When it comes to building websites, content is a necessity! Without content, your website is like a blank piece of paper or an empty toolbox – there is nothing to help or equip your visitors. The challenge is often putting together all the right content needed for websites. Let’s take a look at a few questions that will help you during the web development process to figure out what content is important.

Questions to help you decide on the content needed for websites

What are you trying to achieve by building the website?

So you know you need to build a website, but why exactly are you doing it? Before even starting to put your content together you need to figure out what you want the website to achieve and primarily communicate. You need to determine what the business should look like, how it should position itself online and what components will be critical in making the business a success. Take a look at competitor websites to help you determine the type of content you need for your site. But remember, every industry and business is different.

Who will your website visitors be?

Your website must focus on your visitors’ interests and needs. You need to ask, “What’s in it for them?” To provide visitors with what they’re looking for, strong content must be developed in the form of products, services and intellectual property – all of which needs to constantly evolve in order to stay fresh and relevant. Think about what the visitor would search for and make it easy for them to find it. People are coming to your website for your content, so make sure you create contextual, purposeful content.

What will your website look like?

Decide how you will connect and communicate with visitors: will they purchase products, read case studies, subscribe to newsletters, scroll through blogs or engage with an online community? This will help you determine what pages you will need and the type of content you will need to generate. Remember to make your website easy to navigate and SEO must be a top priority.

Content is king
There is a saying in the digital world that content is king. This means that your content is:

• More important than the design of the website.
• Most likely going to be what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Not limited to the text only. Images and multimedia (e.g. video and audio) also make up your website content.

Here is some of the essential content needed for websites:

• Text
  • Key text for your HOME page, which most visitors will land on.
  • Business overview, typically referred to as the ABOUT US page
  • Detailed descriptions of your PRODUCTS/SERVICES
  • Useful case studies or completed projects, i.e. your PORTFOLIO
  • CONTACT information, for example, look at EWN’s contact page information.
  • BLOG articles (this is fundamental for SEO) or a FORUM page
  • Other:
    • REVIEWS or testimonials, i.e. positive feedback from actual clients
    • FAQs (frequently asked questions)
    • Ts & Cs (terms and conditions)
    • Delivery information and returns policy
    • Privacy policy
• Images and multimedia
  • Staff members
  • Product/s (mulitple images per product)
  • Images that accurately portray your services
  • Instructional videos (if applicable)
  • Brand consistent lifestyle images

To be effective, you need an effective strategy when developing and maintaining your website. Don’t compromise on design and content. Contact us if you need more assistance with your website design and content.