Imagine for a moment that you’re a visionary business owner with big goals for your website. (Sounds familiar, no?) You want your website to make your business look credible. Drive more leads. Dramatically increase your sales, so you can kiss it all good-bye and move to beachfront property in Tahiti…

Hold the sunscreen.

Even if you’re a strong writer, there are many reasons to think twice before writing your own content. If results are important to you, investing in effective website content can be as important as investing in good website design and functionality.

Here are five reasons that professional copywriting can improve your website ROI:

1. Driving traffic to your website.

First things first. If you’re hearing a little voice in your head telling you, “If I build it, they will come…”, tell that voice to stop. You need a plan for getting people to visit your website.

There are lots of ways you could do it, including website marketing and advertising. But hey, why not take on the big dog?

Search engines.

Approximately 85% of all website visits come through search engines. And while many factors affect your website’s search engine ranking, your content is right up there.

How big of a role does content play? Well, that’s hotly debated. But there is general consensus that it’s a significant factor.

In 2009, SEOmoz conducted a study of top search engine optimization experts to get their opinions on what affects Google’s super-secret ranking algorithm. Among the expert panel, there was moderate agreement that having “substantive, unique content on a page,” as well as strategically using keywords, had very high importance in a website’s ranking in search engine results.

Good website content appeals to both search engines and customers.

If increasing visits to your website is important to you and you’re unclear how to write relevant content, invest in an expert who does.

2. Building trust.

So, you’ve figured out how to get people to visit your website. (Good job.) The next obstacle is getting them to call you. Make that purchase. Sign up for your mailing list. Whatever you need them to do to make Tahiti a faint possibility.

One of the main reasons people leave websites without as much as a peep is they don’t trust you.

Ah, trust. So hard to attain. So easy to lose.

There are many aspects of a website that can build trust ― for example, having a clean, professional design that doesn’t look like your cousin built it on his spare computer in the garage. Hey, that can build trust.

Good content can help you build trust too. In this case, good content is in the details (as one of my clients says, “the mind crap”). I define good content as website copy that is:

• Accurate and relevant. Before you start loading your website with product information, pricing data, calendars or other variable data, develop a plan for how you’re going to keep your content up-to-date. Out-of-stock items, mispriced products, and event calendars from 2008 do not instill confidence.
• Consistent, consistent, consistent. A good rule of thumb is, don’t make your customers think. Use the same tone and “voice” across your website. Use consistent terminology and capitalization, so your visitors don’t get frustrated or confused. When your content is inconsistent, you send a message that you don’t pay attention to details. And if you don’t pay attention to your website details, why should a potential customer believe you’re going to take care of his or her details?
• Written in plain English. For the record, using English words does not count as writing in plain English. Your content should not sound like it was translated from foreign language software. Your content should not include big stretches of fancy words that say absolutely nothing. Your words need to make sense. To a sixth grader. To your mother. To people other than your business partners. Why? Because friendly, plain English makes you more approachable. Likeable. Buyable.

3. Tapping into your customers’ needs and desires.

One of the biggest mistakes that business owners can make when they write their own content is positioning everything from their own perspective. I often hear, “I’m too close to my own story.”

Good, powerful content is customer-centric content.

It connects with customers and compels them to want to learn more about you. It demonstrates that you understand what painful challenges they face or what big dreams that want to fulfill.

Good content is not about you. (If you’re even thinking about leading your website with a giant “About Us” section, do not pass go.)

Instead, good content focuses on what matters to your customers. It’s information they care about and messages that resonate with them. At the end of the day, your content should be about connecting with people and inspiring them to do something.

4. Minimizing information overload.

People process information differently on the web. They scan. They jump. They look for content that grabs their attention: headlines, sub-heads, bold words, lists. Typically, they don’t read word-for-word. And they certainly don’t want cluttered, overwhelming websites ― that’s another big reason people abandon websites.

Good website content is user-friendly content.

It follows best practices in website writing. It’s easy for people to process on their computer screens or mobile devices. It’s light and airy and void of huge blocks of text. It doesn’t overwhelm people.

