The Development Rule Book Says Content before Web Design
Published on 11 October 16
Helios1
Without good content, any website is incomplete. The need to rebuild a website starts with the idea of content and that will decide how you sound in front of your audience. Content placement is the part of web design, so a content writer and web designer for a particular website need to be in the loop to understand the requirements of web development.
Of course, this needs a strategic approach. And the first step to the strategic approach is the theme or the thought you wish to send across to your audience – The Brand Message! Them, accordingly your content will sound and the design comes after content. The development rule book says that content needs to be in place first, so the design can be made according to the content. This will ensure that the message is being reflected visually through the web design. Website design should be carved around the target audience i.e. users of your website.
Focus – User Experience
For Outsourcing web development projects, we recommend discussing your ideas with your web development specialists who shall guide you further for the development decisions. Have a nice day!
With the advancement in technology and increasing demand in dynamic web design, there are trend setters and new ways of designing a website being followed. But these trends keep coming and going, some stay and become popular and some fade away!
Many still do not approach a website design agency. And thus, the idea of presenting data based on visitors and user needs remains unfulfilled and thus the goals of website development are not achieved. We are mentioning this as many website owners tend to get carried away with the design trends or the competitor’s website which they believe are the current practices. It is always good to use references, research and know about your competitors, but a logical strategy would be design a website that accounts your company goals and the idea behind your existence online, so that your target audience is reached in the best possible way.
Selecting a theme or a template can draw design boundaries and can bar the freedom of expression? So we suggest building a custom theme for web development. For custom web development, talk to our website development experts for advice and guidance.
Good Design Decision Making – Content First
Connecting with your audience through a website in the first go is challenging. And this is where the content plays a vital role. It is that one element in the website that launches the connection with your users and establishes a comprehension of your brand.
Why do we say content first is because it leads to good design decision making. You can then prepare the look and feel that comes from the words that your brand is about. The message can be represented in a more organized fashion.
It is important that documenting is done considering user flow, navigation factors, visitor gateways, CTA’s etc. This is generally done after the graphic design is prepared, but this forces the content to match the design whereas it should be the other way around.
Taking Content first gives you a path and approach for a web design and you avoid waste time and resources, meeting the project deadlines in time.
Finding Balance
So many ask who reads content? Yes, it is true. The world is full of lazy readers and there is so much content floating online. So you see that you are facing a big challenge. So you need to find a balance between the content and design in order to offer the best user experience.
The approach must give equal important to design and content. Do not forget to use elements like navigation, SEO and call to actions. And focus on user behavior and visitor paths. It is important that you weave the elements of design with the home page and the other pages, consistency must come across. Going step by step shall let you strike this balance.
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Content and Design go hand in hand like a music and lyrics. You have to alter your content (retaining the message) based on design at times. I read that Amazon before building any product writes a internal press release first, if the pr copy is appealing and can't convey the benefits they don't proceed with the development of the product (Ref: https://www.quora.com/Amazon-company-What-is-Amazons-approach-to-product-development-and-product-management)