Content writing first web design later
These days I get many content writing assignments where the client insists on getting the content written according to the layout.
They have purchased a theme, or web designer has created a design and layout according to the contemporary design ethos, and then, they want to fill the boxed spaces with text.
If the layout or the wireframe has been created to accommodate as much content as will be needed, there is no problem.
But if the layout has been created simply to please the aesthetic sense of the designers and business owner, paying scant regard to content writing, this is not a good approach. It shows that you put the design of your website before the interests of your business.
I’m not discounting the importance of your design and layout. In fact, if you provide web design services or graphic design services, then it is imperative that you have a very attractively designed website so that your prospective clients can have a sense of what sort of design services you may provide to them.
Why content writing should be priority, not web design
Design is cool. It is visual. It elicits a “wow!” immediately.
But does this “wow!” get you business? Do you want to entertain people, or do you want them to do business with you?
Visitors turn into paying customers and clients when they read your content.
Your search engine rankings improve because of your content.
When was it the last time you saw someone sharing a link because of the design of the website? Never.
People share links when they appreciate the value of your content.
Your content is your sales pitch. It is the conversation that you have with your visitors. You make an emotional connection via your words. You educate and inform your prospective customers and clients with your text.
Whether you go for content writing first or the layout of your website also tells a lot about the attitude you have towards your business.
If you go for the design first, I know you are not going to like this, it may even offend you, you go for superficiality. More than your business, you are worried about how your website looks. This attitude percolates into day-to-day approach and… well.
Benefits of writing content before designing website
You develop a connection with the central philosophy of your business messaging. You message is not lost in the hullabaloo of your design process.
As I’ve mentioned above, your search engine rankings, your conversion rate, your user engagement, everything originates from your content.
Hence, your content should never take a backseat.
When your content is written first, you are not constrained by your layout. You don’t have to fit your text — the most important aspect of your online presence — within the superficiality of your design elements. You don’t have to compromise, and when it comes to writing your message (or getting it written) you can let the imagination sore high.
Another benefit of writing content before designing your website, something that I have personally observed, is that when you see in front of your eyes your message, suddenly the design is not important.
You realize that if your website looks decent, if it presents your content professionally, if it seamlessly adjusts the content and the important elements of your website according to the screen size, you don’t need to bother much.
What’s important is your content, not your design.