It’s a different technique than writing for print.

5. Increasing conversions.

All of these aspects of content ― relevance, trustworthiness, customer focus, ease of use ― can contribute to conversions. And really, isn’t that what you’re striving for? Sure, it’s great if potential customers visit your website, but it’s even better if your desired customers take action.

Speaking of which, good content compels action.

It’s amazing how a simple message in your website content (such as contact us today, order now, sign up here, download our report, donate now) can get people to do things. These “calls to action” are a subtle, but effective technique that skilled website writers use.

The bottom line? Even if you’re a strong writer, collaborating with a professional on effective website content can help you improve your ROI… and put you that much closer to sipping cocktails on the beach.

You won’t see the standard interview questions here (for example, “Why do you want to work with Acme Widgets?”), since it goes without saying that you should ask them. While these questions are geared towards hiring a front-end developer (XHTML/CSS), many of them can be applied to back-end developers (PHP, ASP, Ruby, etc.) as well.

1. Can you explain to me the difference between HTML and XHTML?

This might seem like a trivial question, but the very best web developers won’t confuse the two. There are a number of differences from between HTML and XHTML, including:

• XHTML requires that all tags be in lowercase
• XHTML requires that all tags be properly closed
• XHTML requires that all attributes (e.g., id, class, type) be enclosed in double quotes
• XHTML prohibits inline elements from containing block level elements

Web developers who don’t know that there is a difference should be shown to the door. HTML is a deprecated technology, so you don’t want to hire someone who is going to code with it.

2. What industry blogs and websites do you read regularly, and why?

The best web developers have a passion for what they do. This passion is manifested in a desire to constantly learn: about new trends, better techniques, and anything and everything related to the profession. Ask your candidate to name two or three sources of information and inspiration, then ask him or her why that source is a favorite.

3. Do you validate your code?

Validation is like a diagnostics test for a website. At the end of development, a good developer will validate his or her site to check for errors. Make sure this question isn’t greeted with a raised eyebrow, but with a “yes.”

4. Do you check your websites in multiple browsers?

It is very important that your applicant say yes to this question. In an ideal world, everyone would use the same browser, but as the chart below shows, the “browser market” is highly fragmented.

Browser share by page views, Nov. 2008. Source: thecounter.com

While testing a site on all browsers isn’t necessary or practical, your candidate should be familiar with at least the top three (Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 6, and Firefox) and preferably the top five (add Safari and Opera).

5. What applications do you use to build your websites, and why?

If you use particular software (like Adobe Creative Suite), you’ll want to make sure your new hire is familiar with it or can at least make a quick transition. A good answer would be: “I use Dreamweaver CS3 because it has excellent support for CSS. It also allows me to easily make trivial text changes in visual mode while still giving me ultimate control over the code.”

6. How comfortable are you writing code by hand?

In my opinion, the very best developers code primarily by hand. They prefer to have as much control over the final output as possible, and there simply isn’t any software out there today that can replace a well-trained human.

Detail-oriented developers are the best, because they have a real passion for writing the leanest, quickest, most efficient code possible. This translates into faster page load times, improved SEO, and lower long-term maintenance costs for you.

7. Do you have any personal projects you’re currently working on?

This can be a good one to wrap up the interview. Most developers have personal projects on the side, from web-based applications to personal blogs, and love to talk about them.

The best candidates will likely have a personal project, which evinces a real passion for the profession. It’s always better to hire someone who loves what they do so much that the lines between work and play become blurred.

8. Which content management system (CMS) do you prefer to work with, and why?

First of all, your candidate must be familiar with content management systems. Content-managed websites are becoming increasingly widespread, and for good reason: they allow non-technical users to maintain a website, thus reducing the overhead required to keep on a part- or full-time developer.

A good developer should have experience with a handful of CMSs, whether it be with Joomla, Drupal, ExpressionEngine, or WordPress.

9. Can you show me your portfolio?

Even if you’ve already looked, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to go over a candidate’s portfolio while he or she is in the room with you. Ask the candidate questions about his or her work:

• What inspired you to do it this way?
• Why did you use this programming language here?
• What was your biggest challenge while working on this project?

