We've written a few blog posts about content. Like this one about blogging and this one about content vs copy.

But we see websites with minimal content every day. Five pages, with a paragraph of text and that's it. And don't get me started about one page parallax scrolling sites. Why do we and every other online marketing person out there bang on about creating content?

In short, because without it your website is a useful as udders on a bull. Or as useful as a one armed trapeze artist with an itchy…. Well, you get the picture.

You've heard the advice – Blog! Blog! Blog! We've even said it ourselves. Ok, let's say you know why – but how do you do it?

If your website is busily attracting new customers, that's fantastic - but did you know it can do even more to increase the profitability of your business?

This is something I talk about when I hear a very common statement from businesses that goes "Our website doesn't really contribute to sales - it all comes word of mouth".

Wait, you're kidding, right?

If you didn't already know, updating your website regularly is important.

But in case you have a sneaking sense of cynicism about whether it's worth all the effort, here's a summary of why it's really important...

Do you have a website that despite being a thing of beauty born out of hours, days, weeks of effort and careful planning is failing to live up to expectations?

It could be your content – and your copy. As web developers and optimisers, we can’t do our job without having something to put on the pages we’re building – in other words, content. And it’s one of the hardest and most time consuming parts of a web development project. This is understandable, because quality content is hard work for most people who don’t do it for a living.

Although it may seem like splitting hairs, if you understand the difference between ‘content’ and ‘copy’, it can make the whole process simpler and faster.

You'll see it mentioned in many online marketing articles:

Thou Shalt Blog!

Sadly, many people in small business' don't. Which is sad because they are missing out on a really good way to attract visitors to their website.

A blog is a useful, flexible mechanism for adding new content to your site without having to shoe-horn it somewhere into an existing site structure. You can call it 'articles', 'resources' or something similar if you want to. The ability to comment and/or share your posts makes it easier to promote your content and engage with people on the topic.

Headlines are the first thing people see. It's what will make them open your email or read your content – or not.

Because it's not your readers job to work out what you are trying to say, you've got to instantly grab their attention.