Northern Ireland freelance Copywriter Paul Malone on simple steps a Northern Ireland business owner can take during lockdown to improve your business website.

We’re living through extraordinary, or as the media calls it, “unprecedented times,” but you can use that extra time at home to improve your business website.

For a Northern Ireland business, Coronavirus has destroyed plans and forecasts.

From mid-March 2020, we’ve been working from home.

We’ve watched on as the pandemic dismantles the global economy.

We listen to news reports about a virus that takes lives and leaves many people jobless.

The last global crisis forced me to create opportunities.

I remember the last big shock to the global economy.

I was finishing the final months of my Politics and Criminology degree.

My hopes of securing a job suffered a fatal blow as I read about Black Monday on 8 August 2011.

For those who don’t remember, Black Monday was the day when the US and global markets crashed.

Overnight, all my future career plans evaporated.

But every crisis is an opportunity in disguise; can you use the time to improve your business website?

I decided I wouldn’t accept the current situation (living on Job Seekers Allowance with no career prospects).

I decided that if, as a new graduate with no experience, I couldn’t secure a job, then I would start my own business and create a career for myself.

Newry Times was subsequently founded in November 2011.

How the Newry Times website looked in December 2011

I used £20 from my Job Seekers Allowance to purchase the www.newrytimes.com domain.

I then set about building a new breaking news website in Newry and Mourne using emerging technologies.

That was four years before Belfast Live launched.

Fast forward ten years.

Today, Newry Times is read weekly by over half the population of Newry (14,000+ website readers each week).

And this is how the Newry Times website looks in May 2020. Not much has changed, right?

It has tens of thousands of followers across our popular social media channels.

It also has a lot of fantastic advertising customers.

Of course though, since March 2020, all advertising has ceased as businesses tighten their purse strings.

The current crisis has given us all breathing space from our hectic professional lives.

As a Northern Ireland business, you now have time to sit back, reassess, re-evaluate and critique your company.

Ask yourself:

1. When a customer clicks on my website, what do they see?
   

2. Is it easy for customers to find information?
   

3. Is it clear what my business does/offers when someone visits my website’s homepage?
   

4. Do I have enough (or too much!) content on my website?

5. What can I do to improve the customer’s journey?

6. Do I have a CTA (Call To Action) on every page of my website for customers to buy?
   

I have spent my evenings and weekends over the last three months critiquing Newry Times and Tall Paul Marketing and found that:

The Newry Times website needs a complete revamp to make it slicker, more engaging, faster to load, and a better layout.

I can’t wait to see the back of this very dated website and see the brand new one that takes its place.

Initially, in 2017 when I launched Tall Paul Marketing, I offered Social Media Management, PR and Content Marketing.

Although I do enjoy these, my main passion is writing great content, and as a Northern Ireland Copywriter, it’s what I am most well-known for.

I love writing more than anything else in the world.

As a result, the decision to focus on Copywriting, Content Marketing and Blog Writing for businesses around the UK and Ireland was pretty easy.

Now, I’m an NI Copywriter focussing solely on writing engaging content.

Thankfully, I have the very talented Martin McCabe of McCabe Graphics working hard behind the scenes with a complete revamp of both websites.

The new Newry Times website will be ready very soon.

The new Tall Paul Marketing website went live last month, and I am delighted at how great it looks.

Please have a look for yourself below or check it out here: Tall Paul Marketing.

Use all of this extra time at home (no traffic jams, no long commutes!) to think about where your business is now.

Think also about where it will be if restrictions continue for the next 12 months.

As a Northern Ireland business, where do you want your business to be in 2022?

Bring Your Business to Life with Custom Content 🔥

Does your website or blog need compelling copy that speaks to your customers? As an experienced freelance copywriter, I develop targeted content that brings brands to life and sells.

I offer:

✅ Website Content Writing

✅ Blog Content Creation

✅ SEO Content

✅ Product Descriptions

✅ Ghostwriting Services

I take the time to deeply understand your company, voice and goals first. This ensures the end result sounds like you, connects with your audience and drives conversions.

Let’s work together to craft the right words and stories to represent your exceptional business.

Email Tall Paul.