Content – The forgotten purpose

Content is by far the most important part to your website – hell, it’s the REASON your site exists! so people can visit your site to find information. Are you neglecting the most important reason for your sites existance?

What do your visitors want to see? What are they going to find the most useful? What is going to drive traffic and increase sales? What information or content is going to lead to conversions?

Often content is overlooked, with people focusing on inconsequential design choices, corners to cut and ‘quick fixes’ – rather than how people are going to find the information they need.

If your visitors can’t find what they are looking for within 3 seconds, chances are you’ve lost them. And likely forever.

The risks of using a template website

The main problem with opting for a template website, is that you end up trying to fit your content into a template – rather than creating a solution to fit your content. You’re doomed from the start.

It’s like buying a house then deciding how many people need to fit into it later.

Imagine trying to fit a family with 3 kids onto a bachelor pad? Or trying to fit a couple with 3 dogs into a 3 bedroom apartment with no backyard?

Chances are, it’s not going to work. Renovations will be required; things will probably break (how long can 3 dogs last inside without breaking something?)

Altering website foundations can be just as difficult, costly and often unnecessary.  Large amounts of money and time go down the drain when a proper website plan and strategy is not put in place from the outset.

Now, its not like a template website won’t work for you – (plenty of people buy previously owned homes and it works great!) but just make sure you choose a template that is suitable for what you want. get professional advice, from someone who understands your needs, and understands the web.

Its not always about what you see from the outside

What you see from the front of a website can vary greatly from the structure behind the scenes.

Just because your website looks clean and pretty visually, does not necesarily mean that its architecture is as well. Going back to our house theme, its the same as having a brand new renovation dumped on top of rotting timber frames.

Clutter in your website code can be just as damaging as clutter in your house foundations. And many templates tend to come with lotssssss of clutter. Lots of things you don’t need, or lots of things that need to be tweaked (ie. coded over the top of). Standardfeatures that really just arent relevant to you.

Often these templates are trying to be an ‘all in one solution’, which is how they can be so financially viable. It also means that your website ends up looking like every other website out there.

And not saying that this is a bad thing. If you want a cost effective quick solution; then maybe this is for you.

But if you want a longer lasting; clean and efficient operating, and properly stuctured UNIQUE site for YOUR CLIENTS – Then consider having a user centered custom designed website.

These are always developed with the latest coding techniques (templates can often be outdated and with the ever changing web; it doesnt take long for this to happen!) can offer far greater opportunities for creativity and visual appeal; and most importantly – they will be designed and developed with your user in mind from the outset.

Plan and Prosper

Remember that without a proper plan in place; you are potentially throwing your money away.

Get advice, undertsand what you are creating and how it will affect future changes that may be required to your site. Understand what your users and clients need from your site, understand what is going to help your business grow – and plan the perfect solution so that you can get the highest return on your investment.

Speak to a professional (like us) before you waste countless amounts of time, energy and money on something that was never really suited to you to begin with.

You wouldn’t buy a house without researching it’s suitability first – so unless you know what you’re doing, don’t buy a website without first seeking professional advice.