Oh, hey. Didn’t see you there. I’m just really frustrated now. I’m just ready to take a site live but I just realized that there’s no content on this website. Take a look.
I’m using Lorem Ipsum and stock footage and stock images. This is really, really frustrating.
We can almost take this site live, but we’re just missing the most important part: the content.
What are people supposed to read and see on the website?
So now we’re just going to have to wait for the client to get their act together and get the content to me, and uh well, not my fault the website is going to take forever.
If there’s one part of the process that’s really, really frustrating for a developer, it’s the content.
The content is arguably the most important part of the entire website. But it’s often the most overlooked aspect of it. No one thinks about it until the last minute.
But really, you need to be thinking about the content from the moment you start planning your website. And it needs to be one of the first things you discuss with the developer.
So today let’s talk about the ways that you can make sure the content is ready before the design and development phases even begin so you don’t experience any delays.
Decide early on where content is coming from
So the most important thing you can do with regards to the content is to decide early on who is responsible for the content and when is that content coming in.
You need to talk with your developer during the beginning phases of this website process about the content and make sure everybody is on the same page. You need to come to an agreement on whether you’re getting the content in, whether you’re writing it yourself or hiring a copywriter to do it for you, or if the developer is actually going to write some of the content.
And you also need to figure out when does that content going to be needed to be in the designer or developer’s hands. Is it a couple of weeks from now or is it like a month from now? What exactly is the timeline for the content?
This will help both you and the developer know who’s responsible for the content and who deserves the blame if it’s late. Content, or the lack thereof, can really slow a website. After all, you can’t go live with dummy content.
It needs to be there when the site is launched. And both you and the developer need to know who is responsible for the content so that it’s in on time for a timely launch.
Meet content deadlines
If you’re going to be the one responsible for the content, you need be to making sure you’re hitting the agreed upon deadlines. I mean, you’re expecting the designer and/or developer to hit their deadlines, so you’ve got to hold your end of the bargain too.
This also goes for if you hire a copywriter from outside as well. While you don’t have as much control, obviously, over how they function, you do need to make them aware of your deadlines. And then sort of like what we talked about last time, you know, check in on them every now and then for a status update.
And if there’s going to be a problem with getting the content in on time, which happens every now and then, just make sure the developer knows that. It can be a little bit frustrating for us, but we do understand and we are thankful for any heads up. The developer can then plan around it, and it becomes a lot less frustrating.
But again, hitting your deadlines for the content will help this process move so much quicker.
Check content for mistakes
Okay, this seems like a simple thing, but it can make a world of difference. Always, always, always check the copy for mistakes. This goes for spelling, grammar and factual errors, especially your phone number, your email address, your physical address and other important information about your business.
While some typos might be small, seeing them in the copy is a real negative and a potential red flag. It subtracts from your credibility a little bit. Having a spelling, grammar or factual error can be a real turn off for potential customers.
So before you send the copy over to the developer, look over it again for those types of errors. Make sure this is the information that you want to present.
And then when it’s on the website before the launch, look over it again just to make sure everything made the transfer over. This is your presentation to the world; it needs to be perfect.
Hire outside help if need be
I’ve hinted at this before, but if you’re going to be responsible for the content, it might be beneficial to go out and find a copywriter to do it for you.
Creating content can be a time consuming task, especially if you’re creating that content from scratch. I can tell you from personal experience that it took several weeks to write all of the content and copy for all of the non-blog posts, non-portfolio items and non-videos on my website. And again, that time adds up and that’s time you’re not running your business.
Plus, there’s the added pressure of it needing to be perfect so that it can convert prospective customers into paying customers. And if you’re not necessarily a writer or comfortable with writing sales text, this can be a really big challenge.
A copywriter can take care of that for you. That’s their area of expertise and they can probably write it better than you can.
Much like your decision to hire a developer to build the website for you, hiring a copywriter for the content can save you time now and money, maybe, in the long run. So again, look into bringing in outside help for this part of the process.
Next steps
So as you’re planning the website, keep the content in mind at all times. The sooner you figure out who’s going to be responsible for the content, the quicker you can get to putting it all together and ultimately, the quicker the website will be done. And that makes everyone happy.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in comments below or reach out on social media. You can also learn more about creating a website for your business over on my website. I have a bevy of resources and blog posts that can help you make informed decisions during this entire process.
When you’re ready to move on to the next step, I’ll see you in the next video.
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