Why Your Business Needs Content and Design
You may already know you need a beautiful, well-functioning, responsive website. But do you know why?
It’s the one-stop-shop where they get to meet you, learn about your business, and decide if they want to purchase your product or service.
Perfect. Now, how do people find you?
Well, there are a few ways people can stalk find you online:
- They can do a very detailed Google search.
- They might see an ad on social media that catches their attention.
- Or they could be referred by a trusted contact that loves what you do.
And the way you market your business can play a HUGE part in how they find you.
- When your web pages are optimized, your website ranks higher on Google.
- If you create ads filled with customer-centric language, you catch their attention.
- How you talk about your business helps people know what to say when they refer you.
So once people find out about your business, they’re going to head over to your website. It’s your website’s number one job to help them stick around after they get there.
Did you know that the average time people spend on a website is less than 15 seconds?
If you want to catch that short attention span, you need to know how to talk to someone and keep them listening. Communicating with a potential customer goes into everything you do – especially your website design.
At Smack Happy, we believe in creating websites that customers enjoy spending time on.
What’s our secret? Okay, lean in, and we’ll tell you. We pair great content with great design.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how our process works:
You have a business. Now you need somewhere to send people. 
Time for a refresher. Why do you need a website? You need a website because it’s where you get to communicate with a potential customer. It’s where you get to show off who you are and what you can do for them. It’s your one-stop-shop.
Where design fits in: We get straight to it – we design a website for you. We start with your homepage, and we make sure the design reflects and sets the tone for your entire brand.
Where content fits in: It’s not just enough to see something, you have to feel it too. Having the right content and language on your website helps to draw someone in, connect with them, and keep them reading.
You need a website that people like and know how to navigate.
It’s great to have all of the information on your website, but it has to make sense for someone who doesn’t know you or your business. People don’t just invest in people they don’t know.
Where design fits in: Part of our process is designing a sitemap that helps organize all of the information on your website, so it’s easy for new visitors to navigate and find what they’re looking for (like who you are and what you can do for them).
Where content fits in: The right content and language can help move website visitors from page to page. Content is the information that keeps their attention. Have a favorite book that you can’t stop rereading because it’s such a page-turner? It’s kind of like that, but digital.
Your website has to be able to convert visitors to customers.
But how? This part can seem overwhelming, we know, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where strategy comes in. Website visitors may like what they see and decide to stick around, but it doesn’t mean they’ll become customers.
What helps is having a website with a structure that makes sense. Think visuals and language here. Having everything in the right place helps lead new visitors to where you want them to be on your website. Want them on your sales page? Lead them there.
Where design fits in: The way you map out a website is critical. The aesthetic (look and feel) is just as important as the page responsiveness. You need to draw people in, content needs to be easy to read, and they need to be able to find what they’re looking for FAST.
Where content fits in: The content on your website needs to engage, educate, and inform people. It’s about giving a potential customer what they’re looking for as soon as they land on your website. Having clear calls to action on every page can help with that.
Want to know what kinds of content your business needs? Here’s our cheat sheet.
If you want your business to have everything from brand awareness to loyal brand advocates, you need to have the right content on your website, on social media, and in your emails.
That means you need to know who your ideal customer is and how to get in their head.
One way you can figure out who they are is by crafting a buyer persona. Then you’ll know who your customer is and what kind of information they’re looking for and when they need it most.
Hint! Here’s the kind of content most customers are looking for:
Content that’s interesting and engaging.
When people first get to know you and become aware of your business, you need to grab their attention. Talk about what interests them. It can be as easy as writing a blog post.
Where to put it: Blog posts live on your website. But how do you drive people to your website?
- You can optimize your post for SEO, so it will rank higher on Google if people search for what you wrote. And they should (search for what you wrote about) because you’re writing with your ideal customer in mind. Right?
- Social media is also prime real estate to promote your web content, like blog posts. Social media is a great place to bring qualified leads back to your website.
Content that helps them understand what they need.
When we have a problem, we look for a solution. Your business is the solution someone is looking for, but they probably don’t know that yet. As a business owner, it’s your job to help educate your potential customers on what they need. So give them content that does that.
A great way to help someone understand what they need is by teaching them with a webinar.
Where to put it: Webinars can live on your website on separate landing pages.
- These pages should function like sales pages where people want to click “register.”
- To drive qualified leads to these landing pages, you can create social media ads.
Content that guides them to click “apply,” “learn more,” or “buy.”
Even if potential customers are ready to become real customers, they may need some reassurance. Choosing to invest in a business is serious, and they may have questions that they want you to answer. This is your opportunity to inform them, so tell them everything.
Give them a product demo so they can see what they’re buying or show them a case study.
Where to put it: Demos and case studies can live on your website or separate landing pages.
- An easy way to let potential customers know about your product demo or case study is by emailing them directly. That’s why it’s always a great idea to have an email list.
Keep the Content Coming!
The thing to remember about giving people content they’re looking for is to keep it coming.
One way you can do this is with an email newsletter. If you have people’s permission to email them directly, you can keep them updated on what’s happening. That’s a win-win for both of you. They stay in-the-know, and you get to tell them about discounts, launches, everything.
Want to put your content on autopilot? Easy. Just have your RSS feed send out email updates every time you write a new blog post.
The more you keep the conversation going and stay in touch with the people who want to hear from you, the better. It’s how you create loyal groupies brand advocates who want to share your business for you. And that’s the best kind of marketing there is!
Content and Design go together like [insert your favorite pairing here*]
It’s not just enough to have a beautiful website these days. 
You need a website that people want to poke around on. That’s where content comes in. Add an assortment of content that engages, educates, and informs people, and no one will ever click away from your website again.
It’s why we 100% believe in pairing great content with great design.
It’s a guaranteed way to get people to stay on your website, share it with everyone they know, and buy from you time and time again. Who doesn’t want that?
Ready to get a website that people can’t help but love? Work with us; we’ve got the good stuff.
*Chocolate and chocolate anyone? Maybe that’s just us.