Is Website Content an Investment

When people are building websites the one area that they tend to struggle with is content. It is hard to say why except for the fact they are not writers. Sure, not everyone is a content writer. Not everyone can be a william shakespear, if we were, then we would all be master writers. Professional content writers always say that you should invest in to getting your content created. Business owners don’t always seem to agree with this idea.

Why should money be spent on content?

When you think about content, most people will think that it is about having text and images on a screen that add value. This is right, it is about has value. It is information about a businesses product and/or services. Millions of people pay for content each day as consumers. They do this by purchasing magazines and newspapers. The cost may vary for the magazine or newspaper but the perceived value is there.

Media outlets spend the money on content creation (journalists, photographers and bloggers) as they know without it their business would be worthless. It is the life blood of their business. They need something new, exciting and different just to get advertising spends from their other clients.

How does a media outlet compare to us as business owners?

Now let’s translate this in to our business environment. Our customers will purchase products and services from us if we provide good reason. To do this we need to generate content, or have someone help us create that content. How can we do this? Well, the answer is simple, we engage content writers. Their job is to research a particular product or service on offer. Talk to the manufacturer or service provider (probably you in this instance) and how your product(s) or service(s) can make a difference to the ideal customer.

Once they have completed this research, they can then put all of what they have learnt in to the written word. By putting this information in to the written word it will save you, the business owner or your staff, time in trying to work out what they are going to say about the product or service. All of that guess work, editing, reediting etc is done. All you need to do is review it and give feedback on any corrections or adjustments that you would like changed.

Where is the value in this apart from saving time?

You may believe that saving time will save you a bit of money. Quite possibly it will save you a bit of both initially. In the long run though it is going to be more expensive than you may believe.

Let’s just assume for a moment that your average customer spend is $300-$400 for a service you offer. Your service takes you 2-3 hours to complete. This is quite a good hourly rate. Now in order to get new business you need to promote your service through your website, social media and alike. It will no doubt take you hours to create the required content. Social media, maybe not to much time but it will still take time. Website content for example may take 1-2 weeks of research and development before it is ready for you to see but it hasn’t cost you or your business time.

Your content needs to be engaging, attract the right customer and then you need to vet them through your sales process to make sure your service is going to be the right fit for them. Taking all of this in to consideration, the time you may spend on each customer may equate to 1 hour. The content however took you maybe 4-5 hours to create (at a minimum). Now none of what you have done may attract a customer. You may not get a single reader. All of a sudden this has cost you at a minimum $600-$800.

Content writers may take a few days or a couple of weeks to actually create your content. Remember, it is not a race, it is about crafting the right message to attract the right people. Once you have them interested they will either enquire or book your service.

What results will I see from a content writer creating my content?

The results always vary when you get website copywriting done professionally. This is just a natural part of life. If the topic is covered well, the content is authoritive and engaging; typically you will see great results. Now from a financial standpoint this could be a game changer for your business.

Time and time again you see posts on facebook that shows a picture of a homeless person holding a board with a message saying how tough things are for them and their bag or container is empty. Then you see a second shot of the same person holding the same message; While it is reworded and their bag or contain is filled with cash. This could very well be the same result for your business. Customers are just like you, they are people, they have things that will compel them to act on what they see in front of them.

How much should I invest in getting website copywriting done?

The cost will vary depending on the size of the site. Some very average freelance website copywriter will charge you less than $20 per hour, a good content writer will charge you around $120-$180 per page. In an ideal world where you have 5-6 pages then your budget should be approximately $1,000-$1,500. Keep in mind that some specialty providers of these services will charge more and will focus on content for particular mediums. There is different styles of writing for different mediums and it is important that you don’t get this confused.

There are vendors out there that will charge in excess of $10,000 USD per page which includes text and images. This does seem like a lot, and for some business owners it is something that would never be achievable. However, there are a lot of website owners who will happily spend that and more. The biggest driver is the fact that these pages, done in the right way, for the right target market will generate 100 times that in return. Affiliate marketers for example will often say that the right content will generate millions in revenue if it is of high quality.

Content as an investment is worth it

Next time you are debating whether content is worth its weight gold, seriously consider what we have mentioned in this post. Various sources and trusted business advisors or mentors will tell you that content is not as valuable as we have said. The first question we always ask friends of clients or trusted business advisors, who have opinions on content is, “how many successful websites have they owned?” Most will say none, that there is proof that they are wrong. When it comes to content online, and marketing online, content is king. The quality of the content will be determined by 2 factors. The first is your target market, second is the results you get from it for the price you pay.