By Katherine Andes
Many companies make the mistake of putting lots of pictures on their sites and few, if any, words.
This is very common with photographers, designers, furniture stores, flooring companies, etc. The thinking is that the product will sell itself. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
This may often be true in print media and, in a sense, it’s even true on the web.
Once someone gets to your page and sees your product, it could be a done deal.
But not so fast. How did the prospective customer arrive at your page in the first place?
If they came via a link or typed in your web address from an ad, fine. But what if they went searching and typed in “futons for college student.” Would they have found your page? Unless you have the words: “futons, college, students” in the text of your web page and in your meta tags, they are far less likely to find your page with the beautiful pictures.
Remember, for higher ROI from your website, both pictures and words are important.
Easy Web Tip #16: A picture isn’t worth a thousand words if no one can find your web page. Google suggests 250-300 words per page. Be sure those words are put to work for you by optimizing them for both search and sales.
Katherine Andes is a consultant who specializes in web copy writing, including search engine optimization, and landing pages — especially in the home improvement market. You can contact her at kathy@andesandassociates.com.