Be on the lookout for a large number of partially completed or unbuilt sites in the portfolio, as it can sometimes be a sign of inexperience. I have seen many developers bulk up their portfolios with mockups for websites that were never built.

Conclusion

I’m sure there are many other questions that one might ask a potential hire. If you have some of your own, feel free to share them here.

So how do you narrow your often overwhelming choices? Just like any college or company would when reviewing applicants: create some benchmarks and throw out everyone that falls short. Here are 5 things you should look for when hiring your next web developer:

1. Location
2. Good communication
3. Responsiveness
4. Someone who understands your business
5. Good policies

#1. Think about location

What if you find someone you really like, but that person is in another state, or even another country?

In my experience, it’s possible to conduct almost any web-related business remotely. Services like WebEx allow you to share your computer’s desktop, while DropSend and plain old FTP allow you to send large files with ease. You can always call or email your developer for everything else.

If distance isn’t a limiting factor, then don’t let it get in the way. If, however, you prefer meeting face to face with your developer (as some of our clients do), then you should limit your search. Pick a maximum distance from your office that you are willing to travel, and limit your search to that distance.

#2. Your developer should speak your language

One of the biggest complaints we hear from clients is that their former developer was hard to understand, that he or she didn’t “speak my language.”

Before hiring anyone, be sure to have at least a phone call or an email exchange with that person. The phone call is your chance to build rapport with the developer, and to see how he or she communicates. If you find yourself feeling frustrated or lost while talking to him, chances are you’ll feel frustrated during the project.

A good developer adjusts his language to your level of expertise so you never feel confused or overwhelmed.

An email exchange with your potential hire is essential. For one, it helps shed light on how quickly he or she responds to emails. A quicker response indicates that he is more likely to be responsive during a project (see below). An email exchange will also show you how he writes. Ideally, your developer will write as clearly as he speaks.

#3. Your developer should get back to you, and quickly

Response time is key, especially for projects with tight deadlines. You should be able to rely on your web developer to get back to you same day, ideally within one to three hours by email (sooner by phone) during business hours.

You should expect this response time because, at any given moment, the typical web developer is within one to five feet of his or her computer, email client open and flashing anytime a new message arrives. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours, you should probably move on to the next prospect.

You don’t need to hire someone to find out how responsive he or she is. Shoot an email to a prospect asking for a time to chat, then see when (or if) you hear back.

#4. Look for someone who understands your business

The best developers aren’t merely code jockeys; they are consultants who work with you to further your business goals.

Let’s say you’re an office manager for a large doctor’s office, and you’re looking to hire someone to build a website for your practice. Who would you rather hire: a developer who has a number of medical websites in his portfolio and who understands HIPAA compliance, or a developer who has no particular specialty?

A phone call with your potential hire should give you this information. The potential hire should ask you questions about your business, not tell you things about his. If you’re not doing most of the talking, then something is wrong. Even the most experienced developers need to ask questions, since every project is different.

Your developer should prioritize results over style. If you don’t feel like your developer wants to take ownership of your problem and help you create a solution, then you should find someone else.

#5. Make sure your developer has good policies

Imagine going through the interview process and selecting someone, only to find out at the last minute that he or she wants payment in full, up front, for every project.

This might have been specified in that person’s payment policies, but if you didn’t bother to look at them, you’ve just wasted a lot of time.

Every good developer has policies, not just for receiving payments, but also for pricing, how work is scheduled, and how and when ownership of work transfers to you. In the absence of policies, a developer can create whatever rules he wants and surprise you with them at the last moment. Having well-defined policies makes it easier to do business.

Your potential developer should be happy to direct you to his policies and to explain them. If you sense reluctance or get a blank stare, it’s time to thank the person for his or her time and move on.

Conclusion

These are just a handful of my recommendations, borne from a few years in the business and some time on both sides of the “developer search.” If you have any recommendations of your own, or if you have stories to share about your searches, I’d be happy to hear them.