7 Steps to Writing Web Content That Turns Leads Into Conversions

The goal of web content marketing is to seal conversions. Turning warm leads into loyal customers is the number one reason website managers spend so much time, money and effort on improving electronic content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is useless if your material doesn't have what it takes to convert leads. The word “content” has been drilled into every marketer's brain for the past decade or longer, but many content strategies still fail to create viable returns. If you're tired of seeing dismal metrics, it's not too late to make a change.

Convert More Leads with These 7 Web Content Writing Tips

Know Your Audience

This piece of content advice never gets old. Identifying your target audience and optimizing your material for their exact needs is the best way to engage with them, convince them to buy your product or service and convert warm leads into customers. Again and again, knowing the audience has worked for brands looking to expand their outreach and get real returns from their web content.

Consider AirBnB, for example. Its homepage is image-centric, captivating its target audience: travelers. Users can simply choose a city they want to visit by clicking on the photograph. AirBnB knows its audience responds to imagery more than text and uses this fact to the company's advantage.

Write With Relevancy

Relevancy is key to creating web content that will actually lead to conversions. If a consumer doesn't feel a connection with your content, what's keeping him or her on your page? Staying relevant requires constant vigilance in today's fast-paced web environment. Keep your blog up-to-date. It's an investment that will actually pay off if you keep up with it.

Hire a content writer to update your blog for you if you don't have the time. Staying relevant means producing content that today's consumers want to read. One easy tip is to type an industry topic in Google and select “News.” This will bring up all the latest developments on your topic so you can write about current trends.

Optimize Your Titles, Metadata and Tags

If consumers can't find your content, it won't matter how well you've optimized it. For the best returns on your web content investments, you can't ignore the headline, metadata and tags. These are the breadcrumbs that lead consumers to your content, website and eventually the checkout page. A magnetic headline draws people to your page, hooking them in a single line of copy. Your headline should promise the reader a benefit, such as learning how to do something or gathering tips. Your metadata and tags are your lures, making your content pop up on Google when someone searches for your topic. Without these aspects, consumers will never see your material.

Be Genuine and Emotional

2016 is the year of the consumer. Google's latest algorithm, RankBrain, is further proof that the company is penalizing brands that don't optimize their content for humans. It's easy to get caught up in SEO and keyword densities and forget to write content your consumers actually want. Google is doing its best to make searches better for users. For content marketers, this means the company is rewarding consumer-centric sites. You can make your content genuine and emotional to achieve this. Write from the heart, and don't be afraid to show your human side. Consumers connect and engage with honest, transparent and trustworthy brands.

Take Your Audience on a Journey

Web content writing is just one piece of the larger puzzle: the audience journey. A fantastic content marketer looks at every step of the sales funnel and creates content for each milestone. There's a distinct connection between the sales funnel and customer relationship. They break down the sales funnel into steps of building the consumer relationship, guiding your content writing strategy along the way: the conversational opener, the first date, the initial commitment, and the long-term relationship. Ideally, your content complements each stage of the process, managing your audience until they convert.

Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse

Your calls to action (CTAs) don't have to sound pushy or clichéd to work. Instead of “Sign up now to receive our newsletter!” try making a compelling offer: “Sign up for our newsletter to receive special offers and insider discounts!” Outline the benefits consumers will receive for following your CTA. That way, you make it about them instead of you. If an audience sees that your company is offering something of value, they're much more likely to listen to your CTA. Thus, you convert them into leads.

Close With Confidence

After you master the CTA, you're ready to end your content with confidence. Give consumers something to think about, engaging with them even after they stop reading your content. Your closing paragraph or sentence should look to the future, asking a significant question or leaving a thought-provoking suggestion. End with a value-driven CTA, clinching the deal while the consumer is completely engaged with your content. Then, sit back and enjoy the conversions.

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This article, "7 Steps to Writing Web Content That Turns Leads Into Conversions" was first published on Small Business Trends