Optimize Your Website: Learn What Content You Need on Every Key Page

Know what to include on your home, about, services, and contact pages

Your website has one job. To tell people how you can solve their problems.  

Does this sound familiar?

You open Google, type in a question and see a list of websites. You click a link with the idea that you’ll get the help you need. You read the first paragraph and it has nothing to do with your question or problem. You scroll a little bit – still nothing. You give up. Back to the Google search results to look for another website (company) who can help you. 

You want answers and you want them immediately. You are not “surfing the web” – you are looking for help and frankly you’re frustrated with websites that promise to help but really don’t tell you anything.

Are you feeling a bit sweaty now? Maybe your brain is racing, thinking about your own company website… what happens when people visit your website:

• Is it blatantly clear how you can help them? 
• Do people know why they should trust you? 
• Are you telling people you understand, you care, you know what’s it like, and you have the experience and knowledge to help them out? 
• Do you address the problems that brought them to your website? 
• Do you make it easy for people to contact you so they can get what they need and want?

Don’t worry – you’re not alone. So many websites neglect to do this. So many people forget that their website is not for them – it’s for the people you want to sell to. 

You need to sell yourself and the best way to do this is by giving people confidence and reassurance that you know what they’re dealing with and you’re here to help. 

And this is exactly what you’ll learn how to do with this blog:

• Google, E-E-A-T, and Helpful Content: what you need to know
• Home, About, Services, Contact, Footer, and Menu: the content you need to include

Google, E-E-A-T, and Helpful Content: What You Need To Know

You need Google to like your website. You need real humans to like your website. 

The only way to do this is with clearly written, high quality, helpful content. 

Google sets the standards for what helpful content is. And you need to understand what Google wants so you can rank at the top of the search results.

TL;DR: your website needs to make it clear that you are an expert and can be trusted. The best way to do this is with helpful content that solves problems and provides useful information. To provide this information you need to know what problems people have and understand why they have these problems. 

• Helpful Content: is content written for real people. This content answers questions, solves problems, and provides useful information.
  
  Helpful content is what Google looks for and trusts.
  
  Your website needs practical, informative, trustworthy, useful, supportive, and clear content. This is how you help people and earn Google’s trust.
  
  
• E-E-A-T: stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust. Google is looking for websites and content that clearly communicate experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust.
  
  When you write with these four quality guidelines in mind, you naturally create clear, high-quality, helpful content.
  
  Experience: write what you know. Make it obvious why people can trust you to help them solve their problems and challenges. Tell them what you have done and why you.
  
  Expertise: show-off and brag. People want to trust experts, they want to know they’re working with an expert. So tell them you’re an expert and why.
  
  Authoritativeness: tell people about yourself – who you are, why your company exists, what you can give them, and why they can trust you.
  
  Trust: write the way you speak. Be human. Be clear about who you are and what you know. Be yourself.
  
  
• Keywords: are the words people enter into search engines when they’re looking for information. For example: what are the northern lights or what is an anti-inflammatory diet.
  
  These keywords tell you what people want to know and give you hints at subjects and topics that need more helpful content.
  
  It’s important your website uses the keywords people are using to find information about your services, products, and niche or domain. Google is looking for websites that answer search engine questions (queries) clearly and succinctly.
  
  
• Search Intent: this is the goal or purpose behind the keywords and Google search. By understanding what is driving people to ask specific questions, you can create more helpful and purposeful content.
  
  This is similar to knowing the primary pain points or challenges your clients have. This information should form the basis for your products and services.
  
  Search intent is similar – it helps you determine the information to include on your website.

Now that you understand the basics of Google and content, let’s look at the types of content you need to include on each page of your website.

Your Homepage

Your homepage is your first impression. You have about 3 seconds to sell yourself to the person reading your homepage.

The first paragraph on your homepage is your “hero” content. You need to immediately build trust and make it clear why you have what they need. 

The best way to do this is by drilling down into a common client pain point and telling the reader how you solve this for them. 

For example:

You need people to know about your brand and ideas.

You need content.

You need me. I’m Vicki. I write for companies just like yours.

I specialize in creating content for small- and medium-sized companies who do not have content writing and strategy expertise or resources.

I am your writer and strategist. I am your resource.

I am your content expert. I am your storyteller.

Problem: You need people to know about your brand and ideas.
You need content.

Solution: You need me. I’m Vicki. I write for companies just like yours.
I specialize in creating content for small- and medium-sized companies who do not have content writing and strategy expertise or resources.

Trust: I am your writer and strategist. I am your resource.
I am your content expert. I am your storyteller.

Once people see that you understand their challenge and that you’re here to help – they’ll keep reading. This is how you get them to stay on your website, visit your services/products pages, subscribe to your newsletter, and contact you.

I want you to focus on your hero content – get this right and the rest of the homepage content flows from here.

Use the answers to these 3 questions to help guide your hero content:

1. What is the primary pain point or challenge my clients have?
2. What is our elevator pitch? My company does xxx for xxx because xxx. 
3. What is my biggest barrier to closing a sale?

