Just the thought of it usually makes you think of many other things that you just realized you should do before you get around to developing the content for your website. No one likes to do it, and far fewer are actually any good at it. But the fact is that content is king (pardon the cliché). Writing content for your site may very well be the most important input you have into your site.

Content is critical for two reasons: Firstly, it is what your audience came to see. They didn't come to your site to see how pretty your design was. They came to learn about what you do and how you can help them - and they do that by viewing your content. Secondly, search engines thrive on content and we have yet to have a client who said they didn't want any search engine traffic to their site.

Copywriting for your website is particularly tricky because you're serving three audiences: your prospects, your customers and the search engines. Your content needs to read well to people while having the technical and structural merits that search engines look for in ranking and indexing your site.

Content also says a lot about your company as a whole. Without body language and tonal qualities of a real voice, it's up to the wording on your site to convey the character and personality of your company. The rules of business writing have changed and there is nothing wrong with some humor and personality in your writing.

Usually, by the time we cover all these issues with our clients, they're convinced and say, "Sounds good...go for it!" Well, that's easier said than done.

Firstly, realize that good content takes time. Many clients don't like to pay what it takes to get the kind of content a professional will write--especially when they feel they can do it themselves. After all, it's not programming or highly technical.

Secondly, even if you are willing to pay for it, conveying your message is no easy task. Your business is yours. No one knows it better than you. No one knows your personality better either. Asking us to put words in your mouth is a tall order. We need to really get down to the fundamentals of what you're doing and why. Remember when you decided to start this venture? We need to know what your mind set was and what drove you to do this.

When we get into creating content from scratch for clients, it's a lot of interviewing, coaching and consulting. It takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. But in the end, it's one of the best investments you can make because it's the key to any successful website.