Issue #002- What is Content?

Our second article today is from contributing author Diane Aull. Diane is a friend and top web professional from the High Rankings Forum, (she's Torka at the forum... ask her about the Monkees!) Diane points out some of the advantages and pitfalls of using testimonials.

Read on for more information on building content for your site! -Scottie

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What is Content? Part I

By Scottie Claiborne

Browse any webmaster forum or read web tutorials and you will find that nearly all the experts these days recommend that you have lots of good content on your site. Sounds like good advice, doesn't it? But what does it mean?

Simply put, content is the stuff on your site. Good content is useful information or tools that your visitors will find helpful. It means different things to different businesses and the bottom line is that what constitutes good content depends on the goal of your site.

Below, I've attempted to categorize the different types of content:

Core Site Pages

These are the heart pages of your site, the pages that are the core of why you built a site in the first place. They explain your mission or goals, who you are, and detail the products/services/information available through your site. The best place to start with "good content" is making sure these pages are as complete as possible and answer all of a user's potential questions.

Typical pages that visitors expect to find on a site are:

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Products/Services/Activities
• FAQ
• Shipping Info/Delivery Area/Locations Served

If you aren't confident in your writing skills, consider hiring a professional copywriter to write or rewrite your pages. A good copywriter can tailor the style and the voice to appeal to your customers. It can make a difference between just getting traffic and getting traffic that converts into sales.

Make your core site pages a priority and ensure that they are easy-to-read, complete, and informative before looking at adding other content.

Complementary Pages

Complementary pages enhance and expand on your core site pages. These are the information pages that can really make a difference and help set you apart from your competitors.

For product sites, you might offer detailed product reviews, extensive "how-to" pages for product usage, special print-friendly detail pages, creative ideas for other uses, customer feedback and testimonials, or help pages that go over and above the standard.

For service sites, the complementary pages might deal with how you do what you do, your qualifications, common myths and misperceptions about the service, or do-it-yourself tips for situations where a professional is not needed.

For affiliate or advertising sites, complementary pages are the key element that will set your site apart from the competition. What will attract people to your site instead of the others? Is it a community, more detailed information, news or freebies?

Complementary pages can offer additional information about your company such as how long you've been in business, details of the clients you handle, industry recognition and awards, or even statements of your total commitment to customer service. These pages aren't critical to the operation of your site like the Core Site Pages are, but they help differentiate your site from others in the field and give visitors a reason to choose to do business with you.

Human Interest

People love the real person touch- if you don't believe that, watch a little "reality TV"! People just like to learn about other people. How can you relate that "real people" fascination to your website?

How do people USE what you sell? How do your services improve people's lives? A travel service isn't selling a hotel, it's selling fun in the sun or amenities that make your time away from home easier. Accounting software isn't just about the numbers; it's about getting tasks done faster and more accurately with more detail. A sporting goods site isn't just selling fishing gear; it's selling relaxation. When you think about the benefits, about WHY people want what you sell, it's a lot easier to brainstorm creative content ideas.

A large plastics manufacturer created a section in their site where people could send in amazing stories about how their trashcans had survived falling trees and hurricaines. A baby product site set up a photo gallery where customers could send in their cutest pictures of their baby using the company's products. A men's tie manufacturer invited customers to send in a picture of their ugliest tie along with a few sentences about it- and featured an ugly tie next to each wonderful new tie!

In all the examples above, the "human interest" content reinforces the brand- strong, durable trashcans, products babies love, ties that look great- while adding a little emotion and interest. By focusing on the people and using the product as a backdrop, you subtly reinforce the credibility of your brand.

Industry Pages

Establish credibility and authority by including information that spans your industry. Many webmaster experts will encourage you to write articles about your industry- this is a great idea. Try not to simply parrot back what you've heard and read from others, but add your own opinion to the article. Yes, people are interested in your point of view! Articles can often be submitted to other information sites in your industry, which is a great way to get incoming links to your site.

Other author's industry articles are a great and fast way to build content on your site. If you aren't much of a writer or feel you have nothing to add to the information already published, collect the best articles from your industry and (with permission) reprint them on your site or link to them. While they are not unique content, they can add value to your site if you select them carefully. Don't reprint anything and everything available- be selective and only reprint content that you agree with and is helpful to your visitors. You want people to trust in the information that you are recommending they read.

News feeds related to your industry can be a good idea too. RSS is a way to syndicate your articles for others to pick up and a way for you to integrate headlines from other sites on your own pages. Watch for an article on RSS feeds in a future newsletter.

More to Come!

