Are you tired of a messy content-gathering process when building your websites? From articles to infographics and everything in between, assembling the right pieces of information to attract traffic can be challenging. But it doesn’t have to be!
First, what is the content-gathering process?
Content-gathering means collecting all content elements, including text and the media presented on a website, and organizing them to easily be edited, evaluated, and staged for development. It typically involves multiple parties (like yourself and your client), which is where miscommunications can arise.
What is ‘content-first?’
‘Content-first’ design is an approach where the content for your project determines the design of the site. Instead of designing with lorem ipsum and getting content later (that doesn’t fill the space at all), content-first design focuses on the story, then the execution. This type of approach doesn’t require that the content is fully written and polished before starting design or development, but you should have a good idea of the flow, content length, and placement for call-to-actions.
Maintaining content in one place also makes collaborating with your client during the feedback and approval processes smooth. With our guide to the content-gathering process, you’ll learn how to centralize your content for a streamlined, ‘content-first’ approach to website design. Here’s what you need to know:
Clear communication
The clarity of your message and content is key to the success of your brand. Communicate your vision and marketing goals to ensure everyone is on the same page. When discussing content, be transparent about your marketing goals and how you want to connect with your audience. Consider what content you currently have and what is needed to improve its structure, style, and tone.
Check content inventory and perform a content audit
A content audit is a process of evaluating your existing content to determine its strengths and weaknesses. It provides insight into where content gaps might exist, where outdated content needs to be updated as well as optimization opportunities that lead to better content. Knowing what content you have in your ‘inventory’ helps you identify where you stand with an existing website. We recommend you use GatherKit’s visual site map builder which allows you to not only see what pages are included on your site, but also how they are linked together in the website’s architecture.
Rank by landing page conversions
Pages with high conversions are crucial to reaching your goals, so be careful when editing them. No need to fix what’s not broken. Ranking by conversions also helps you identify non-converting pages that should be updated, optimized, or even removed entirely.
Identify inbound links
Inbound links, or backlinks, are links from other sites back to your content. They help users find you, create credibility, add authority, and demonstrate quality content. Avoid deleting a page with many inbound links because it might adversely affect your search engine rankings. (Don’t forget to create 301 redirects if you do remove a page to preserve the link equity from those inbound links!)
How GatherKit can help
- Organize and plan – Plan where your pages live in the main navigation, footer navigation, and more!
- Collaborate and work with team & clients – GatherKit was built to manage content with multiple people involved, to make the project run smoothly. Invite your team members as well as your client together to get on the same page.
- Set the due date and timeline – Assign content, monitor due dates, and comment on content to keep the process moving
- Store the media & assets in one place – Gather photos, logos, and documents without worrying about managing sharing permission, or losing files.
Try a free trial of GatherKit today!
