When Flat White Designs work with you the client to produce a new website you will be asked to provide some content which will be loaded into the first few pages of the website. If you already have a brochure for your business we can start with that. If not, we will have to start from scratch. Few people relish the prospect of summarising what they do and why, so the following are a few tips to get you going. And of course if you are not 100% happy with the words you have chosen, or things change in the future, it is easy for you to log on to your website and change the content at any time.

Content is imporant. Flashy graphics and animations will not sell your products or services, content will. Good quality, well written content is also one of the key elements to a high search engine ranking. A high search engine ranking will help you find customers on the web in the future.

To make things simple, we suggest that you start with just two pages of content, the Home page and the About page (we will also include a contact page with your contact details).  

Home Page

The Home page is the most important page of your website as it is the one the public will arrive at first. If you are in the business of selling goods or services then this member of the public becomes a prospective customer or prospect and is very valuable to your business. The first time a prospect lands on your home page they will spend just a few seconds deciding with to stay and explore further of hit the Back button. If they don't understand your website, of feel intimidated or uncomfortable, they will hit the Back button. The home page is your adverstising page. It must very quickly convey what you can do for the prospect and encourage them to stay. Once you have encouraged  them to stay, it needs to show them where to go next, encourage them to place an order for example.

• A very brief description of what your business does
• A business positioning statement ie. what sets your business apart from other similar businesses. You should be able to sum this up in a very few words.
• The products and services you offer

There is also likely to be frequently-updated content on the Home page advertising your special offers, events etc.

About Page

The About page is for prospects who like what you have to offer and are deciding whether to do business with you. The prospect will read your About page and decide whether they like you and your company. People like to deal with other people, not with machines. It is important to show that your website is representing a real business staffed by real employees. Things to include:

• company history. How long has it existed? When and why did it start? How has it evolved?
• personal background / qualifications / credentials / interests of business owner / partners / employees. When we talk about qualifications it is not academic qualifications (although for certain businesses these may be relevant) but what qualifies you to do what you do whether this is experience, talent, education or just passion. Show that you are a human being who well serve your customer well.
• details of existing contracts / customers, past successes, big projects
• details of the team
• pictures of you and the team
• pictures of your workplace
• pictures of your work
• pictures ofprevious jobs

Tell a good story

The way to sell your products and services in today's competitive world is not only to have a good product but to tell a good story about that product. There are many similar products and services on the market so why should a prospect deal with you? Tell a good story that appeals to their beliefs, emotions, values. How can your product make them feel good?