We’ve all heard the phrase “content is king” and surely this phrase would not have conceptualized from anywhere. Many digital marketing experts like us will back up the thought that content needs to be prepared prior to developing any website, this also further applies to blogs.
Picture reading through a website that has content that is completely irrelevant to you, what would be the sole purpose of this website? The content needs to focus on the user and this will therefore become important for how the website design will playout.
Every website design should be based on how easily it will be used by your visitors. Moreover, based on the desired outcome of your website the final output should be considered. It is important not to consider templates and various coding trends solely while designing your website.
Trends can change but user focus wouldn’t
Ever so often, clients approach web development agencies like ours and have requirements based of visuals, competitors websites, and imagery and so on. It is not often that clients approach us with data of their visitor’s requirements and final goals for the website.
Unfortunately a lot of web developers stick to a template when creating a website for a client that is based on a competitors website and this most often leads to disappointment because one thing that is lacking within these templates are lack of personalization. Every website needs to be completely unique to competitor’s websites and this can be done by providing content that is appealing and engaging to user. In addition to such, content is not prioritized, it should be completed and submitted first then the design should be based around the content, and not the other way around.
How having content ready will lead to better design choices.
It is important to consider your websites goals and objectives before reaching out to your web developer to create a website based of your competitor’s website. It is important to take note of the user flow on your website, the visitor path and call to actions so it is ready to be implemented.
Moreover it is important to collate data on your user persona’s, their needs, requirements and how your website will solve their issues and or requirements. Though graphic design is very important it must take place at a time where the website can showcase the content perfectly.
As perfectly quoted by Jeffrey Zeldman;
“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration”
Design elements should be able to compliment your websites content and key messaging.
Finding the right content for your website
It is important to focus on writing content for your website pages that are of importance such as ;
- Home page
- About Page
- Services page
- Landing page
- Blog page
- Contact page
The importance of having as much information as you can on these core pages is that it will ultimately contribute to the final persona of the page and your website.
In addition there are also core elements within content that are important before designing your website such as;
- Images
- Videos
- Navigation
- Social media accounts
- Headlines and sub headers
- Call to action
- Paragraph text
The process tends to get a little tedious, but the important thing is that you find the balance in how to manage your content and design. Your web developer knows what they are doing 99% of the time so take their advice I they feel templates or your suggestions will not work out for your website.
As a web development agency in the UAE, we take charge of creating the content that works well with your web design and often we advise our clients on the best path to take in their web development journey. Contact us today for a free consultation, Say hello!
