Your website may look great, but the words on the page are what explain who you are, what you do, why someone should trust you, and what they should do next.
Website content also has a bigger job than it did just a few years ago. You’re no longer writing only for potential customers and traditional search engines. Your content may also be interpreted, summarized, and surfaced by AI-powered search and answer platforms.
The goal isn’t to write for algorithms. It’s to create useful, original, well-organized content for real people in a way that search engines and AI systems can easily understand. You want to write it so it’s interesting, it’s easy to read and easy to scan, it’s engaging, and it’s memorable.
Here are 10 things to consider when creating or updating the content on your website, with tips on how to write content that people actually want to read.
1. Write for Your Customer First
Before thinking about keywords, SEO scores, or AI, think about the person visiting your website. Who is your target audience?
What brought them there? What problem are they trying to solve? What questions do they have? What information would make them comfortable contacting you or making a purchase?
Good website content should quickly answer:
- What do you offer?
- Who is it for?
- How does it help?
- Why should I choose you?
- What makes your product/service unique from your competitors?
- What should I do next?
Avoid writing entirely from the company’s perspective. Instead of only saying, “We provide…”, explain what the customer receives and why it matters. Write from the customer perspective, what does it do for you? What problem does it solve for you? How does it add value to your life, work or leisure?
2. Give Every Page a Clear Purpose
Every page should have a job and a theme.
- A service page should explain a service and encourage the visitor to take the next step.
- An about page should build familiarity and trust.
- A blog should educate, answer questions, and establish expertise.
- A product page should help someone determine whether that product is right for them, as well as all relevant product details.
- A home page is your most hard-working page, the one who introduces all of the above and provides enough of a hook to encourage a click to another page for more information.
Before writing a page, ask yourself: “What do I want someone to know, feel, or do after reading this?” Once you know the answer, build the content around that objective. And add a call-to-action once theme of the page has been written.
3. Make Your Content Easy to Scan
DID YOU KNOW … “79% of website users scan a new web page rather than reading it word-for-word. Only 16% read web content word-by-word.” (Nielsen Norman Group)
Most website visitors don’t begin by reading every word. They scan the page to find exactly what they are looking for or what they find interesting.
Large blocks of uninterrupted text can make even excellent information feel overwhelming, and will definitely increase bounces (people leaving the site or the page).
Instead, break content into manageable sections using:
- Descriptive headings and subheadings
- Short paragraphs
- Bulleted or numbered lists when appropriate
- Bold text for important concepts
- FAQs
- Calls to action
- Break up with images, graphics, videos, or other visual elements
- Use spacing, lines or other banner graphics to visually segment the different topics.
Good formatting isn’t just about appearance. It helps people find the information they need and makes the structure of the page easier for search engines and AI systems to interpret.
4. Use SEO Keywords Naturally
Keywords still matter, but forcing the same phrase into a page repeatedly isn’t a good SEO strategy. Using synonyms or Latent Semantic Indexing keywords, is a way to tell Google what your website’s purpose it.
DEFINITION: LSI keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing keywords) are terms and phrases conceptually and contextually related to a main target keyword. They help clarify the meaning of a word. For example, if your main keyword is "apple," LSI terms like "fruit" or "orchard" mean you are discussing food, while "iPhone" or "MacBook" mean you mean the technology company
Identify the primary topic or search phrase for the page, then naturally incorporate related words, questions, services, locations, and terminology that someone might use when searching for that subject.
Your primary keyword can often appear naturally in the:
- Page title
- Main heading
- Opening content
- One or more subheadings
- Meta title and description
- Image alt text or captions, when relevant
- Page/post excerpt
- Page URL
But remember: clarity and usefulness come first. If a sentence sounds awkward because you’re trying to fit a keyword into it, rewrite it for the reader. The point is don’t force it, don’t see how many times you can use the same set of keywords on your site. When writing naturally about a topic, you are going to use a library of keywords that when grouped together will tell Google how to index the page or post.
5. Answer the Questions People Are Actually Asking
One of the best ways to improve website content for both SEO and AI-powered search is to answer real customer questions. Think about what customers ask during phone calls, consultations, sales meetings, emails, or conversations with your staff.
Questions might include:
- How much does it cost?
- How does the process work?
- What is it made of, how large is it, what sizes does it come in?
- How long does it take to use, to implement, to see the benefits?
- What’s included … warranty, accessories, loyalty programs?
- What is the difference between each set of options?
- Do I really need this service or product?
- What happens after I contact you?
- Can I find out more without picking up the phone or committing to anything?
These questions can become headings, FAQ sections, service-page content, or entire blog topics.
Instead of guessing what people want to know, start with what your customers are already asking. Jot down the questions your customers ask the most. And then formulate the answer in writing that you usually provide verbally.
6. Make Your Content Easy for AI Platforms to Understand
AI-powered search is changing how people discover businesses and information online. Platforms increasingly provide direct answers rather than simply displaying a traditional list of search results.
*That makes clear, factual, well-structured content increasingly valuable.
Help AI systems understand your business by clearly identifying:
- Who you are.
- What you do.
- Where you operate.
- Who you serve.
- What makes your services different.
- What expertise you have.
- Why should your brand be trusted?
Use descriptive headings and provide concise answers to common questions before expanding on them.
Don’t create vague marketing copy that sounds impressive but says very little. When using AI to ‘assist’ in the writing process, use the content more as a suggestion, an outline, a recommendation … don’t just copy and paste and think that will be enough. AI doesn’t know you, your brand or your customers. It’s a valuable tool that can save you so much time, but relying on it as the end-all, be-all can eventually get your content penalized with lower ranking on Google.
