Dries Cappon
Just a sketch of the situation: you work as a copywriter. All your life you have been responsible for filling in spaces on approved wireframes. You know, where lorem ipsum is. You are free to do as you please.
Your task is to unravel the intention of the design and fill each section with the right content. It's actually a bit like colouring a colouring picture. Someone defines the boundaries and tells you which colour to use. The only freedom you have is to decide how heavy you colour it and in what way.
Because of this way of working, the project is never used optimally. The design alone never reaches the goal of the website. It needs words - well-chosen words - to get the message across as well as possible and to let visitors do what we want them to do. That's why we asked ourselves the question: why do we put content and design in two separate boxes? That's like fighting with one arm tied to your back. We prefer to stand there at full strength, with both fists, with design and content linked together.
With good content you attract the right visitors to your website. At least, if your texts are SEO-proof. But what exactly do you need to take into account? It is very important to start with a thorough keyword analysis. This analysis forms the basis of your online content strategy. Keywords are the words that potential visitors enter in search engines. We recommend the use of long tail keywords, which provide a higher click-through rate (CTR) and a higher conversion ratio. In this way, the content is used in the most effective way. A handy tool to determine your keywords is the Google Keyword Planner.
Once visitors have found their way to your site - thanks to the copywriter's good texts! - it is very important that the experience the visitors experience is optimal. The information or products the visitor is looking for should be easy to find and the way to conversion should therefore be as efficient as possible. It is the task of the UX designer to ensure that the User Experience (UX) is optimal. On the basis of tight wireframes, he will visualise where the content, as well as the design, can best be displayed.
Unfortunately, many make the mistake of starting with the design without thinking about what the purpose of the page will be or what content will be placed in it. In this way, a corpse may fall out of the closet later in the process for the developer. Suppose: the content takes up much more space than foreseen in the design. Then you have to start all over again. Not really efficient, if you ask us.
We at Calibrate therefore make the strategic choice to always start working out wireframes, always taking into account the content that will be placed. We already believe that this is the best way to tackle the strategic design. This way, we will not be faced with any more surprises. Only through good cooperation between copywriters and ux-designers, who determine the structure of the website, will your website be a success. Moreover, the combination of an optimal UX and the right content ensure a higher conversion ratio. The goal of every company, right?
So in your next project, let the UX designer and the copywriter work out a few concepts together. UX design and content are both equally important if you want to make your site a success, so give them the same weight throughout the process and see the quality of your work improve. Give it a chance, you won't complain!
Then you've come to the right place! Calibrate has a strong team of designers and copywriters who can help you where needed. Don't hesitate any longer and contact us.
