Content Matters

Written by Radu on Friday, July 16, 2010

So many company websites are wasted time and money. They get built simply because someone in a company, maybe even the owner or CEO, thinks it would be a good idea to have a website, because everybody else seems to have one. And that’s true! In this day and age, it is important, even essential, for any company to have an online presence.

However, a very common mistake that we see again and again is to assume that any website is just as good as any other. This belief is very often evidenced by the one question that we get asked the most: “How much does a website cost?”, which assumes that websites are like packaged goods that can be bought from the supermarket.

But this is not the case. In order to illustrate this, let us draw a comparison between having a website built and having a house built. In both cases, you have certain needs that the product needs to fill. In a house, you might be looking for a certain number of rooms, a certain amount of ambient light or a layout that suits your preferences. If you like open spaces, you might not want to buy a house that has narrow hallways, low ceilings and small windows. Likewise, your business has certain needs. You need to ask yourself, what do I want this website to accomplish? Do you want to get more people interested in what you have to offer? Do you want to offer some information to your existing customers or business partners?

What value does your website offer?

As a rule, always think in terms of what value your website is offering to your target audience. If people are to visit your website, you need to give them a reason to do so. And if they end up on your website by mistake, you should give them a reason to return. Offering value on your website is not a new concept, and once you think about it, it seems obvious. But many people never give it any thought and just jump in and “buy a website”.

It goes without saying that we, as designers, are there to help you with the process of building content. It’s one of the many things that’s not in our job description but that we do anyway! We know what people look for in a website and what makes it “sticky”. So, please, if you’re looking to have a website built, don’t simply write some content as an afterthought one evening after work and then forget about it. If you’re going to pay for a website, at least get your money’s worth by involving yourself in the process and letting the designer know exactly what you expect the website to accomplish.