Re-thinking Your Approach To Content:
18 February 2015
By Rob
There has been a shift in the way we should be thinking about writing content, with a greater focus on content design, rather than just creating copy. Content designers should think creatively and about the greater objectives of the business, becoming more concerned with the aesthetics, usability and functionality of the site. They should think more like designers rather than just writers. While there has been a recognition within the industry of a need for more design-focused content, many businesses are still not thinking creatively and widely enough. This article outlines a few tips for ensuring your site’s content is as effective as possible.
You should come up with a set of ‘content types’ which can span across your site’s various pages. For example ‘content types’ may include, blog posts, services pages or weekly emails – each with their own intentions and different requirements of the content writer. By creating ‘content types’, you may end up with as many ‘types’ as you have pages, but that’s ok. The benefit is that ‘content types’ are more flexible and can be understood and referenced by everyone on the project.
Once you have clearly set out your ‘content types’, you need to input some real content to help highlight the relationship between design, content and the objective of the project. Loren Ipsum just won’t cut it anymore and getting some idea early on of the eventual content will help you create more functional and effective page overall. Get the ball rolling with some very rough proto-content – briefly stating the main points that will be illustrated in the text. It will, of course, evolve over the design process, but by thinking about both the design and content of a page from the very beginning, you will create a more seamless bridge between content and design and achieve a better final user experience overall.
You can use ‘content types’ like a content template to give writers an easy fill-in-the-blanks structure and surround each type with rules for tone-of-voice and style. This ensures that writers can quickly and easily populate the structure with content that’s appropriate and effective.
If you want professional and well-designed content, The Click Hub offer website consultancy and content services that can help you achieve your content goals. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help your business thrive and receive a free audit on your site.