In part II of "What is Content?" we will look at ways to continue to add fresh content, such as allowing users to interact with your site and build content for you. We'll also look other tools and resources you can add to your site that will draw traffic to your site and keep it coming back.

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Testimonials - Friend or Foe?

By Diane Aull

When done right, testimonials can be a strong ally in establishing the credibility of your website. When done wrong, they can actually do more harm than good. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction:

Don't Try to Fake Sincerity.

I'm sure you've seen websites loaded with testimonials that all sound as though they were written by the same bad advertising copywriter. Breathless, urgent, loaded with supposedly "hypnotic" sales trigger words - and completely unbelievable.

Nothing will ruin your credibility faster than the use of phony testimonials

It's perfectly okay to solicit testimonials. Ask your customers for feedback, and include the best comments on your website. However, do not under any circumstances succumb to the temptation to write your own testimonials or to hire someone to write them for you.

Just Who ARE These People, Anyway?

I get sales letters and flyers all the time with testimonials from alleged "satisfied customers" identified only by their initials. Just today, I saw a television infomercial with testimonials from folks identified with just names and generic titles such as "businesswoman" and "professional."

"Professional WHAT?" I wondered. Professional actor, most likely.

Frankly, I don't put too much stock in these so-called testimonials. Maybe these people are real, and maybe they're qualified to give an opinion, but I don't buy it. I generally don't buy the products they're pitching either. You are probably nodding your head in agreement!

For each testimonial you should include at a minimum the customer's full name, city and state. If they're speaking on behalf of a business, include the business name. Mention if they have any professional certifications or titles that would enhance their authority. If they have a website, a link to it will also help establish that this is a legitimate testimonial.

Photographs can also help prove that these are real people. Just make sure that the pictures aren't too "professional." Oddly enough, photos that are too good may be perceived as generic stock photos, while those that have a slightly more amateur quality will seem genuine.

It's Easier to Ask for Forgiveness Than Permission, But Ask for Permission Anyway

Always ask before you publish someone's comments on your website. Ask for permission to include their comments and to edit if necessary. Get their consent in writing, and keep it on file.

When you ask permission to include their comments, be sure they also agree to let you include their identifying information. Only include testimonials from people who are comfortable with the level of personal detail you intend to provide.

The last thing you need is to have a customer getting upset because you published what they intended as a private letter or e-mail on your website without their knowledge, or included their personal details without their permission.

Generally Speaking, Specifics are More Compelling

Try to pick comments that address a specific benefit or positive result brought about by the use of your product or service. These are much more powerful than more generic compliments.

For instance, which of these makes a stronger testimonial?

"Joe's Deli is great! I just love them!"

"Joe's Deli really saved my sanity. Our previous caterer went out of business just a week before our annual company awards banquet, leaving us with no food service for over 200 expected attendees. On extremely short notice, Joe and his crew came through for us with delicious food, impeccable service and excellent presentation. Thanks, Joe!"

Spread the Wealth

It's a good idea to have a testimonials page on your site. Prospective customers may find a long list of favorable comments from all your previous customers to be very impressive. But to increase the impact of your testimonials, try also interweaving them with the content on your main pages.

Site visitors may skip or accidentally overlook a separate testimonials page. Testimonials that are interwoven with the body copy or in a sidebar have a better chance of being read by more of your site visitors.

If your testimonials are focused and specific, this can be a powerful technique to improve your sales conversions by directing attention to the benefits of your product or service.

Brevity is the Soul of Wit

You've probably run across websites with testimonials that could constitute a full page in themselves. They just go on and on and on…

Now, be honest. Do you actually read them all the way through? Or do you do as I do and simply scroll past them?

If you want your testimonials to do their job, they need to be readable. Try to keep the quotes to five lines of text or less. If a customer gives you a very long - but excellent - testimonial and you want to use substantially all of the comments, consider breaking it up into several segments to scatter throughout your site.

In Conclusion…

There are few marketing tools more powerful than word of mouth, but you can't fake it. Generic, questionable or obviously phony testimonials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your web pages, can enhance your website's credibility and boost your conversion rate.

Diane Aull is owner of Nine Yards, a web company specializing in design, copywriting, and search engine optimization.

Wrap Up

The site is coming along well- but don't be surprised to find a few links not working or some of the pages not quite right yet. It's been a busy week with more busy weeks to come, so my pet project is suffering from a lack of attention!

I am continuing to receive lots of great articles from people who know about making great websites; I'm very excited about some of the upcoming issues. And the subscriptions continue to grow! No pressure there...

By the next issue, I should have profile pages up giving you a more detailed look at our featured authors and how they've built their knowledge. I've just got to harass them all to get me the info!

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