If the primary purpose of the web is to provide access to information, why is it that content is often so low on the priority list when launching a new website?
In my eleven years of web experience I have had the pleasure of working with a whole range of businesses from large fortune 50 companies down to small local mom and pop shops. Regardless of how big or small the business was it always seemed to me that content was the last thing on their minds when it came to either creating their first site or redesigning their existing site for the 300th time.
This should not be news; any web professional who has done more than two web site projects knows that this is just the status quo. You start with the grand idea for the website, you develop a strategy, you draft up the blueprints, you design and you implement. Where in that process should the content be? I have heard all kinds of answers for this ranging from before implementation, to after. The truth of the matter is it should be before the idea. It should be the first thing a web site team should think about.
The whole point of why you have a user base is mostly because of the content. Well, ok, maybe a few sites exist because of the games or tools, but for the most part, it’s about the content. Truth be told content is always the last player in a site to show up.
This isn’t because we as professionals don’t ask for it up front, this isn’t because we’re not ready for the content yet, it’s because most businesses believe that someone on staff can just write up the content. Well, perhaps so, but when I go to a web site that had a good copy writer and editor vs. a site that one of the employees or principals wrote the content, it’s like night and day.
So, do yourself a few favors here:
- Include a budget for a copywriter and copy editor in all major web projects, even if the budget is tight, every little bit counts.
- Include a line item in your RFP for content writing and editing, even if you already have an existing site with content.
- Include time in your schedule for content strategy and put it first on the list, even if you think you know how all the content will come together in the end.
- If the above is not possible, find a good freelance writer and pay them to work with you on the content before you send out that RFP for your website.
If content is king, it’s time we all stop treating content like it’s an unwanted peasant.
Very well said, Nick. Great post.
I’m lucky enough to work in an environment where content still rules, and it’s definitely one of the best aspects of my job. Working the news media, there’s no shortage of content.
One thing I’ve learned through my current job that I’ve applied to personal and client project as well is that building/setting up the tools for content entry <em>first</em> is a great strategy. By being able to provide a client (or the copywriter, if your project has one, or whomever is supposed to be entering content) with an admin area or interface where they can begin entering content right away — like within the first week you’re working with them, long before you even start the visual design — prevents several potential problems:
The tools are available today to make this kind of workflow possible. it just requires a re-thinking of the process by most agencies, because most agencies (and clients, for that matter), like to think about the creative aspects of the project first.
Try putting the tools out there right away for content entry to get done. I think you’ll find it makes a big difference compared to waiting until a week before launch and saying, “okay, we’re ready for that content!”
It can be difficult to convince clients that content is critical - after all everyone can write, right?
But not everyone can write clearly and effectively and it can mean the difference between building trust and gaining conversion or lacklustre return on the website as an investment to win customers and increase sales.
I try to emphasize how clean, focused content builds trust. Unclear, unfocused content riddled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes dispels trust and gives customers the impression the business is careless about service and quality.
<em>Will my order be handled in a similar fashion?</em>
Online, content is the “face” you present to your customers. Is that face friendly and helpful or is it closer to the elusive department store staffer whose eye you can never seem to catch? The online “face” and the story it tells is what can make the difference between online failure or success.
Thank you, Nick, for writing about this. You are right on target. Businesses can be so fixated on getting their business online that they forget to consider what purpose their site will serve and what impression their site will make on visitors. Content strategy often isn’t even considered—unless you think filling up pages with “stuff” is content strategy.
Business owners, CEO’s, and managers begin with high hopes of creating content, but are usually too busy actually running the company. Content development keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list. If web designers/agencies are hired as experts on web design, then they should be providing expert opinions on every aspect of the site, even if the client doesn’t always follow this advice. That expert advice should usually include recommending an experienced copywriter.
When I’m hired to work on content, writing isn’t the only service I provide. I also help the company or store owner or artist decide what should be included and I take over the task of obtaining the necessary information from the client. Somewhere in the client’s mind is a great, engaging story and all the juicy details that site visitors want to see. The client may be too busy or too close to the subject to be able to articulate that beyond, “Our stuff is great! I mean it—it’s really good! Just buy it!”
Explain to your clients at the outset that, although good content is critical, your experience has been that busy, successful companies don’t have the time to do the job properly. Give them a few examples of how you’ve seen two-month projects turn into eight-month ordeals, as everyone waited for content. If they still aren’t convinced, suggest to them, “Given how problematic content development can be, let’s establish Plan B right now. We can set a deadline for the first round of copy that we need, and if you find that you’re too busy to meet that deadline, let’s stop right then and reassess the decision not to hire a copywriter. Here’s the name of someone good, and I will call you on such-and-such date to see if we need to make that call. Then we’ll be sure that the project stays on track.” I like Jeff’s idea, too, of setting up an admin area. Why not make it easy for them, right from the start?
Then, you can focus on what you do best: Designing and developing.
Thanks for writing this up Nick. Sometimes good content just needs a little kick. Like me kicking Nick in the pants yesterday to get this blog post up! ;0)
Blogging can be hard work, don’t kid yourself!
But seriously, the tips here are great. One thing we’ve done when possible is to create a content brief for a project. This is much like a creative brief, but for content specifically. You can <a href=”http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/archives05/2005/05/content-brief” rel=”nofollow”>read more about that at my personal site</a>. At some point I’ll write more about that here.
Give it try, it could help quite a bit. Simply getting people to think about content early on can be a huge help to actually getting them to work on it.
At the very least they won’t say, “we’re going to miss our deadline because of content? We thought you were working on that!!”
Getting content out of clients is a nightmare. How many times have you had clients who say stuff like “oh, I can write the content up over the weekend” or some fool thing.
Jeff’s first comment here has great suggestions: getting the ball rolling far in advance of actually needing content is a good idea. In fact, I like the idea of setting up a simple blog tool on day one or using Flickr just to start gathering the content—you can always import it later into your custom CMS or whatever.
Don’t see trackback. Responded to this excellent entry over in my little part of the blogosphere.
<a href=”http://meryl.net/2006/08/04/remember-the-content/” rel=”nofollow”><a href=”http://meryl.net/2006/08/04/remember-the-content/” rel=”nofollow”>http://meryl.net/2006/08/04/remember-the-content/</a></a>
The client questionnaire that most web designers send to clients should have a few questions regarding content. First and foremost, Who’s responsible for it? You? Me? Both? I found that most companies that I deal with have not given serious consideration to content simply because they are too focus on the glitz of their website.
Found this today:
<a href=”http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/361492/web-launch-delays-blamed-on-lack-of-content.html” rel=”nofollow”><a href=”http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/361492/web-launch-delays-blamed-on-lack-of-content.html” rel=”nofollow”>http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/361492/web-launch-delays-blamed-on-lack-of-content.html</a></a>
It’s a press release, but I think it gets the point across.