It’s happening! You’re finally revamping your company’s website—or maybe creating it for the first time! There will be kickoff meetings, interviews, and then the “good stuff” can finally begin: Logos! Colour schemes! Design!! We know it’s all very exciting—we’re excited too! But we want to put this READ ME tidbit here before we get too far.
Making a website is a LOT of work. Before you wave that away because you already know all that…We really mean a lot of work. Like, whatever you think it is, triple it. I know that sounds like a total bummer, but trust us—putting in the work now makes all the difference to the quality of the output! And that’s why I’m here, begging you to slow your roll just a tiny bit to set yourself up for success.
Now that our jets are sufficiently cooled, let’s talk about…
Web content: How do we do it?
Your website needs content, and it takes a lot of time and effort to make it as good as it should be. The process of getting that content from your brain to the website differs from agency to agency, so I’m just going to break down how Kobot does it.
You have 3 options: write it yourself, split the job, or hand it over completely.
Option 1: You write, we finesse
This is what we like to do most frequently, because you are the subject matter expert!
For every project, we conduct interviews and/or surveys, ask you tons of questions, and do our own research. This helps me help you zone in on who you’re talking to, what they need to know, and how you should say it to them.
But, at the end of the day, you know your business better than anyone else. Which is why, we’ll make the outline (called a content template) and get you to fill in the blanks. You tell us what needs to be said and how you like to discuss your business.
From there, I can take what you’ve given us and whip it into shape. That includes doing the basics of sweeping the writing for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Then I’ll move it into the site itself—build out the information you’ve given us into pages, custom post types, different style boxes, and add in the microcopy for buttons, forms, and calls to action.
Lastly, I make sure it reads well on the website—making sure the paragraphs are scannable lengths, that we’re following best practices for online readers, and making sure the writing sounds like your organization.
Option 2: Half-n-half
This option has more wiggle room. But the goal is to meet each other halfway—we just need to set parameters at the start to make sure we’re all on the same page. Some possibilities for this option are as follows.
We can spend some extra time chatting before content development starts, so I have a more in-depth knowledge, and then I can draft some content that you then correct for accuracy and relevance.
Alternatively, I can write the pages that are fairly standard—like Staff pages and Contact forms—and you draft up some ideas of what needs to be on the pages that need your specific expertise—like your About page or the breakdown of Services or Products you offer.
You can even write all the information to me in point form and I’ll make it into paragraphs (though of course that requires budgeting for more editing time). I can take it from there and make it something shiny and ready for your audiences to see!
Option 3: Set it and forget it (ok don’t actually forget it)
In this last option, you hand it over completely. We’ll let you hire a copywriter if you have one you know and love, or we can help set you up with one. Once you’re happy with the content from your end, we can do the “bare minimum”—the work of building the information architecture on the site from the content provided, and making sure that it fits the specifications for web and verbiage outlined above.
. . .
Hopefully, this has helped break down the nebulous black box that website content can feel like. But, the most important thing I want you to come away with, is that we’re all here to help!
If you’re not sure about something, please just ask! Building a website can be intimidating, but we don’t think it should be. We want your website to succeed just as much as you do, so if you have questions or concerns, or have something specific that you think would work best for you—talk to us! That way we can work together to figure out the best way to accommodate everyone’s needs.