Your About Page

People visit your about page to learn about you. They want to know why they should trust you, who you are, why you do what you do, and to see if they “like” you.

Your about page is all about building a relationship with your readers. You want them to feel like they know you – because this makes it so much easier for them to trust you. 

Tell your story. Imagine you’re sitting down and telling someone about your company and what you offer. Help the reader understand how and why you do what you do. 

You need to sell your expertise, experience, and personality. People want to establish a personal connection with you.

For example:

I have a knack for getting people to open up and trust me. It’s because I listen. I genuinely care. 

This is exactly what I bring to my clients.

An openness to understanding and learning about your challenges and those of your clients.

My job is to write words that help your clients – words that connect with them, that educate them about your products and services, so you can support them.

This is what I do. I write good words that work.

This is a snippet from my about page. I’m letting you in, showing you I care and that I genuinely want to help. Hint: read the rest of my about page – at the end of it you’ll feel like you know and trust me…

Use the answers to these 3 questions to help shape your about page:

1. How did I get here? Education, work experience, challenges, discoveries.
2. Why am I doing this? Be honest about the reason behind your company, products, and services.
3. Who are you? Interests, hobbies, likes/dislikes, fears, big goals.

Your Services/Products Page

This is where the rubber hits the road. People want to know what you can do for them. They’re curious and half-way there to contacting you.

This is where you need to sell. Make it easy for people to quickly read about your products and services.

Highlight the key benefits of each and be clear about who each product or service is for. Agitate on a problem or use language that helps them identify as your target client. 

For example:

Website Copywriting

How confident are you in your website? When was the last time you updated your website copy? Where is your website ranking in Google?

My Website Copywriting services gives you a website that educates, connects, engages, and supports your customers.

Get Great Website Copy

Service: Website Copywriting

Problem/Agitation: How confident are you in your website? When was the last time you updated your website copy? Where is your website ranking in Google?

Benefit: My Website Copywriting services gives you a website that educates, connects, engages, and supports your customers. 

Result/CTA: Get Great Website Copy

When people click Get Great Website Copy, they see more details about the service and what it includes. 

You need to do the same for every service and product you offer. The key here is doing it in a way that is not too “salesy” and keeps your personality and company ethos. Remember people want to build a relationship with you, so be yourself when writing these product and service descriptions.

Use the answers to these 3 questions as a template for each product/service:

1. What is the core benefit of each product/service?
2. Why did we create this product/service?
3. Who do we want to buy this product/service? 

Your Contact Page

Your contact page needs to make it very easy for people to contact you. Along with a short and simple contact form, remind people why they want to contact you.

Include a short paragraph that reinforces your expertise, your products/services, your values, and how you can help them. 

Be clear that you’re here to help.

For example:

I specialize in writing content and telling stories for small- and medium-sized companies. I am an expert at content and content strategy.

Words are my superpower. As one client says, “Vicki creates word magic.”

Let’s talk about your words, your website, your clients, and how I can help you.

This content from my contact page includes a subtle call-to-action – Let’s talk about your words, your website, and how I can help you.

Always reinforce your value and benefit. 

Use the answers to these 3 questions to help you write your contact page content:

1. What do you do for people?
2. Why should people contact and trust you?
3. What should people expect after contacting you?

Your Footer

The footer is the static content at the bottom of every page on your website. Your footer should make it easy for people to contact you, find you (in-person and online), navigate your website, and remind them what you do.

Make sure your footer includes:

• Elevator Pitch: My company does xxx for xxx because xxx.
  
  For example: Good Words Work specializes in content for small- and medium-sized companies who lack content writing and strategy expertise or resources.
  Let’s talk about your words and how Vicki can help you.
  
  
• Contact Information: your email address, phone number, and if relevant physical address, social badges, and an optional contact form.
  
  For example: vicki@goodwordswork.ca
  (613) 276-8948
  
  
• Website Navigation: links to your primary web pages.
  
  For example: Home, Meet Vicki, Writing & Strategy Services, Contact Vicki

Your Main Menu

People and Google use your main menu to learn more about your most important web pages and what you offer.

The main menu should appear at the top of every page on your website. The menu labels should match the page title of the page it links to. Avoid cute language here – be clear about what each page is and does.

For example: Home, Meet Vicki, Writing & Strategy Services, Contact Vicki

These menu labels tell you what you’ll get on each page – there is no guesswork required to understand what you’ll learn from each page. 

TL;DR Helpful Website Content Always Wins

Above all else, remember your website is not for you. It’s for the people you made your products and services for.

Do not assume they know why they need your expertise and knowledge. These people know they have a problem or challenge. And now they’re looking for someone to help them.

This applies to every company, product, and service. Never assume people know as much as you do – because they don’t… you are the expert so make it clear why you are their best choice. 

Clear, informative, supportive, human, and helpful content always wins. 

I’m here to talk about your words, your website, and how I can help your clients find and trust you. Let’s talk about your words and how I can help you.