Website FAQs: Your burning questions answered

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Why is content important in a website?

A website is only as good as its content. Content is what makes your site stand out from your competitors. It helps you attract and retain traffic with a message that resonates. This leads to higher conversions for your business.

Other elements of your website, like images and videos, serve as side dishes to highlight the main course — your web content. Don’t get us wrong, web design is important. But it’s the website copywriting that sells.

Quality content also enhances the visibility of your site to Google and other search engines. It makes it easier for search engines to find your site and rank it high in SERPs (search engine result pages). High-ranking websites receive more traffic. Increased traffic means increased revenue.

Quality content is key to generating high clickthrough rates and backlinks. The more users that visit your site and click on your content, the more likely it is for Google to take notice. That boosts your website ranking because Google will deem your content relevant to what users are searching for.

How long does it take to write website content?

Well, the first question that needs to be answered is what constitutes “good” writing. “Good” means different things to different people. More importantly, we need to remember that when it comes to writing website content, copywriters and content writers do much more than just write. There are three steps that every writer must take to produce acceptably ‘good’ website content:

1. Research

Here at Taleist, we have a saying that good copy is 80% research. If the topic of your article was about biodiversity in the Himalayas, how likely are you to produce an educational 1000-word essay right off the bat?

Content writers are rarely experts in the subject they’re writing about. But they are often expected to write like an expert. They are expected to cite data, statistics and other sources. That’s where the research comes in.

2. Writing the content

After you’re done with the research, it’s time to sit down and write. The first draft does not have to be perfect. The idea is to have all the information collected from your research written down in a formatted structure.

3. Proofreading and editing

This step is pretty straightforward. You finish writing your article. Now you need to check it for grammar mistakes and omissions. You also need to make sure your message comes across clearly. Rushing through this stage will result in incoherent garble that nobody would want to read. So spend as much time on this stage as you need.

4. Optimising

Good content writing is not enough to keep your website afloat. You also need to get more traffic through search engines.

That means optimising your titles and headlines for search engines. It also means adding alt-text to images, identifying meta descriptions and keywords. Internal and external links are also important for improve your site’s visibility and ease of navigation. If you’re writing a blog post, that would mean picking categories and tags. This helps readers find the articles they want quickly and improves the overall user experience.

We have an online course on writing content for SEO.

How often should a website be updated?

The most straightforward reply would be: as frequently as is required. Complete website overhauls might occur annually or every two years. Meanwhile, minor tweaks can be done on a daily basis. As long as you have it scheduled in your list of things to do, you’re on the right track.

Updating your website can mean a lot of things. It can be something as simple as updating some of your old blogs to feature more contemporary content. Or you could opt for a complete redesign as well.

What’s important is to always be improving your website. Every update you make should work toward this goal. No matter the scope of an initiative, whether it’s adding new content or changing your web layout, every change should be aimed at boosting your UX (user experience).

How to bring free traffic to your website

The Internet is a vast place that’s bursting at the seams with potential customers. And there’s no shortage of ways to get more eyeballs on your website, as long as you play your cards right.

1. Use social media

By using social media to its fullest potential, you can create an online presence that will bring clicks to your website. Set up accounts on various platforms like Facebook or Twitter and post content regularly. Not only do they make it easier for people who are interested in what you have going on, it also builds trust through digital footprint tracking with Google Analytics.

2. Emailing

Your mailing list is a huge traffic source that is often overlooked. People subscribed to you already know what you do and are interested in getting to know more.

Email marketing is a great way to get content in front of an increasingly busy audience. Sharing links to your blog content via emails are one of the ways you can use to boost your traffic.

3. Build backlinks

Building backlinks is a crucial part of SEO. Not only do they drive traffic and boost your rankings, but when Google sees that you have strong linkable assets it’s more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Building quality links also helps build authority for the website as well. That leads to more organic visitors.

