Professional website design can be some of the best money a business owner can spend. It’s the cornerstone of your digital marketing.
And, as the future is increasingly defined by connecting with customers digitally, digital marketing is becoming the cornerstone of everything you do across every marketing channel.
But web design can also be a waste of money.
“You really think so? Aren’t you a web design company?”
Yes and yes.
We love web design and what it does for the businesses we’ve worked with around Richmond, VA.
But it can also be a complete and total waste of money.
Why?
Well, let’s discuss this with an analogy.
Buying a 4k TV to Watch VCR-Recordings of the Home Shopping Network
Let’s say you go shopping for a new TV.
You want to get the best TV on the market. You’re not going to settle for standard definition 720p or even high definition 1080p. No no no. You want the best in class, 4k Ultra-HD television.
So you pay a pretty penny, take it home and set it up. You plug in your VCR and pop in a VHS cassette tape. It’s an old recording of the Home Shopping Network.
Your TV has the clearest image you’ve ever seen. The level of detail in the picture quality is mind-blowing.
But this is a recording of the Shopping Network from the 90’s.
The picture quality of the VHS is scratchy. The products are no longer in stock. The host is pushy and out-of-touch with modern trends. Overall, it’s not very engaging content.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Well, it’s an analogy to show why your 4k TV is only as good as the content you play on it.
Your Website’s ROI Is Only as Good as Its Content
Your website is a medium of communication. It is a platform for you to say something to your visitors. If it is well-designed, that message comes through crystal clear.
However, if the message itself is blurry, the best web design will only expose how poorly the website communicates.
Just like a TV is only as good as the shows and movies you watch, a website is only as good as its content.
A website with jaw-dropping design and high-quality content is like watching a visually-stunning movie on the best TV money can buy. Watching anything less than a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat is a waste of money.
On-point marketing strategy combined with professional copywriting increases the ROI (return-on-investment) of your website.
On-point marketing strategy:
- Defines your brand message
- Refines what your company stands for
- Explores how you develop a niche in your market
Professional copywriting:
- Defines your brand’s voice and tone
- Refines the framework of your site’s content
- Explores the best words to describe what you do
Attracting Visitors to a Website They Want to See
I’m willing to guess that, if you’ve spent money on a website, it’s because you want someone other than you to visit that website.
That means that someone other than you is going to have to sift through what you have to say to find what’s in it for them.
This is a huge implication.
If a website is built for someone else to see, you can’t ask yourself, “what would I like on my website?”
You have to ask, “what would they like to see on my website?”
That second question leads into more questions:
- Who is this “they” that we’re trying to reach?
- What are they looking for when they visit your website?
- What pain points do they have?
- What would they find attractive in a company like yours?
- How would they compare you to your competition?
- Why would they choose to do business with you?
Answering these questions is what marketing strategy is all about. A strategy session goes a long way at setting up the criteria of what defines strategic content versus mediocre content.
Telling a Story that Keeps Them Tuning In
Copywriting is not a whole lot different than other types of writing.
An author who writes bestselling novels weaves a story with a plot that keeps you flipping pages while using descriptive word choice to help you visualize the story.
A copywriter does the same thing but with the backbone of a well-defined marketing strategy.
Writing a Real Page-Turner
The plot structure of a piece of web copy follows your website’s main character, your customer, through the story of how you can help them.
- First, they have a goal
- Then, they have challenges or problems that get in the way of the goal
- Finally, your company has a service or product that helps them overcome their challenges and accomplish their goal
It could play out for a landscaping customer like so:
- The customer has the goal of a nice-looking lawn
- They don’t have the time to fertilize, water and trim their lawn
- A landscaping company can take the hassle out of a nice-looking lawn
This is a simple example. Your business and what sets you apart from every other business like yours is what’s going to make the plot structure of your copy unique.
Drawing a Vivid Picture With Words
A copywriter also looks for the best words to create a vivid visualization in the reader’s mind.
While a fantasy writer helps the reader visualize mystical and imaginative scenes, a copywriter is much more practical. They help the reader visualize, in as few words as possible, the benefits of using your product or service.
With the right word choice, brand voice and tone, copywriting can produce a stunning image in your customers’ mind. After visiting the website, they not only intellectually understand what your company can do for them, they also clearly visualize what working with your company will be like. They get a positive impression of your brand that’s deeply attractive.
Matching High-Quality Web Design With High-Quality Content
So yes, a beautiful web design can be a waste of money.
But so can buying a 4k television if you don’t have anything of value to watch with it.
It doesn’t have to be.
By combining high-quality web design with high-quality content, you produce a crystal clear image.
You communicate an engaging marketing message that your website visitors can’t take their eyes off of.
