yourself and your staff on this
page, too.
Step 7
Next, write a page called “projects” or
“clients” or “portfolio” or something similar, which outlines projects you have
done. Make a list at this stage, without worrying too much about filling in the
details. Again, try to work in your keywords.
If you’re a
well-established business, this list may be quite long and you can break it up
later into several pages.
Step 8
Next, write a page called
“Frequently Asked Questions” or “Questions and Answers”. Think of the top three
or four questions related to your business. Make sure one of these includes your
prices. This should take another 10 minutes.
Step 9
Finally, write
a page with all your contact details. This should take two or three minutes at
most.
Step 10
Make sure you spell-check your copy. Read it through
a final time and check for grammar. Double check that your main keywords appear
on every page.
Now, you have the framework for a basic six-page website,
which not only tells your potential customers the vital information they need to
know about your business but also is well placed to rank on the search engines.
You really can do this in 60 minutes. If you feel you need professional
help to take your website copy a step further, you at least have the basic
framework that a website copywriter can polish up into really sharp sales
copy.
About the Author
Chris Mole is a freelance website copywriter based
near Christchurch, New Zealand. He has more than 20 years experience writing for
print, radio and Web media and now specialises in writing truly persuasive sales
copy for small businesses.
Website: www.web-words.co.nz Email:
chris@web-words.co.nz
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