Good copywriting equals good sales
With the internet you’ll continually hear “content is king”, and quality content is the reason why websites get repeat visitors, and ultimately customers.
Last year, the BBC reported that spelling mistakes were costing businesses millions in lost sales . You wouldn’t trust a website with lots of typos and stale content, so why would your target customers?
But copywriting isn’t just about checking spelling mistakes. A good copywriter will have a firm understanding of your business goals and will craft the content needed to meet those needs and reel in your target customers. So you might consider investing in one – and for many, they’re worth it; however plain speaking and a clear message doesn’t always need a professional writer. I recommend at least using a proof-reader to make sure your content is legible and spelled correctly.
Keep it fresh
Search engines love fresh content, and so do website visitors. The easiest way to keep your content fresh is by having a blog on your website. It’s a great way of communicating with your customers, building up an audience, increasing traffic to your website and generally making a name for yourself in your market. It’s also great for your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Navigation and usability matter – keep it simple
Bad navigation and “information architecture” (the way you structure your content) can cost you by putting website visitors off, so keep it simple and intuitive – it works.
Online is great, but website visitors like humans too. Ultimately, your customers are human, not virtual, so make sure your contact details are clearly visible on every page of your website.
A picture paints a thousand words…
You’ll need to have some images of your pub/ bar/ beer garden / function room etc these should be “optimised” for the web and be SEO tagged. Pictures of events / entertainments / the food you serve are a great way of showcasing your pub on your website and will form part of that all important first impression for visitors to your pub website. “What is Optimised” – its about reducing size of picture & their file size so they load quickly some pre-built websites have this feature built in, for instance website4pubs has several pre-set sizes designed to fit you website and the software does the “optimising” automatically.
The purpose of a pub website
The key to any good pub website is knowing what the aim or objective of your pub website is. So you need to ask your self: “Is it general promotion?” “Is it to purely an information site about your pub?” Whatever you decide, the purpose should be evident within all areas of a your website from the visual design through to its content and navigation.
Design
Colours, style, alignments, visual elements – these are all areas that make up a design. A good design highlights the important areas of a website, making it easy for visitors to find what they want quickly and without hassle.
Content
One of the most important areas of a website – visitors go to web sites primarily for information – every page should have a goal and be specifically aimed with the target audience in mind, both with regards the terminology and the way in which it is presented. For instance if you have a page relating to food then don’t clutter it up with content about, say, the TV sport you’re showing… and vice versa.
Navigation
Links, menus – the way in which people move between pages within a web site. When arriving at a new website, visitors have a limited amount of patience before going elsewhere. Clear navigation allows customers to find what they want quickly without any undue frustration.
Usability and Accessibility
The language (or code in which web pages are written) must be properly formed so that the web page is viewable in different internet browsers such as Internet Explore and Mozilla Firefox. Other issues include the use of flash and high quality images – there’s not much good having a fancy website if not everyone can view it.
With the increasing popularity of smart phones and mobile browsing, it has also become important for a website to either provide a specifically designed mobile-friendly version or to ensure the website is displayed correctly in the smaller display area.