People often argue about which is more important (content or design) when it comes to web development, they have for years now. The truth is, no website is complete without either component and while many clients focus on how they want their site to look first and foremost, very few take into consideration just how important content is when it comes to actually getting visitors to the site.

More often than not a typical project here at Productive I.T. will begin in the design phase, ensuring the visual elements created work together to establish unity and convey the overall “brand” of the client’s company. As a designer, there is naturally nothing I love more than being able to lay all of the elements on the table and figure out how they fit together. Designers are very much like mathematicians in this respect, we both like to solve problems, only difference is that our (designers) puzzles are more visual.

Once the design is approved the task of compiling content, selecting images and (in most instances) learning the ins and outs of the CMS take place. It’s at this phase that clients can require the most help, whether they’re at a loss to accurately describe their business or simply don’t have the time to commit anything to paper (or email). While our team can certainly help steer their site towards the right audience with our copywriting services, it’s essential that clients work with us to create content that will be considered compelling to potential visitors. For the record, it is NEVER okay to copy content from another website for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is copyright infringement. 

“Design in the absence of content is not design, its decoration.”

--Jeffrey Zeldman

As much as I enjoy web design, this quote, by designer/writer Jeffrey Zeldman, makes a brilliant point that while design is required to create an engaging user experience it is the value of that experience itself which keeps people coming back. In other words, if you focus too much attention to the design and not the content you’re not giving your audience any reason to return. Making sure that your content is as well thought out as your site’s design will go a long way to maintain traffic to your site and help to guarantee that visitors have a good reason to visit again and again.

Is it time to rethink the content strategy of your website? Feel free to drop us a line and let our staff know how we can help.