Are you content with your website?

Your average website, it could be said, consists of two main elements. Design (or layout), and content.

Design is typically created and fixed by your website designer. Exceptions exist, and maybe we’ll discuss these another time.

Content, however, must be fluid. You should be able to add new content to your website, edit existing content, and delete the irrelevant.

If your website doesn’t offer this basic functionality, I recommend that you discuss the options with your web people.

Why is this? Your website should be a reflection of your business, its values, its products and services. Now I suspect that, if you’re a modestly successful business, these things have changed since the site was built.

So what is “content”?

That’s simple - it’s your product information, news, company profile, team photos and your blog.

If you have a blog, you will already have a Content Management System (CMS.)

This is the toolkit that allows you to manage your website pages, add photos, add videos, move pages around and add hyperlinks.

Modern CMS systems such as Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal are easy to set up, straightforward to use, and allow real flexibility. The days of expensive fees for a web designer to add a simple page are long gone. You can add pages yourself, at any time, in minutes.

But what do we add? The ability to create content gives us a powerful tool - but we still need the material.

There is an adage in our industry - “Content is King.” And how true that is.

The important text on your website, the headlines, body copy and introductions should always be written (or at least proof-read) by a copywriter.

Your photographs should be clear, well lit, and properly composed - not hastily produced on a cheap throwaway camera.

So have a think about your own website content - is it locked in by your web designer?

And how good IS that content? Is it sharp, clear and compelling, or is it blurred, dull and rambling?

Don’t be content with poor content!

Leon Calverley
Business development director
Door 4 Internet Creative