The question of when to rewrite website content and how to prioritize it in a content plan can be challenging.
I’ve had some small business owners approach me to start blogging for their websites. The problem is the website is 10-15 years old. The website lacks customer-centric copy and lacks modern calls to action that attract customers to take the actions you want them to take.
But blogging is a really important activity that every small business has heard about. Their competitors are doing it, so they feel they should do it too. And, they can spend a hundred dollars a month on it instead of the thousand or so dollars it takes to rewrite content for website engagement and conversion.
Still not convinced you should put a website content project in front of a blogging project? Here’s why your website base is more important than getting started with blogging.
Reasons to Rewrite Website Content That Is Old or Outdated
Your blog is only one small element of your website. Effective websites include the following:
- Modern, clean design that makes it easy for a customer to learn about you
- A simple user experience that invites the user to explore your content
- Fast load speeds to avoid losing the customer before they ever even see your content
- Attractive visuals that help tell your story, including demonstration or explainer videos
- Understandable copy that is directed toward the customer’s needs
You’ll notice that a blog isn’t included there. A blog is a nice-to-have and will help take your website’s performance to the next level. If you start a website without a blog, that’s perfectly appropriate.
To see good results from your website, you need to first focus on the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are in place and working well, then you can move on to worrying about a blog.
Blogging Augments Existing Website Content
Blogs augment the content, products and services featured on your website. That means that you have to start with good website copy first, then worry about blog content.
Without good website copy, your blog might draw potential customers to your site. But they won’t convert because once they leave the blog to review your products and services, they’ll lose interest and leave your website.
Unless you’re hoping to earn money through affiliate links, blogs are secondary to your main website content.
Blogs Can’t Fix Poor SEO Website Strategy
Another challenge I see small business owners trying to overcome with a blog is a lack of SEO strategy on their website. They think that by publishing a blog, they can rank higher.
While blogs certainly aid an SEO strategy and can bring relevant customers to your website, you have to start with an effective strategy for your entire website.
If your website lacks a keyword strategy and proper technical requirements, a blog won’t magically fix it. You want to start with a website audit and learn areas of opportunity to improve your site’s SEO before blogging.
For example, I’ve seen websites lacking meta descriptions on all pages across the site. And the website owner wants to start blogging because they don’t rank at all.
The blog won’t fix that problem. You need to start at the beginning with cleaning up your website’s page titles and implementing meta descriptions before worrying about blog content.
Why Do Business Owners Hire Copywriters?
For these reasons, business owners hire copywriters instead of order takers. I always try to evaluate a new client’s website before advising whether a blog makes sense for them.
If you post a job description and seek an order taker instead of a copywriter, you might end up with great blog content, but no results. Instead, hire a copywriter who understands digital marketing strategy and can advise on the best ways to use a blog to your advantage.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about Bridge the Gap Communication and how we can help evaluate your website before starting your blog.
Rewrite Content for Website FAQs
Prepare for rewriting content on your website by reviewing these common questions.
How to Rewrite Website Content
To rewrite your website content, you’ll first want to review your customer personas. The purpose of your content rewrite is to resonate with your customers and modernize your formatting so you should do it from a customer perspective.
What Does It Mean to Rewrite a Website?
Rewriting a website means reviewing all content you have on your website and updating it. In some cases, you might need to start entirely from scratch to make it as valuable as possibl.
What Is URL Rewrite in SEO?
Perhaps you’ve seen a website where the links are a jumble of letters and numbers instead of page titles and keywords. If that’s the case with your website, it’s time to do a URL rewrite and ensure that all old links redirect to your new links.