Writing great website content (worksheet)
What is content?
Content refers to the information on your web pages. It can include written words (text), images, and videos. It can also include audio files, PDF files, e-books, and podcasts.
Google says, “Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any other factors.” We find that sites with lots of useful content usually get more visitors from Google.
If you do not have the time or resources to write content for your website, we can help! We offer content writing as an add-on service. Check with your sales rep for pricing or more information.
What tools do I need to write the text for my pages or posts?
You can use a word processing program like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to write the text. They offer features like spell and grammar check, a thesaurus, a word counter, and more.
No word processor? No problem.
You can also write the page text using an editor like Wordpad or Notepad (Windows) or Textedit (Mac). You can even type the text directly into an email. If you don’t have a word processor, you may find these online tools helpful:
- http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ – This free online app offers suggestions to make your text more readable. It gives a readability score and a word count.
- https://www.dictionary.com/ – You can also ask Google to define words.
- https://www.thesaurus.com/ – Can help you find the right words.
- https://wordcounter.net/ – Counts your words.
- https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/how-to-avoid-copyright-infringement – Tips for avoiding copyright infringement.
What to include?
Types of text you may want to add to your web pages:
- A brief overview for your homepage of what you do, where you do it, and for whom. This text should also include the reasons why someone should choose your company, products, or services.
- A description of your company. This could include how long you’ve been in business, how the company was founded, awards you’ve won, staff bios, community involvement, etc.
- Detailed descriptions of your products and services.
- Frequently asked questions. These could be questions about your operating procedures, customer service practices, your services, your products, or your industry. You can also give answers to the questions or ask folks to call for the answers.
- Three to five customer testimonials or reviews.
- A list of any specials, coupons, or deals you want to offer.
- Customer service information such as how to get support or how returns and exchanges are handled.
- Seasonal information or notices.
- Driving directions or a map to your location.
- Career opportunities, job application information, or a list of current job openings.
Note: We cannot copy text from other websites.
Types of images you may want to add:
- Photos of your business or storefront.
- Photos of your products and services or people enjoying them.
- Staff photos.
- Current print ads or coupons.
- Logos of your affiliations (BBB, Chambers, industry groups, etc.) if you have permission to use them.
- Logos of the manufacturers you carry if you have permission to use them.
NOTE: We can’t use any images without a photo license or written permission from the creator. If you do not have images, there are free and paid images available: http://www.websytesbydesign.com/places-to-get-images/
Types of videos you may already have:
- TV Commercials.
- Product reviews.
- Interviews.
- News segments.
Note: We can add up to one video per page if the video is hosted on a third-party site that provides embed codes (such as YouTube).
Webpage Content Worksheet
Having trouble getting started? Highlight this worksheet and copy it to your editing program of choice. Fill it out for each page or post you want to add to the site.
1. Write a page headline:
2-3 words for main pages; 6-12 for subpages or blog posts.
2. Write three to five subheadings, one for each topic you want to discuss on this page or post.
Stuck? We offer web page topic suggestions. Or, check your competitors to see what they discuss.
3. Fill in one or more paragraphs of text for each subheading.
Writer’s block? Write questions visitors may have about each topic and short, two to three sentence answers. Or, just list the points you want to make for each topic. Do not copy text verbatim from other websites!
4. Describe what you want visitors to do after reading this page:
Direct them to get more information on a product or service, read a review, download or print a coupon, get directions to your store, sign up for a mailing list, request a quote, make a booking or purchase, etc. This is the “call to action.”
5. Describe or list the media (images or videos) you want on this page:
Do not paste the images here unless for reference. The original files need to be sent separately.
We recommend at least one image per page. You need written permission or a license to use any photos you did not take. If you don’t have an image, there are free and paid image websites listed here: http://www.websytesbydesign.com/places-to-get-images/ . Videos must be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo before we can add them to your site.
6. Proof your new page or post with this checklist:
- The page is interesting.
- The text is easy to read. Check http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ for suggestions and a score.
- No spelling or grammatical errors.
- No jargon or unnecessary stories.
- There are subheadings, bullets, and lists to make the page easy to scan.
- No plagiarism or copyright infringement.
- Text shows benefits to the reader with information that will help and interest them—not just a sales pitch. It focuses on them and their needs.
- Page has at least 250 – 300 words. (For important pages, you may want to add up to 3,000 words. Use enough text to answer your readers’ questions. It’s OK to have a mix of long and short pages. Note that long pages may incur an extra fee.)
I have my text and images. How do I send them to you?
You can email your content as an attachment or share it via a service like Google Docs or OneDrive. In some cases, such as when you have a lot of images, it might be easiest to upload the content directly to your new website. Contact us for more information.
