1. Optimize your site. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a buzzword that describes a number of website strategies—including HTML coding and copywriting—designed to help you attract more and/or better prospects to your website. It’s all about analyzing what your audience is searching for, and intelligently incorporating the right words and phrases into your site—especially those that are frequently searched yet not overly crowded by your competitors.

2. Make content searchable. Flash animation looks great and PDFs are convenient, but plain old HTML text is one of your website’s best weapons. Why? Because this so-called ‘live text’ is visible to search engines. If you want to maximize the odds of attracting desirable web surfers, make sure that all your valuable content, such as news, commentaries, and thought leadership, is posted to your site as live text.

3. Write for the web. Attention spans are short. On the web, they’re shorter. When writing for the web, break down information into digestible chunks. Get to the point very quickly. Use lots of headings and sub-headings. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Use bullet points. You get the idea.

4. Make it immersive. Websites were once little more than software versions of brochures. But sometime around 2004, users discovered and began to expect a more immersive experience. Think audio, video, frequently updated content, and tools (such as polls and message boards) that permit interactivity. If your website still looks like a brochure, you could be missing a vital opportunity to convert casual visitors into serious prospects.

Our view
At Wickware Communications, we just went through the process of redesigning our website. The new site is SEO-optimized, every issue of Wickware Quarterly resides as searchable content, the writing is crisp and concise, and the homepage video gives visitors a rich introduction to our brand. Have a look. //