Online Advertising

Why Hire a Professional Writer for Web Content Part 1

Written by Jay Shapiro for Gaebler Ventures

Hey, instead of getting a professional manufacturer to make your products why not save money and fashion them yourself. After all, how hard can it be? This is nonsense of course; you wouldn't damage your reputation by trying to sell goods that were made by amateurs. Why then are you cutting corners when it comes to the written content on your website?

Let's cut to straight to the chase here: You sell a really great product, and you offer a good service. Brilliant.

Those are surely the two main factors in running a successful business. Your products are well-produced, because you insist on the best quality components and you use a respected manufacturer. It would be unthinkable if you were to try to cut your expenditure and make the product yourself; after all, you're not qualified to build air conditioning units, or whatever your product might be.

As a professional who wants to do well in business you leave that side of things to people who have the experience and the know-how needed to build your products to the highest spec. It makes sense to do this, and it also leaves you time to do what you do best, efficiently run your company and... write your website content.

Hold it right there, and read the last part of the previous sentence again. Did you spot the slight element of sarcasm? That's good, because unless you are a professional, writing your own website content can really let the side down.

Here's the mistake you're making:

Because you are literate and have been writing in your native language since you were a child you automatically assume the role of a professional. And you, like many other businesspeople these days, may well be looking to shave costs in order to combat the ill-effects of the recent financial downturn. But writing your web copy yourself is a false economy. In fact, doing so can lose you business in the long run. And in truth you won't make any major savings doing this. If you believe the 'time is money' adage then writing your own website content is the same as spending money to buy substandard goods.

Look at it this way:

Your website represents your company premises in the cyber world. If you had a shop in the bricks and mortar one you'd make sure it was well presented and professional looking. You wouldn't expect customers to put faith in you or your products and services if the door to the shop was falling off and the floors uneven. Nor would you be at all surprised if your customers got frustrated because you wrote all the signs in a Martian language. A shop like this will just confuse and alienate people. It certainly not an environment that's conducive to healthy sales.

It's exactly the same with your website. But here there is no leeway when it comes to poor written content. It simply confuses and bores people. Internet users are notoriously impatient and when they want information they want it fast and they want it to be easy to absorb.

Jay Shapiro is a freelance writer based in the UK. Jay has a particular interest in the emotive aspects of the entrepreneur's character. "Alongside the nuts and bolts of business, the character of the person is often the ingredient responsible for success."

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