The visuals and messaging on your website are equally important in delivering an engaging online experience for your customers. As a trusted web design agency in Essex, we explain how to make these elements boost your online presence – and grow your revenue.
Having a beautifully designed, functional website is critical, whether you’re a dental technician, a water softener distributor, or a purveyor of mobile drinks.
But without engaging, well-researched content, seasoned with appropriate USPs and CTAs, all those stunning graphics will have nothing to support it. It’s important to recognise that design and content are two very different beasts – the latter should not be an afterthought (nor vice versa).
Done well, these two elements enhance each other, driving the user towards the desired funnel – and ultimately making a purchase, signing up to a newsletter, or placing a phone enquiry.
Design vs content
Design elements include things like typeface, colour scheme, layout and the overall aesthetics of your website. Content is the messaging found on it – whether that’s straightforward copy, video, infographics text, or any other component containing the written or spoken word.
Start with the content
Best practice dictates that content should come first. It establishes the overall structure of a website. Indeed, an absence of content is a common obstacle for the progression of a web design project. It’s also important to establish how much space is needed for each block of copy – otherwise you may end up ‘waffling’ in order to fill a space, or not having enough room to get your message across. This said, a skilled content specialist will still be able to back-fill content if a website has already been created.
What makes great content?
As a successful web design agency in Essex, we understand that the best content builds a relationship with potential customers, and enhances connections with existing ones. It should quickly communicate what sets your offering apart from the competition, then underpin it with authentic, well-researched messaging that builds trust. It should also feature enticing calls-to-action. Needless to say, it should not be lifeless and robotic (we’re not mentioning any names, ChatGPT!).
Quality content is nothing without integrated SEO
There’s little point crafting world-class content if no-one gets to read it. That’s where SEO comes in. This is the process of optimising your content so it has the best chance of appearing in Google and other search engines for valuable keywords (underpinned by comprehensive keyword research). SEO remains one of the most cost-efficient ways to drive customers to your website and to sustain growth. And of course, effective SEO in 2023 integrates with other marketing drives – from leaflet distribution to social media to TV adverts.
Varied content types
People respond – and learn – differently. This is why creating a varied range of content is important. Along with your flagship on-page copy, other content types might include blogs, videos, infographics, and interactive tools.
Update content regularly
When a user sees that your last blog update was in 2013, it raises more questions than it answers. By regularly adding fresh articles, testimonials and reviews to your site, you’ll keep people coming back for more. It helps build your reputation as a thought leader in your industry, and trust in your product or service. There’s also an SEO element here: A site with content that hasn’t been updated in months or years may well see its rankings subside.
In-house or outsourced?
Some companies maintain in-house writers who can keep their pages and blogs topped up with content. Others simply don’t have the time or resources. Here at Crisp Design we’ve provided many Essex-based companies with engaging, on-message content that seamlessly blends in SEO elements.
Web design Essex & content: The perfect couple?
Crisp Design, a leading web design agency in Essex, fuses the power of stunning, contemporary web design with content that grabs eyeballs and leads users on a journey – ultimately boosting that all-important bottom line.