Writing Website Content: The Importance of Website Text

Suppose you visit a website that doesn’t appeal to you, what do you do then? You probably move on to the next one, until you find what you’re looking for. A good website is therefore essential to convey information, connect, or generate business. A website concretely consists of technology, design, and content. By content, we mean for example images such as photos, videos, and text. The design is the form, where content is the substance. Even the most beautiful designs cannot do without text, although there are of course examples of stunning minimalist websites that contain little text. In this article, we specifically explain why good website text is essential.

But even websites with very little text cannot do entirely without text. Without text, there are no answers to questions such as:

–  why does this website exist?
–  what goal does this website pursue?
–  how can I get in touch or start a dialogue?

Writing Website Text with Stopping Power

When you meet someone for the first time, a first impression is decisive. We are incredibly fast – within one second – able to form an image. Research shows that this first impression determines 80% of how you think about someone, and it is difficult to change. A “wrong” image can abruptly end or complicate contact. Online, it’s the same. One wrong message and visitors to your website are gone “in the blink of an eye.” However, if your message has enough “stopping power,” people really stay and you get the chance to convince them.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

We just talked about the importance of text on your website, in case visitors have already found it. But text also contributes to your findability. The search engine uses only the text of a website to determine its relevance for a particular search query. Factors such as keyword density, word count, uniqueness, etc., determine the ranking and position in the search results. Only 10% of traffic goes to search results outside the top 3, so including SEO considerations in your website text is essential.

Conclusion

Whether a text is short or long, catchy or very substantive, text is the core of every website. Where in real-life meetings you can still convey non-verbal messages, this is very difficult on a website. Without text, no communication; without communication, no connection, dialogue, or business. How do you handle website texts, do you write them yourself or have them written? We’d love to hear from you on Twitter and LinkedIn. Need concrete help with writing website text? Contact us.

A beautiful example of a website with lots of images (design) and little text http://www.bienvillecapital.com/

Next week we will explain why many website builders often deliver websites without text and how you can deal with that. Interested in another aspect of website text? Then check our overview of other articles we have written or will write.