Just What is Content?
Copyright 2006 Mark Nenadic
What is content? Web development involves two major components:
mechanics and content. The mechanics should be seamless and
transparent. The end user should never be aware of the
mechanics, only dazzled by the effects or pleased by the
simplicity of the page. A professional web design company will
provide professional quality web development.
If the mechanics of a web development are seamless and
transparent, what does that make the content? The content is
what gets the visitors involved in the website. The content is
what brings them back, again and again. The content is a place
where the visitor feels a measure of control, relief and
ultimately, customer satisfaction.
What comprises the content that a web development specialist
will look for? The key component to understanding what makes
good content begins by understanding what the website is about.
If the site is about selecting a good web designer, then the
content should reflect information on web design, samples and
package offers. If the site is about entertainment, the content
will reflect up to date entertainment articles, perhaps a gossip
column, and a message board where users can exchange
information, opinions and viewpoints.
Content is fluid. Content is measurable against the intent and
desire of the web development team to elicit a response from
their visitors. Imagine walking into a bookstore. The customer
who walks in the front door has a very good idea of what to
expect from a bookstore. They know it will have books. When they
visit an online bookstore, again, they expect it to feature
books.
The content of an online bookstore has to go a step further,
however. It must feature reviews, synopsis and suggested reading
lists. If an online bookstore features only titles and prices,
the average reader will skip past the site because they cannot
find the content they need in order to determine whether or not
they want to purchase the book.
Content for a site that hosts service providers may provide
news, information and suggestions for negotiating contracts,
business sales and copyright information. The audience for this
type of site, however, would be divided. Portioned appropriately
between both the businesses looking for service providers and
the service providers looking for business opportunities. The
web development that would be involved on the content
appropriate to the dual audience would require a great deal of
thinking ahead in terms of what the audiences require currently
versus what they will eventually require.
This is where web development of content is crucial. The search
engine function that will locate the book is a mechanic. But the
presence of a search engine that can search based on title;
author or ISBN number is also a content feature. Web surfers
more than any other class of clientele want direct access and
ease of accessibility. They want the option to delve deeply or
just grab the item they already know they want.
Understanding the content development equation is in equal parts
an understanding of marketing and customer service. These two
areas are separate, because marketing is what brings a customer
to the door. Customer service is what invites them to return
again and again. A site that is unique, functional and filled
with satisfying content will bring a customer back whether they
found what they were initially looking for or not.
Choosing the right content for a website or web development is
simple if the developer understands the intent of the site as
well as the audience for the site. Catering to the audience
means anticipating not only questions, but also the desire of
the audience. The definitions that define the customer are
constantly evolving and thus content should constantly evolve.
>From the type of customer to the customers changing desires,
these are issues that will generate the questions that web
developments content choices will answer.