For example:
- “We provide innovative solutions designed to exceed expectations.”
- That is too vague because it doesn’t answer: What solutions? For whom? What problem do they solve?
- If you don’t know if the description is not specific enough or too obscure to convey real meaning … read it to someone outside your business and ask for their honest opinion.
- Correction: “We only use secure and innovative software tools to provide you the most accurate and organized financial reporting for your business on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.” – Now that’s specific.
Specific information that is tailored to your brand provides far more value to your customer—and gives search and AI systems more context about your business.
7. Show Experience, Expertise, and Trust
Anyone can write generic content. Your website should demonstrate why your business is qualified to talk about the subject.
Include information that establishes credibility, such as:
- Years of experience
- Certifications or professional credentials
- Industries you serve
- Areas or communities you serve
- Customer testimonials
- Case studies and project examples
- Before-and-after examples
- Your company’s process
- Frequently encountered customer problems
- Original photos and videos
- Professional memberships or affiliations, when relevant
- Awards, recognition and media/press about your press
Firsthand experience is particularly valuable because it gives your content something generic or automatically generated copy can’t easily duplicate.
Also, tell your brand story to enhance trust and credibility. Why did you start your business? What inspired you to create the product/service? What drives your success? And how does customer satisfaction and relations come into play in the way you deliver your product/service?
8. Let Your Brand Personality Come Through
Your website shouldn’t sound exactly like every competitor’s website.
- Are you professional and authoritative?
- Friendly and approachable?
- Technical and educational?
- Creative and energetic?
- Local and community-focused?
- All of the above or a little of each?
Your writing should reflect the personality customers will experience when they actually work with you.
Avoid filling your site with generic phrases such as “quality service,” “customer satisfaction,” and “industry-leading solutions” without explaining what those claims mean.
- NO: Instead of simply saying: “We provide exceptional customer service.”
- YES: Tell people what you actually do: “When you call us, you talk to our local team—not an overseas call center—and we’ll explain your options before you make a decision.”
Specificity creates personality, credibility, and differentiation. Be specific on what makes you unique, how your process has been tailored to your audience, how you love what you do and how it shows, how you love working with your customers or clients, how you are continually improving and evolving to increase customer satisfaction and convenience. (Don’t exaggerate, only write what is true and genuine to your story.)
9. Give People Something They Can’t Find Everywhere Else
Don’t copy or duplicate others. If your content could be copied onto a competitor’s website and still make perfect sense, it probably isn’t unique enough. Your website should contain information that comes from your company’s actual knowledge and experience.
Share your process. Discuss common mistakes you’ve encountered, your journey along the way, the ups and downs of what got you here; for example: where you started, how it’s going, and where you are heading.
- Explain what customers should look for when comparing providers.
- Talk about your approach.
- Use real examples and case studies.
- Create original FAQs on every destination page (product, service, about page)
- Share successes, failures and lessons learned.
Original content gives potential customers a reason to trust you and gives search engines and AI platforms something meaningful to associate specifically with your brand.
Your website shouldn’t simply repeat what the internet already says. Add something to the conversation – be original, be funny, write from your heart and soul.
(Having trouble with writer’s block? Here’s what you do: Write your thoughts down without giving consideration to spelling, grammar and sentence structure. It could be a rambling of your thoughts, broken sentences, no punctuation, just a mind-dump of everything that relates to your product, service, brand story, etc. Then you can have a friend edit, and that friend could be artificial in nature – Chatgpt, Claude, Co-pilot, etc. But at least that way YOU are providing the content, they are just organizing it and formulating into proper sentence structure.)
10. Always Give the Reader a Next Step
Don’t make visitors figure out what to do after reading your content.
Every important page should include a clear call to action. Depending on the business, that might be:
- Schedule an Appointment
- Request a Quote
- Call Our Team
- Shop Now
- Schedule a Consultation
- Download Our Guide
- Learn More
- Contact Us
The call to action should make sense for where the visitor is in the decision-making process. Someone reading an educational blog may not be ready to purchase immediately, but they may be ready to read another resource, explore a related service, or ask a question.
Great Website Content Has to Work Harder Than Ever
Effective website content today needs to accomplish several things at once. It should engage your visitors, answer their questions, communicate your expertise, support SEO, help AI systems understand your business, reinforce your brand personality, and encourage people to take action. And within seconds tell the user what the purpose and theme of your website is.
But that doesn’t mean your website should sound like it was written for a search engine.
The strongest content still starts with people.
Create something useful. Make it easy to understand. Demonstrate what you know. Be specific about what makes your company different. And make sure the words on your website sound like you … your business—not everyone else’s.
Is Your Website Telling the Right Story?
At Startup Production, we believe a website should do more than look good. The design, functionality, SEO strategy, and content should work together to communicate your brand and help turn visitors into customers.
With nearly 30 years of experience working with businesses, we help our clients develop websites and digital content that are informative, engaging, search-friendly, and uniquely their own. We will help you write original content*, we will edit your content, we will edit AI’s content … whatever you provide, we’ll finetune it and make it work for your website’s traffic and conversion rates.
*With original content writing, we interview the client in an one-hour zoom, phone or in-person meeting.
Is your website saying what you want customers—and today’s search and AI platforms—to know about your business?
Contact Startup Production to talk about website design, content development, SEO, and strategies for strengthening your online presence.
