Read Your Website Three Times

Especially now, your website is your prospect’s first impression of you. Your content will either make or break that first impression.  

So try this. Read all the way through your website three times. Each time, focus on one specific thing, and edit ruthlessly for that quality.

1. What Do You Do?

Is exactly what you do clear from the minute I hit your home page? Is there a short, strong statement above the fold that anyone can understand? (“Above the fold” is what you see without scrolling down at all.)

In plain English and short sentences, does it explain the product or service you provide? Does it clearly lay out the benefits to the buyer? 

Maybe most important, is my next step really clear? Does your site make it easy to get your product or service, or take the first step? How clear is your call to action?

2. Why Are You Better?

People need a reason to choose you instead of a competitor — or instead of doing nothing at all. This is where a lot of sites fail. Do you clearly explain why you’re a better choice? Is your copy specific?  

More important, is it non-generic? For example, talking about “superior quality” or “exceptional customer service” won’t get you anywhere. Everybody says that. What can you own?

Finally, does it matter? Are the differences you offer something people are looking for? Do they both want and need them? They have to be relevant to drive sales. 

3. SEO

If Google can’t find you, your prospect can’t find you. So read through your copy the way Google does. Does your content include the phrases that your prospect is likely to use to search for you?

Notice we said “phrases.” Everyone talks about keywords, but people search in phrases, or strings of words. People don’t search for “beer,” but they do search for “craft beer Louisville Kentucky.”

Make sure your copy includes relevant words and phrases throughout. Make sure they’re the words and phrases that prospects use, and not all industry jargon and technical terms – unless that’s how people actually search for a company like yours.

And make sure photos and videos have captions and tags that include those key words and phrases.

Every website can be better. Reading yours in those three ways — and fixing what you find — will make yours more productive almost immediately.