When I first started building my own website, one of the things that really gave me a lot of trouble was the content. 

I had chosen beautiful photography but I was lost for words. As I kept adding content here and there, the design also kept evolving, which made the final process even longer!

You are probably in the middle of the process at this point, and you might say to yourself that you could use some dummy text and lorem ipsum. My advice... Don't. 

Did you know you have 8 seconds to grab someone's attention? Yes, only 8 seconds! Content and design should go hand in hand to make sure you grab your visitors attention as soon as they land on your website.

If you are starting to design your website, then avoid dummy text and create some useful content that you can use as a starting point. If you are in the process of hiring someone for your new website design, then please do take your time to create some content that will help you educate your ideal clients.

Yes, you could do it yourself, or even better yet, hire a copywriter! Let me explain why you shouldn't use just lorem ipsum for your new website if you are in the process of designing it.

Content is King, or so they say. The copy you use on your website is more than just text, it has a purpose for both your business and your visitors. 

When designing your new website, we need to set objectives, goals that will serve you and your customers move forward through the process of hiring you. Without this information, the organization of thoughts throughout your new site becomes a bit of a guessing game. 

You want to make sure that your website is built to attract your new customer, educate them, and have them inquire about your services, and all this is achieved with a mix of good design and quality content.

What type of content should you have on your website?

• Craft business statement that quickly tells your visitors what you do and why you do it. 
• Create or work with someone to write an about page that lets you connect with your visitors. 
• Work on an experience page! I love experience pages for photographers and event planners. These pages are amazing at educating prospective customers!

Remember user experience is key, content + design can definitely take your business to the next level. If you feel you haven't been getting the inquiries you deserve, then do something about it.

• Is your website design attracting the right people?

• Are your prospective clients having to take too many steps to reach out to you? 

• Are you giving them the right information as soon as they land on your website?

If you are unsure about what you are doing wrong, then now is the time to change things and go back to the drawing board!