Writing content for a small business website is not rocket science once you realize, you don’t need a website, you need a way to win clients.
This Is An Overview Of The Client Winner System
Client Winner offers affordable web design solutions for startups and small businesses.
The problem is that the amount of information and advice available is overwhelming. I know, I’ve read over two hundred marketing books and countless blog posts on marketing service businesses.
So I decided to make a client winning system that’s easy to understand and easy to put in place.
I’ve included enough information for you to write the content for a client winning website, but not so much that you’re completely overwhelmed. We will be concentrating on delivering a clear and simple message.
If I think you might want to learn more about a topic I’ll refer you to the place I found that specific piece of information (see the sidebar of this web page). The sources of my information are service professionals who win clients for their own businesses. They’ve been in the trenches themselves, they know what they’re talking about and they have good advice to offer based on real-world experience.
The next step in writing content for a small business website is to understand…
Visitor intent
To win clients you need to understand visitor intent. Why did the visitor seek out your site and what did the visitor intend to do when they got there?
Visitors to your site will generally fall into one of these categories…
- I want to buy now.
- I want to learn more because I’m interested but not ready to buy yet.
- I’m a past client and I would like some more help.
“Find out what they want and then give it to them on a plate.”
Build your site in a way that makes it easy for your visitors to do what they came here to do.
We’ve now started writing content for a small business website so we need to understand the three stages our site visitors are at in the buying process.
I want to buy now
Sometimes people will recommend that a friend uses your services in such an enthusiastic way that you have very little selling to do. They arrive at your site ready to buy. So make sure your contact details and contact form are easy to find and easy to complete. At a minimum, you need a contact form or a request a quote form.
If you’d prefer they phone you instead of filling out a form, tell them clearly what to do and explain briefly what happens when they do phone you. Only ask for information you need. And remove anything that might distract them while they’re on your contact us page.
I want to learn more because I’m interested but not ready to buy yet
First, make sure that your business pages are well written and look professional. Your business pages include your services, about us, portfolio and contact us pages. When your business pages are complete you could consider adding blog posts that would attract, interest, and help to convert your website visitors that are sitting on the fence.
You don’t want your site visitors to forget about you after they leave your site. So what do you do? You bribe them to join your mailing list. Then regularly email them with information that they find useful. These emails should also position you as a friendly expert who can help them solve at least one pressing problem. Focus on a big problem that they care about and would love to, and are willing to pay to, solve.
I’m a past client and I would like some more help
Your easiest form of new work is from people who already know, like and trust you. Past clients are an obvious example. Past clients are a valuable asset, so communicate with them in a personal, one to one, way. What should you talk about when contacting past clients? Find out what pressing problems they have, that you can solve, and then offer your services. I’ll explain how to do this in a friendly helpful way, not a high-pressure salesman way, later on.
What about your web design?
This tutorial is really about writing content for a small business website so I’ll only briefly discuss your site’s web design. Choosing a good quality WordPress theme will solve most of your web design problems. StudioPress makes several themes designed specifically for service professionals, but there are countless other themes available.
A minimum viable website
If you start by trying to compete with the best website in your field, you’ll soon feel overwhelmed. Start with the intention of getting the basics right then grow and develop your website over time.
Writing content for a small business website’s business pages
When I refer to your business pages I’m talking about the basic pages you expect to find on the website of any service business.
Your business pages include…
- Home
- About
- Services
- Pricing
- Portfolio
- Blog
- Contact
If your site visitors contact you by email or by filling in a web-based form you’ll also want a privacy policy and terms of use page. Here you could explain if and how you store their details.
Your website’s Primary Purpose and your Most Wanted Response
If the website magician could grant you one wish from your website, what would it be?
A well-made website can do many things for your business. But when you’re building your site initially it makes sense to focus on the one main response you’re hoping to get from your site visitors.
I’m writing content for a small business website because…
I want people to find my site on Google and then contact me to ask for a quote.
So your primary purpose could be, I want people to find my site on Google.
And your most wanted response from those site visitors could be, I want them to contact me to ask for a quote.
Your business might have different needs. You might want to build your authority in your field. Or you might want to build your email list.
But to begin with, your site should be built around one primary purpose and focused on achieving one most wanted response.
If your primary purpose is encouraging people to ask for a quote, make sure you include a clear call to action saying “Get a Quote”. If you want to build your mailing list, add a mailing list sign up form and bribe them to subscribe with a freebie, such as a special report etc.
Place these calls to action or sign up forms in a prominent position where no one can miss them.
Now we know what the primary purpose of our website is and what we want our site visitors to do when they arrive on our site.
When writing content for a small business website you also need to know…
What should you put on your homepage?
At the top of your homepage, you should clearly state…
- Who you are, so they don’t confuse you with other similar businesses.
