If there’s one thing I’ve learned from building my freelance business, it’s that your digital presence reigns supreme—whether you see it as King, Queen, or any other blue-blooded power. In the early days, I struggled to secure clients, partly because I didn’t grasp the importance of digital presence for firms. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, and in this post, I’ll unpack one to show just how vital strong website content is.
Outdated web content: The silent killer of modern business
So here it is: For about two years I targeted every company under the sun, jumping from one industry to another. I failed to discriminate and I erroneously thought that companies with outdated website content desperately needed my copywriting services. How could they not need my services? Their websites were completely antiquated. A number of them featured designs and functionalities popular in the early 2000s. Remember the flash animations, 3D buttons and background music? Believe it or not, some of these websites continue to exist. They’re like blobs of cyber debris whose owners can’t be bothered to sit through the tangled mess of forgotten passwords and abandoned accounts.
Poor digital presence: A sign of deeper business problems
My flawed logic? Thinking companies with killer digital presence wouldn’t need my blogging services—they looked too polished not to have internal communication teams. That’s the genius of great marketing. But here’s the twist: plenty of stellar small and mid-sized enterprises invest in top-tier digital presence while outsourcing their writing and other creative work.
The truth is companies with an obsolete digital presence didn’t need my services because they weren’t operating businesses anymore. Their problem wasn’t branding or lack of content creation strategy. Their problem wasn’t a marketing problem at all – it was a fundamental business problem.
Now, years later, I can appreciate that marketing efforts can fall by the wayside of other activities, such as business growth and product development, etc. But no company worth its salt will allow its web content to look like a museum exhibit. Companies that manage their cash flow, nurture clients and invest in innovation will always have a sparkly digital presence as part of their content creation strategy. They understand that a polished website is the cornerstone of their content marketing funnel and the face of their business.
To underscore the importance of your digital presence, here are eight things that your website needs to do in order to successfully capture the attention of prospects, potential partners and investors:
- Make a great first impression with your website content
Your website content and the way it’s laid out is the first point of contact for potential customers, investors and job seekers. Once I learned that I’ll never get long-term clients by targeting companies with archaic digital presence, I stopped reaching out to them and redirected my marketing efforts. This meant that they lost out on a potential partnership with a professional copywriter. So, consider this: what other opportunities are slipping through the cracks because your website content doesn’t flow seamlessly through the content marketing funnel? And how much is that costing your corporate reputation?
- Strengthen your brand by building consistent messaging
Visitors spend under a minute on a website on average so you have little time to convince partners, investors and prospects that you’re a coherent organization that means business – and can benefit them. Your web content must feature strong language, memorable visuals and on-brand messaging that aligns with your company’s values, mission and selling points. You want users to see your brand’s confidence and recognize the potential for collaboration or investment right off the bat. Anything less, and they’ll bounce before you can even make your case.
- Showcase expertise through thought leadership content
Tech firms don’t peddle straightforward consumer products that can be easily understood through visuals alone. Their offerings entail a myriad of complexities, encompassing factors like compatibility, integration challenges and a substantial learning curve. A professional digital presence is equipped with a wealth of thought leadership content—blogs, eBooks, white papers, and guides—all strategically crafted to navigate this complexity. These resources don’t just fill space; they guide visitors through the content marketing funnel, showcasing deep knowledge and insights that build credibility and cement trust. If you want to position yourself as an authority in your field, your web content must be a treasure trove of valuable content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs and challenges.
- Engage users for an effective content marketing funnel
When an organization uses its website content as a platform to inform visitors about its service offer and technological innovations, it encourages repeat visits. What’s more, a company that educates its prospects about the wider context of its services offer is likely to be seen as a thought leader. This means that users are much more likely to return for more valuable insights, boosting organic traffic and supporting SEO efforts. Plus, users who are engaged are likelier to convert into clients.
- Demonstrate transparency to build corporate reputation
A website that lays out services, terms, and pricing upfront isn’t just ticking boxes—it’s signaling that your brand plays it straight and stands behind its word. That’s the bedrock of a powerful corporate reputation. It also reveals a number of key aspects connected to the firm’s values, operations and culture that need to be woven into each page, building a meaningful brand narrative. When companies are open about their business practices, policies, and decision-making processes, customers gain greater confidence in their interactions and transactions with the brand. Every website acts as a signal to its target audience – a transparent website will attract a transparent audience while a shady web content will attract a shady one. You want your digital presence to be inviting, encourage repeat visits and convey trust and professionalism.
- Appear innovative in your digital presence
By adopting a responsive, minimalist design with interactive elements and fast load times, you’re telling your audience loud and clear: your company isn’t stuck in the past. It’s plugged into the latest trends, ready to adapt and always pushing out fresh, innovative products. A stale digital presence is like waving a white flag, letting your competitors charge ahead by pushing boundaries and grabbing attention. In contrast, when users encounter a sleek, efficient interface, they’re not just impressed—they’re primed to engage, explore and invest. A modern website also guides users with ease so they find what they want and accomplish their goals. Your digital presence isn’t an afterthought – it’s the front line of your brand.
Create user-centric web content
With a seamless browsing experience, the company is signaling that it appreciates its visitors. It’s a subtle yet effective way of saying that it strives to turn its readers into repeat customers, rather than treating them as mere passersby. User-centricity is about stripping away the clutter—delivering info that’s straightforward, intuitive, and effortless for anyone to engage with. Think of your website as a well-designed rollercoaster—thrilling, easy to navigate and impossible to forget. When your content resonates with users, you create an irresistible draw that keeps them coming back for more.
- Prioritize customers in your content creation strategy
A company that aligns its online aesthetic with the style and language of its customers demonstrates a deep understanding of their values, preferences and perspectives. So, let your prospects’ presentation and phrasing guide your design decisions. The web content should accentuate that the company grasps its target demographic, their preferences, pain points and behaviors. Visitors should immediately see the visual manifestation of their aspirations and goals and recognize that the website is addressing them.
Your digital presence is a storefront that operates 24/7
Your digital presence is a billboard in the digital universe, providing a global platform for your products and services. Do you want it to grab users’ attention or drive them away? We live in a crowded digital landscape and without a meaningful website content your company is unlikely to attract, engage and convert visitors. But if you treat it as a hub for thought leadership content and customer support that visitors can easily access, you’ll be able to stand out and eventually capture leads.
A carefully designed digital presence is not an option. It’s a fundamental tool for inaugurating and maintaining your content marketing funnel so that you can power growth and reach visitors beyond geographical boundaries.
Ready to unleash your digital presence and kick your content creation strategy into high gear? Don’t let your website be a dinosaur—transform it into a powerhouse that commands attention! Subscribe to my newsletter for insights that drive your marketing efforts further and help you snag clients, partners, and investors.
