Have You Read Your Own Website Lately?
Most of us don’t read our own websites. After all, we know what they say, right?
But every now and then it’s a good idea to go back and take the time to read, checking for errors, ways to make the copy more effective, and opportunities for better SEO.
First – proofread for errors.
Mistakes are easy to make, and if your site has them, it reflects poorly on you as a professional. After all, when you’re writing an offer or listing a home, isn’t your attention to detail one of the important reasons why you were chosen?
This morning I spent a little time just looking around the Internet – looking at various real estate websites. Far too often I found silly mistakes that showed the site had not been proofread.
For instance: “Joe Jones (not true name) have helped hundreds of Clients..” Farther down on that same page I found: “Here are a few of the sites we market our Listings:”
No one is immune to mistakes, but there’s no sense in letting them stay there!
Next, critique the copy.
Pretend you’re someone else and ask yourself if that website would cause you to choose the agent or agency it represents.
If your copy is filled with generalizations rather than specifics, you probably have some work to do. Most real estate sites are filled with meaningless words such as “excellent service,” “qualified realtor,” “top realtor,” and more.
Replace those trite words with your definition of what each one means – and how you provide it.
For instance: In place of “You’ll enjoy excellent service,” say something like: “When you work with me as your buyer’s agent, you can expect instant notification of new listings that fit your want list, …. ”
Weed out your “I’s”
Yes, you do need to talk about yourself on your about page. (But even there, you should refer back to what that means to your clients.)
Every other page should be about your clients and potential clients. If you’ve begun each paragraph with I or we, go back and turn them upside down – begin with “you” or some other word that will be interesting to your reader.
Trust me, they don’t care if you’d be pleased to represent them or if you’ll be happy when they view your video.
They care about how they’ll benefit if they choose you – so put that message front and center.
Use your flatiron..
(Do people still iron clothes?) Well, anyway… use whatever you need to smooth out the copy. Even when your individual statements are effective, when they’re all in one paragraph, they need to flow together. Then, your paragraphs need to flow from one to the next. Otherwise, the copy is choppy and difficult to read – because we as readers get confused, choppiness can destroy the message.
When you need to switch from one idea to another, use subheads or bullets. Our eyes see and recognize that as a switch, so we don’t get confused.
See where you can add a little SEO
You don’t want to overdo it, because your copy will end up sounding clunky, but you probably can sneak in words like “Yourtown homes” or “homes in Yourtown” in a few spots. And do check each page to see that your title tag and meta description contains the most searched keywords for your city.
Look for broken links and outdated information
If you’re anything like me, you make changes. You might even delete a whole page on your site. But sometimes you forget that you’ve added a link from somewhere else.
You might also have included information about an upcoming event – and that information needs to be removed when the event is over. Or, you could replace it with a story about the event.
If you spot an error on my site, please tell me!
Yes, I sometimes miss my own errors – and I always appreciate it when someone alerts me.
If you need updated pages or additional pages on your site, call me!
Helping agents stand out from the crowd by showcasing the benefits they bring to their clients is what I do.
Here’s to prosperity,
marte@copybymarte.com
208-448-1479
Posted: May 25th, 2011 under internet marketing, Uncategorized, web copy, web copywriting, web marketing, web pages.