- What you do, so they know you help people in their situation.
- Who you help, so they know you help individuals like them or businesses like theirs.
- Why choose you? Are there any reasons why you are best placed to solve their problem, or to do the work? This could be something simple such as, you’re a well trusted local business. Or something much more specific, you’re the only business in Yorkshire with a license to carry out the work.
Show that other people or other businesses trust you
If you work business to business you could show logos of the businesses you’ve worked with. If you do this get permission first, some businesses are very particular about how and when their logos can be used.
If you work with individuals or homeowners you could ask some past clients for testimonials to use on your site.
In both cases, always get permission in writing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
There are many more things you can put on your homepage, but this will get you started for now.
Contact Us page
Put yourself in your site visitors shoes. When someone arrives on your contact page they’re wondering what will happen after they fill in the contact form. Will you phone them today, next week, or a month from now? Will you arrange to meet in person or via Skype? When will you start charging, immediately or after a contract is signed?
It’s up to you to provide all the information they need to feel comfortable filling out your contact form. If you can think of anything that might make them hesitate to fill out and send your contact form, provide information that eliminates that sticking point.
To start with, just put a paragraph or two above your contact form saying, this is what to expect after you fill in and send this form…
About us page
Your about page is not really about you. It’s about what you bring to the table that will help your client achieve their goal. Give your clients some idea of who you are as a person. It’s also a good idea to include a photo of you and your team. But focus mainly on things about you, that are relevant to the business relationship you and your client will have.
For instance, if you were a Google AdWords specialist. You might say “I track and monitor all of the results from my campaigns, so you can see exactly how much you spent and how many extra units you sold. There’s no guesswork involved”.
Services page
If there is anything unique and desirable about your service, put that in a big bold headline on your services page. However, if you compete online with thousands of other similar businesses, being truly unique is hard if not impossible.
The real unique thing about your business is you, your knowledge, your personality, your experience and your ability to provide a good service at a great price. So make sure you talk about your skills and abilities and all of the good things you’ve achieved for your clients.
People like services that have an easy to understand name. For instance, instead of saying “I’ll look at your website and see if I can find any obvious problems”, you could call it a Website MOT.
However you list your services, and whatever you name them. Make sure your site visitors can clearly see what services you provide, what type of people need the service, and how their business or their life will improve as a result of using that service.
Portfolio page
Your portfolio needs to display your best work. But make sure it also shows a cross-section of the types of clients you work with. Ask yourself if all of the client types you service are represented on your portfolio page. For instance, if your main client base is small local businesses but you’ve done some great work for a few large national businesses, it’s tempting to list just those larger businesses in your portfolio.
But then, when a small local business looks at your portfolio they think, these people only deal with larger businesses. No point us asking for a quote. So make sure all of your main client types can see businesses they recognize as being “like us”.
Pricing page
If you have a menu of prices, make sure your site visitors and prospective clients can easily find them. You might consider explaining all of the value and benefits your clients get in the text above your pricing table.
People care about price so if you can, let them know what you charge.
People are not usually looking for the cheapest price. Often they have a good idea of the going rate for your service, and they want the best value they can get, for what they believe is a fair price.
What if the service you offer is tailored entirely for each client, and no two jobs are alike. In a case like that, try to give some idea of where you fit in comparison to other businesses your prospect is likely to be considering.
Are your prices similar to your major competitors? Do you consistently produce better results than your competitors and therefore command a premium price. Or maybe you have a repeatable, step by step approach that gets great results fast and enables you to undercut your competitors.
Try to give your prospective clients at least a ballpark idea of your pricing. You, and your client, need to know if the money available will cover the work that needs to be done.
Blog page
Writing content for a small business website often includes writing blog posts.
Depending on your business type and the time it takes your prospective client to choose the business they want to work with. You might, or might not, decide to add a blog to your website.
WordPress has a very comprehensive blogging system built in. All you need to do is write blog posts. So the real issue is, would writing blog posts be a good investment for your business.
Well written blog posts help your business in several ways. They position you as an authority, they improve your SEO ranking and they give people a reason to tell their friends about your website.
A simple rule of thumb I use, if people come to you wanting you to do the job immediately, such as fix a storm-damaged roof or fix a burst pipe, concentrate on building a good portfolio not a blog.
But if your prospects do several weeks research before contacting you. For instance, if they need a marketing consultant but can’t afford one yet. Then I would recommend writing blog posts for your website and encouraging your site visitors to signup for your email newsletter.
Then, every time you write a blog post, you can send a message to your mailing list letting them know there’s some new information on your site that they might find useful.
It’s a great way to keep in touch with your prospects without being pushy.
More useful tips you can use when writing content for a small business website.