We begin each project by writing a content document that serves as the go-to-guide for the website from beginning through launch. After our team has a kick-off meeting with the client to iron out any outstanding questions, I begin to put project-specific information into our content structure. Next, I interview the client to ensure that all of their ideas are incorporated and to nail down any additional content pieces we need to gather.  

Once all assets are received, I fill in the content for each page of the website. This includes everything from the “big picture” words on the homepage down to the “Thanks!” message a user gets after signing up for an email newsletter. But the content document represents more than just the words on the page – it outlines many things that a site visitor never sees, like functionality requirements, search engine optimization and the client’s admin capabilities.

When all of this information has been compiled, we go through a review process so that the client can make sure all verbiage, functionality, etc. aligns with what they envisioned. After everything in the content document is finalized, we move on to the fun part: homepage and subpage designs, when the words finally come to life.

We understand that gathering content for every page on the site and then reading through a big Word document isn’t an easy task, but it’s so important for us all to be on the same page from the beginning of a project. We’ve learned over the years that the better the content document, the better the results. The more we outline at the start of a project, the better the designs and the more successful the project.