Developing and publishing a business website is a major triumph. Unfortunately, you’re never truly “finished” with a web page. The internet is a dynamic, competitive global landscape. To stay engaged and ensure your website is doing everything it can for your business––whether that’s building brand awareness, generating inbound leads, or eCommerce––you need fresh, relevant content. Learn the common signs it’s time for an overhaul and strategies to make the most of your next rewrite. 

Why is website copy so important?

Great design can engage organic web traffic, but your copy converts prospects into customers. The language needs to be powerful and persuasive. You have to relay your business’s value propositions and differentiators in an instant. But the return on investment is substantial. Your website can automate inbound lead generation, bringing in new business while you focus on growing your brand.

Regularly updating content follows SEO best practices while reducing your bounce rate and improving conversion. Staying engaged with your website's analytics and being willing to make changes is one of the best ways to achieve your goals for your page. 

5 signs your web content needs a rewrite

You don’t need a reason for a website refresh. Even if your design or copy simply feels a little stale or out of date, a website content overhaul can signal to your customers, team members, and competitors that you’re engaged with your online presence. However, if your business experiences any of these five signs, it’s definitely time for new copy and maybe even a new design. 

1. Your business has changed significantly

Are your products or services up to date? Up to 81 percent of shoppers will check out a business’s website, even if they make a purchase in-store. Accurate product and service listings help brands meet expectations and build loyalty as soon as a prospect visits their website. 

If your business has pivoted, expanded its service offerings, or added new team members, it’s time to rewrite your web content to reflect those changes. You don’t want to be in a situation where a customer visits your brick-and-mortar location and can’t get the services they expect or an appointment with a team member who is no longer with your organization. 

2. Your website isn't ranking well on search engine

It’s frustrating when you invest in a website and search engine optimization and don’t see results. There are no guarantees when cultivating organic traffic for your site. It’s crucial to give an SEO strategy time to work, which can sometimes mean years before your site reaches the top of the search results. 

However, if your web page isn’t ranking at all, generating any organic traffic, or if it’s been years since you’ve optimized the content, then consider the benefits of rewriting all your copy. You can select new keywords to target and expand the content on your site for new optimization opportunities.

3. Your target audience isn't converting to customers

One of the most frustrating reports regarding web traffic is that your target audience spends time on your site, but your conversion rate remains stagnant. The cause may be that your call-to-action content isn’t compelling for visitors. If you’re offering free consultations or quotes, you need web copy that pushes traffic towards action.

It doesn’t matter how much organic traffic your site experiences if it’s not resulting in new revenue for your business. Your web content should not only keep visitors on the page and engaged with what you’re selling but also push them to take action. Stay engaged with your website and rewrite web content until your conversion rate improves.

4. The copy doesn't communicate your expertise

As an expert in your field, it can be easy to fall into the vernacular of your profession when you're describing services and presenting your value propositions to website visitors. Dense paragraphs packed with industry lingo can drive up your website’s bounce rate. Conversely, being straightforward and brief can fail to communicate what differentiates your brand.

Using clear, accessible language to describe what makes your company stand out from the competition can help your website ascend the search engine results page to a top position. Working with copywriting experts can help your brand put your expertise into clear language.

5. Clients misunderstand what you offer

If your website generates leads looking for different services than those you offer, it may indicate that your content isn’t clear. Even if your website generates leads, if they aren’t resulting in new clients, your content strategy isn’t successful. 

Reconciling the difference between your services and what prospects think you’re offering is essential for turning your web traffic into new clients. While overhauling your web copy can be a substantial undertaking, the payoff means not wasting time with leads that don’t understand your organization. 

How to rewrite website content

1. Determine who your readers are

Before rewriting your on-page web content, researching your ideal audience is a critical first step. Knowing buyer personalities enables you to cater your copy to their pain points and present the value propositions that matter to them. Once you have a better understanding of your clientele, you’ll be able to identify gaps in your existing copy and reframe your strategy to reach organic web traffic.