Content marketing

A great way to improve your SEO rankings and increase organic traffic is through the use of informative, engaging articles that are keyword rich with valuable information about what you have in store for users who continue visiting or sharing them across social media platforms. Blogging is typically how marketers like to share their content, however you can also target your audiences through:

• Case studies
• E-books
• Videos
• Interviews

What makes a good website?

Here are four principles that every good website adheres to…

1. Having a clear purpose

Having clear intentions is crucial to great design. Consider what you hope to achieve with your website. If a page does not have an established purpose, it might be best to get rid of it.

2. Visually appealing

A whopping 94% of visitors form their first impression from a website’s design. So the last thing you want is to have a website looking like it’s from the 90s. Make sure your site’s design is current, fresh and pleasing to the eye. You can experiment with different styles to see what resonates best with your intended audience.

3. Unique and targeted content

You should aim to present original content on topics that your target audience are interested in. Google has a strict policy against plagiarism and will penalise your site accordingly. Besides, posting original content also makes for better branding. It certainly beats being seen as a clone with no unique personality.

4. Easy site navigation

A site with a simple and intuitive navigation is a winner. Your visitors shouldn’t have to click more than two or three times to get from one page to another. This creates a positive user experience and helps to improve your SEO.

What makes good website content?

• Keyword difficulty is difficult: 53%
• Volume: 90

Good content is the foundation of a great user experience. It draws users in and keeps them engaged for longer periods of time. Here’s how you can create content that will be loved by both Google and your audiences:

Easy-to-read content

If your visitors have to read your web content with a dictionary in hand, then you have a problem. Your target audience is busy people. And they probably don’t have the time or patience to work out what phrases like “leveraging synergies” mean.

Don’t give your audience a headache while trying to figure out what your message is. Make sure your content is crisp, clear and easy to understand.

Clear and succinct calls to action

You might think your prospects instinctively know what they should do on your website, but most don’t. Make their lives easier with a clear call to action. Your call to action should focus on only one thing at a time. If you bombard visitors with too many requests, they’ll likely forget or get scared away. So always remember to keep your CTA simple and to the point.

SEO-optimised content

Writing SEO-friendly content is a great way to increase your site’s search engine rankings. To do this, you need to research keywords that would be relevant for the audience of people who visit it. That will help draw in traffic and improve your ranking on search engines.

What is a good bounce rate?

A website’s bounce rate measures what percentage of visitors leave the site after visiting only one page.

A high bounce rate on a page isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the visitor was looking for your phone number; there is was, and now the visitor is off to call you. A high bounce rate on a whole website is more likely to be a problem.

So what is a good bounce rate? As a rule of thumb, you’d want to have a bounce rate between 26% to 40%. A bounce rate above 56% is considered to be on the high side but as mentioned earlier, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, most website bounce rates tend to hover between 41% to 55%.

Why mobile friendly websites are important

Studies have shown that mobile devices generate about 55% of all website traffic. Even if only a small fraction of your target audience is mobile users, it may have a huge impact on your online presence. If people are struggling to navigate your website on their smartphones, you can wave goodbye to all that potential traffic.

Since 2015, mobile-friendly websites were given priority on Google’s search engine ranking in a policy update helpfully coined as the Mobilegeddon. Optimising your website for mobile devices will improve your SEO and help you rank higher in search results. When prospects type in your keywords, they’re more likely find your optimised site than one that isn’t mobile-friendly.

It’s no secret that people love sharing content online. And mobile-friendly content makes for a more shareable experience. Having an optimised site makes it easier for your content to be passed around on social media or via text message.

How to get your website to the top of Google

Your website’s user experience is one of the most important factors that search engines like Google evaluate when determining page rankings. Websites with straightforward and easy-to read content will be seen as having a much better user experience. That gives you an edge over other companies on Google search engine results pages (SERPs).

There was a time when website builders would use keyword stuffing as a way to increase their search engine rankings. But that’s a thing of the past. Google has become wise to keyword stuffing and will penalise the entire website’s ability to rank if caught. That’s because keyword stuffing makes websites look spammy and search engines don’t like that.

