5 things you need for a smooth website development project
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Producing and collating content for a new website takes time, skills and effort. Investing time on a website content strategy will help you through the process.
Below are my 5 tips to consider when commissioning and collating content for a new website.
1. Get leadership endorsement
Get support from someone in a leadership position to explain the strategic importance of the new website to the success of your organisation. Together you can assess the resources needed to produce content. Will other deadlines need to be moved, or responsibilities completed by someone else?
Your leader should make it clear that your requests for content are a high priority.
2. Managing the process
Put someone in charge of the administration of the production process. You might find it helpful to start an audit of existing content. This will help you decide whether it needs updating, deleting or completely rewriting. Then create a sitemap and a database of your content to track the production and approval process in each section of your new site. Create a file structure and naming conventions which mirror the site map. Add in deadlines. Track each piece of content’s status and who is responsible for producing and signing it off.
3. Structured content guides
When creating brand new content, try to control the quality and limit what information you receive back by supplying structured content guides. This could be a screen-shot of a particular content type (such as news) with detailed information about the tone, purpose, length, styles applied etc. You could use these to create a form that internal experts can fill out. This will help keep the content consistent, which in turn will benefit the user of the site.
4. Content review
Review, review and review. Ask for internal experts to review sections that relate to their areas, but only relating to factual correctness. Make it explicit that other people are taking care of the design and branding elements and that these are not of relevance. Remember to include a deadline for their feedback.
Try to talk to your corporate and marketing team about whether they need to sign off the content at all and what that will mean. Ideally, if your process and strategy are signed off, then a review of individual pieces of content will not be needed.
Remember this all takes time and will need to be factored into your production timeline. Whatever time you think it might take to review your site and get sign off before launch, double it!
5. Controls
It's your responsibility to make sure this website is delivered on time and has an impact, therefore, exercise some controls. These should include;
the number of people involved in the project - depending on the size of your organisation, you want to pick a representative team of the organisation to help you ensure the website gets delivered on time. Too many people though and the harder it will be to keep to your deadlines.
the number of changes that can be made - challenge your team as to whether the changes will really add to the project at this stage.
the deadlines you need feedback back by - missed deadlines have an impact further down the line, so give them plenty of time, but be strict. It's perfectly ok for them to give no feedback at all, but tell them this.
In summary:
Get leadership endorsement and early
Put someone in charge of managing the process
Supply structured content guides
Extensive content review
Exercise controls
If you need help with your website content strategy
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