Persuasive Website Design: Part 7 of 8
We’ve addressed several important design concepts in the series. Now, let’s evaluate website content.
Principle #7 – Content
Which came first? Website content or design? Of course, that’s a play on the age-old chicken/egg conundrum. Thankfully for us, it’s not that complicated. The answer is DESIGN AND CONTENT SHOULD WORK TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY to accomplish your goals. As you develop the content for your website, consider these things:
- Identify Your Audience – Throughout this blog series, I’ve stressed the importance of knowing your audience(s). For compelling content, that is crucial. Take some time to think about the types of visitors you want your site to receive, as well as the actual visitors it receives, and develop content that speaks to them.
- Get Existential – Ask yourself why you have a website in the first place. What is its reason for existence? Is it to sell a product? Motivate action around a particular cause or issue? Every website must have a purpose. Otherwise, it shouldn’t exist. Establishing the goal of your website combined with knowing your audience’s reasons for visiting will help you craft relevant content that speaks to the people you are trying to reach and, hopefully, results in the desired action.
- Message and Design: A Happy Couple – The design elements and messaging should work together and reinforce one another and your brand. Design elements and visual appearance should reflect content and tone and vice versa. For example, a fun and playful design paired with highly formal copy sends a mixed message and is confusing to the reader. As you write your copy, review the design elements presented earlier in this blog series to ensure both are compatible and make an impact.
- Ask for Help – If writing content isn’t your strongest skill, it’s perfectly acceptable to outsource this task to a professional. It may be worth the investment to hire a writer or marketing professional to work with you to create compelling content that motivates action. No one will judge you for not writing your own website content…in fact, no one will know.
Content and design are two equally important parts of your whole website. By ensuring that your content speaks to your specific audiences and reinforces your brand (supported by your great design), you can present a consistent overall message to your website visitors. What content challenges do you need help with? Let me know in the comments section, and I’ll help you out!
Last but not least, Responsive/Adaptive Design is a developing concept that has become increasingly important as more and more individuals view websites on multiple devices.
If you’d like to know more or discuss your specific situation, I’m happy to offer a FREE 30-minute consultation. Simply send me an email.