Rewriting your web content with an audience in mind helps you to hone your message and drive conversions from organic web traffic. Using your website to speak to as broad an audience as possible can be tempting. However, when you target your ideal customer with your copy, you stand a better chance of generating leads that will result in sales. 

2. Audit your existing website content

One of the most valuable processes for optimizing your website is running an audit. It gives companies quantifiable data regarding which sections or pages of their site could be doing more to improve the site rank to reach a larger audience. 

An audit of your site will tell you:

• Content performance data to identify areas that need updating or SEO. 
• Areas to repurpose content to highlight services and strengthen calls to action.
• The content that is effectively reaching your audience. 

Instead of operating from assumption and going with your gut when it comes to your content, an audit provides you with actionable data to improve your SERP ranking and drive new leads.

3. Add new information to old content.

Your web content should never be static but develop and change as you learn what services and products draw in your audience and secure conversions. As you get to know your audience, survey your existing clients about what services and features matter most to them. 

Revising old content with new information can improve your SERP ranking and provide traffic with information that leads to conversions. Especially if you’ve recently added new services, pivoted your existing services, or begun to specialize in new areas, your rewrite should include those details.

4. Focus on SEO and conversion

Once you do a little SEO research, you realize how much more there is to learn; it’s tempting just to give up trying to optimize. However, doing a little extra work in key areas of your website can, over time, improve your website’s ranking and expand your organic traffic audience. 

Your content should feature relevant keywords to your business and be a powerful call to action to engage organic traffic. Rather than packing your website with information about your range of services, rewrite it to focus on conversion by using power words and encouraging prospects to reach out to your brand.

5. Begin writing new content

Once you do a site audit, research SEO keywords, identify your target audience, and solicit customer feedback, it’s time to write new content. Keep in mind a few tips for creating content that’s effective both in driving conversions and improving your website’s SERP rank:

• Be clear and engaging. Push traffic to explore past the landing page to your services or contact. 
• Use keywords in strategic locations. SEO is a tough balance between optimizing and keyword stuffing. Be selective about where to add keywords to your site. 
• Be concise. Brief copy focusing on calls to action and value propositions does more for your site than paragraphs of text explaining your brand or service. 
• Enable skimming. The digital world is all about fast information. Use headings, bullet lists, and short paragraphs to let web traffic skim your site to get the information they need.

Writing impactful copy doesn’t come naturally to everyone. When you build a site with B12, they have expert copywriters who can generate compelling content in your brand voice to drive conversions. B12 can optimize your existing copy or start from scratch to create brand new content.

B12's approach to content creation and rewriting content

DIY website hosting platforms make it seem easy to build and maintain a website on your own. As a small business owner, you’re used to diving into new skills and mastering them to keep your business running smoothly. However, as your organization’s leader, you may not be making the most of your time by writing––and rewriting––website copy. 

The B12 website platform has experts in design, copy, and SEO. Our copywriters bring expertise in numerous industries, specifically in professional services, and are always available to help you. From supplying you with new web copy to making changes to your existing copy and creating new relevant content in the form of monthly SEO-oriented blog posts, experts save you time and get better results.

A business’s website is a powerful tool for expanding brand awareness, connecting with prospects, and generating revenue. The B12 copywriters can step in at any point, even if you’ve had your current website for years, and identify areas for improvement, tweak calls-to-action to be more impactful, or do a complete overhaul with brand new content.

Out-of-date content can hurt your business

If the content isn’t helping you grow your brand, it’s hurting your business. Once organic web traffic clicks away from your website, chances are they aren’t coming back. You have seconds or less to engage a prospect beyond your landing page. If your content is stale, out-of-date, or ineffective, it damages your click-through rate and online purchases. 

Impactful, compelling copy supports your brand identity and website authority. It engages prospects and can transform your website into a powerful tool for inbound lead generation, online sales, and brand loyalty.