| On the Web, content is king. If you don’t have a message to deliver, it won’t matter how slick and technologically sophisticated your site is: Visitors won’t return.
Here are some tips for making the most of the content on your site:
- Always write from the visitor’s point of view. Avoid “insurance-speak.”
- Keep information on a particular topic in one place. Don’t make the user go to different parts of your site to find information on the same topic. They’ll just get confused and leave.
- Try to keep content to about 280 words per page. People prefer clicking to scrolling.
- Divide text into paragraphs of two or three sentences with white space around them.
- Subheads should be written above paragraphs to make it easy for users to scan a page for information relating to their needs.
- Columns should be wide enough for the shape of phrases and sentences to be clear, but not so wide as to force the eyes to travel more than halfway across the screen to find the beginning of the next line.
- Text should be in a readable font (preferably 10-point Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman) and in a color that contrasts strongly with the background.
- Users are easily confused, so keep the navigation as simple as possible. Don’t offer multiple ways to navigate the site.
- Use action words whenever possible. The Web requires concise writing, because users don’t want to waste time. Get to the point, and make sure to communicate information of value to the visitor.
- Phrases such as “find out,” “read about” and “buy online” are proven winners on the Web. For example, you might say, “Our agency has a lot of information available about protecting you and your family.” Or you can simply say, “Find out how we protect people’s stuff!”
Creating a profitable Web site does not have to be an overwhelming undertaking. Just follow these guidelines, and then listen to what your visitors tell you about their wants and needs. Develop your site based on measurable results, and profitability is sure to follow.
By combining your Web site and e-mail services, Tekcetera can provide an easily-managed, all-in-one Internet security solution. One more reason for you to consider signing up for our SiteWizard for Insurance Agents package.
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