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Here's a silly question: what is your website actually for? Online brochure? New business tool? Aid to referral? Client communication medium? Online services? Information portal?

Done well, websites are a brilliantly dynamic medium for any of the above objectives. These days, most businesses have gone beyond the online brochure to incorporate richer content on their websites based on their collective know-how. They're often part of a knowledge-led marketing strategy: providing a valuable source of information to demonstrate expertise and, in turn, encourage the user to engage the services of the business.

For this reason many professional services firms and other businesses make a range of know-how available online. By regularly updating content and driving traffic to the site via e-mail updates, firms can promote and cross-sell services and link to other knowledge-based marketing, such as seminars and events.

Interesting enough for you to give up your email address?

Increasingly, the acid test of the perceived value of the information on your website is whether a user is prepared to give up their email address for it. Intellectual capital can be a very powerful way to increase awareness and generate new business leads. It's through know-how content that the battle for stickiness is largely won and lost.

So how do you tempt people to stay, explore your site and keep coming back? How do you make your website ‘stick’ out from the crowd? In a nutshell, it's all down to being smart about the quality, relevance and ease of access to your client-focused know-how content. Here are some thoughts on how to make it work.

1 Make your content easy to find

People decide very quickly whether they're comfortable using your website and if they want to see more. They won't spend long looking for what they want, so don't bury all of that carefully crafted content.

Obviously a well laid out, clearly signposted and easy-to-navigate website is a prerequisite for people sticking around for your know-how. The design of your site should be geared towards quick and easy access to content and draw attention to key information.

2 First impressions count

Getting the ‘brochure’ copy right is, of course, essential – starting with the homepage. It may sound obvious but, at the very least, your website should convey what your business does, who for, how it can help them and what makes it different. It's surprising how many websites fail to identify a clear client benefit proposition or even tell people the type of work and sectors they specialise in.

Your homepage sets the tone for whether the site is just an online brochure or a valuable information source, so use it to showcase your content. Make it too wordy, full of corporate-speak and unsubstantiated claims, and you've lost them sooner than you can say search engine optimisation.

3 Keep it relevant

If know-how content is the lifeblood of a website, then it needs to be insightful, original, timely, practical and compelling. And it should be delivered in an objective rather than an overtly promotional way.

Websites too often become a dumping ground for information. Instead they should follow a meaningful editorial policy and be planned like other forms of marketing communications, such as newsletters. It's about quality, not quantity.

Putting the content together can be time-consuming, so think carefully about what your audiences find of value. Ask them! And keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. Track usage (from outside the firm) to find out what's popular and rethink sections that aren't. Obviously track leads generated from the site.

4 Join the dots

Many sites remain glorified online brochures, with some know-how bolted on. Linking relevant content can really enhance the user experience.

For example, most professional services firms will have an events section on their site, but few people will come looking for it. But linking your events to a relevant e-shot news item which, in turn, is linked to the speaker's profile, further relevant articles and case studies dealing with the same issue – that's getting stickier.

5 Quality of copy

Good copy, written specifically for the web, is a big part of making content sticky. People tend to skim-read website content before delving deeper. Good web copy makes relevance immediately apparent to the user. To gain the trust of readers and keep them coming back for more, you need to get to the point quickly, with jargon-free, non-technical language in the right tone of voice.

All the tools at the writer's disposal should be employed to help readers understand the importance and urgency of the issue, how it affects them and what action they should take – all in as few words as possible. So you'll need good summaries, effective signposting, manageable chunks of text and active language. And remember, your website copy has to work for search engines too.

6 Personalisation

Websites can play a key part in meeting the ever-growing demand for personalised information. But they don't work in isolation. You can't just chuck all your publications on the site and assume people will find or read them. You need to direct people to content – most commonly through e-shots or by helping them find it through their chosen search engine.

The more information on personal preferences you can extract from users through registration on your website, the better you can tailor the content you direct them to. This value exchange is a key test of the worth they place on your content. Make it easy for users to tell you what they're interested in and how they would like it delivered.

7 Innovative content delivery

Blogs, tweets, webcasts, webinars and RSS feeds – all designed to help users absorb information to suit their personal preferences – are becoming more widespread. The key to making these tools effective is understanding what users want, keeping it relevant and delivering content through the most appropriate channel.

The possibilities are almost endless, but are technical updates downloaded to their ipods really what your punters want? Look for innovations that add value for the user, rather than gimmicks.

For further information on web copy writing, contact:
Steve Smith
020 7096 5026
stevesmith@thirdpersonwords.co.uk

Copyright Thirdperson Words 2011