The content of your website is far more important than you think

Aug 19, 2008

Mitch Joel on his blog explains why your business website is as important as your retail store and it is as much a part of your company as any other crucial component needed to run your company. I would like to add, so is the content on your website.

Your business website is there to help your customers and clients do business with you, it’s not merely a piece of decoration hanging from the wall of your lobby. It contains information that educates, informs and assists your customers. This information can exist in the form of informative textual content, or product listings extracted from your inventory database. Mitch refers to the product listing sort of content when he discovers that the information on the website does not match with the ground reality at the product store. My usual focus is on the textual content; content that doesn’t merely throw numbers and facts at your visitors, but establishes a rapport with them.

Although it depends on your market, it could easily be the case that most of your exposure happens through your website, that means, more and more people do business with you after reading what’s there on your website. Even if you are not doing online selling, people might be visiting your office or store after gleaning information from your website. The content on your website has the ability to send your visitors away, or draw them closer to making a purchase.

Why is content so crucial for your website? The answer is quite simple; in the absence of a human, it’s your content that welcomes your visitors. It’s your content that helps your visitors perceive a voice amidst an avalanche of cacophonic sounds. Even the first line of your content can decide whether your visitor stays on your website or moves on to the next link.