As you eagerly await the completion of your website development, we recommend that your site administrator(s) be proactive about Content Preparation. Whether you are creating new content or will be collecting and migrating from another source, you want to be sure to get things in line early on. The launch will be here sooner than you think, and the last thing you want to do is delay it for something as simple as a copy/paste in the end.
Here are a few tips to prepare:
- Review your sitemap and wireframes as soon as the Information Architecture is completed.
Determine how many pages you have on the site, what types of content is required and where each will live, and if imagery needs to be selected. Though it may be tedious, you should go page by page to plan out what you need. - Timely content should not be empty.
Make sure your Blog or News listings start off with at least 3-5 items, a few with recent postdates so that the pages do not look bare or rarely managed. - Develop a plan and timeline for implementation.
Be sure to include additional timing for pre-launch reviews and final revisions based on your team’s feedback. - Determine if any team members will need to provide you content and give them advanced notice.
This way they can plan accordingly within their own schedules around your requested due dates. You will also want them to be aware if a final review of the content will be needed pre-launch, as again, this will require time out of their schedules. - Keep all content organized.
As you complete a page, you can save it in Notepad or Word, and quickly add to a folder on your desktop, for example. Name your folders based on the section of the site – Staff Bios, News Articles, Header Imagery, etc. When you go to enter the content, you will be able to work efficiently within site sections, or easily divide up content to be entered amongst all site administrators.
It is easy to become distracted and focused solely on the design and functionality of your website, but keep in mind that your content is just as important. The more prepared you are, the more streamlined your launch will be!