Your website has the best chance of SEO success with content that provides value to your audience. Of course you can still target specific keywords on your web pages. In fact, keywords are still a requirement for ranking well. But they should appear naturally in your text. One of the ways to include keywords into your content naturally is by using long-tail keywords and synonyms.

What does responsive mean in web design?

Responsive design is a method of building websites that adapt to the capabilities of the device they are viewed on. It is frequently achieved with a “mobile-first” concept. That means that the experience is designed for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets before being expanded to bigger screens.

The need for this method is being fueled by the fact that more people are using their smartphones for online browsing than the traditional PC. Although they have several similarities, mobile devices provide several distinct features that laptops and desktops don’t have, such as touchscreens and GPS.

The mobile design experience forces designers to think outside the box. The lack of screen space means that sidebars, ads and social media input are difficult, if not impossible to integrate. So simplicity needs to be the goal of mobile web designers. Additional components should only be added when screen space allows it.

How long does it take to design a website?

Designing a website is an art, not a science. There are many variables to consider when estimating how long it would take to design a site. For example:

• What sort of website the client is looking for
• How complex the design will be
• The number of pages on the website
• Who will be designing the client’s website
• The client’s input and revisions.

That said, it usually takes between six to eight weeks on average to complete a standard web design. Most businesses choose to work with a web designing agency. The agency should be willing to provide you with an estimate upfront for how long your project will take and roughly what the cost may be (based on their current rates).

What makes a website attractive?

A stylish website is more likely to get noticed by your audience. Here are some characteristics that make up an attractive web design:

1. Design and colour

A website’s color scheme is the first thing that catches a visitor’s attention. A neatly built website with a coordinating colour scheme communicates that you put effort into the design process. On the other hand, sites with gaudy or conflicting colour schemes don’t inspire trustworthiness from visitors who expect professionalism on your site.

2. Pictures and graphics

Most stock photos look like they’re from a movie set. Especially the ones with the attractive smiling people in a brightly lit office. People can spot them from a mile away. If the first thing prospects see on your website is fake, why should they trust anything else you say?

The good news is that taking your own pictures of your office or employees doesn’t have to be difficult at all. All you really need is an eye for detail, a camera or a smartphone. Having real images of your business can help you build trust and convey a positive first impression.

3. Usability

Your website’s navigation should be more like Walmart rather than Ikea. If you want to keep visitors around, it’s important that you make navigation easy for them. This is best achieved through a simple and intuitive layout. This makes visitors feel more at ease as they browse through pages on your website.

4. Fonts

Typography fonts are an essential tool for web designers. They help maintain the consistency and visual appeal of your website. The right typography can speak volumes about your brand image. So it’s important that you choose a font that matches the industry you’re in and complements all your other design elements.

What should a website homepage include?

If you want to improve your homepage’s performance, make sure it contains these key elements:

1. Headline and subheading

Your website’s headline is like the opening credits of a show. In a few seconds, it needs to grab visitors’ attention and let them know what you have to offer. A good headline and subheading should be catchy, provide a clear description of your business and be interesting enough to get visitors reading the next paragraph.

2. Calls to action

Your homepage is usually the first step to persuading visitors to explore your site and move them along the sales funnel. Having a call to action is a good way to persuade prospects to take a desired action. The action could be getting them to click to another page, make a purchase or initiate contact. The more enticing you make your call to action, the more likely visitors are to take action on your site.

3. Social proof

A written testimonial from a satisfied customer can be the finishing touch the seals your deal. Providing social proof on your homepage is a great way to stimulate trust and establish credibility with potential customers.

4. Images

Humans are visual creatures. Images that clearly represent what your business offers are a great way to capture visitors’ attention. Find blog post images that have strong emotional meaning and tell the story of your business and products or services.

5. Content

Your web content is what drives sales, so make it count. It’s important not to just list out the features your business offers. You need to tie those features to how they benefit your prospects.

Your prospects are likely not industry experts, so keep your content simple and avoid using jargon. Be professional but personable as you convince prospects you have the solution they’re looking for.