It’s the age-old question most website content writers dread: which comes first, the copy or the design? Depending on who you ask, you can get wildly differing opinions on the matter. Prospective clients who ask me this question get a straightforward answer. Websites must lead with content, not design. It’s a bold statement. One that can be backed up with evidence for naysayers who argue that design is more important than content. Design needs to work for the content, not the other way around. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I believe in a “people first, SEO second” approach to content writing. Putting people first requires an emphasis on content over design. Now, I’m not going to argue that website design isn’t important. It’s part of creating a seamless user experience (which search engines like and reward). Websites must load fast. They need to be visually appealing. But none of that matters if the meat of the website – your content – is subpar. What role does design play in search engine ranking?Remember when I said I wouldn’t argue that website design wasn’t important? It’s because I know that a poorly-performing website hurts ranking with search engines like Google. Think about the last time you visited a website on your mobile device. Did it load quickly, or did you end up abandoning it because you spent far too much time watching that swirly “loading” icon on your screen? Even worse than a website page that loads slowly is one that is so jam-packed with visuals and text that it’s difficult to navigate or read. You need both a well-designed, user-friendly website design and high-quality content to perform well with search engines. Giving a website designer content to inspire the design is one of the most effective ways to ensure you have both. What is effective website content?Website content extends beyond the written word. Yes, your website needs an About Us section and a landing page that converts traffic to sales. However, effective website content can – and should – include graphics, photos, and videos that complement the words on the page. One of the quickest ways to boost engagement on your website (or social media) is with a high-quality video. That’s because the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Just one minute of a well-scripted video can replace 1.8 million words. Another way to boost engagement (and credibility) is with infographics that illustrate a point you’re making in your content. Visuals speed up processing time, which is crucial for decision-making. The sooner a visitor to your website (or social media) determines you’re credible, the quicker they’ll decide to do business with you. One caveat about graphics: go original when possible. Using stock photography and other graphics can hurt your search engine ranking because you may be using the same visuals that thousands of other companies are using on their websites. Custom photography and graphic design make your content stand out, increasing your brand’s credibility. What is the role of content on a website?Educating and informing visitors to your website is the role of content. Through blogs, case studies, and other content strategies, you can let people know what you stand for and how they can benefit from doing business with your brand. It’s not an exaggeration to say that content is the key to your marketing efforts. All forms of digital marketing—blogs, case studies, eBooks, infographics, videos—can be incorporated into a website that leads with content. Quality content:
What if the website is already designed?It can be trickier if you’re asked to create content for a website that’s already designed. I’ve been in this position more than once. While not ideal, it can be done with some consideration. First, if the website design looks and feels cluttered, don’t be afraid to make recommendations for necessary changes. No one wants to redesign their website from scratch, but sometimes there are practical adjustments that can be made to help your content streamline seamlessly with an already-designed site. One of the most important aspects of design that can easily be altered is graphics and videos. Too many can bog down the loading time for a web page, which frustrates visitors to your site. Graphics can be optimized for faster loading using website plug-ins (or by writing HTML code). For videos, stick to no more than one per page. While videos can draw attention quickly, they also can affect the user experience if they are awkwardly positioned on the page or take too long to load and play. Make sure all videos are compressed to prevent this mistake. Next, look at the visuals provided and craft content that complements it. Remember, when it comes to website content, more is not necessarily better. Keep your descriptions short and to the point. Use H2 headers to separate ideas if the website design lends itself to them. Doing so can boost your search engine ranking. Inverted pyramid methodOne of the most helpful tips for crafting content for your website is to use the inverted pyramid method. It works by placing the most essential pieces of information at the top of the page and declining in order of importance. Using a traditional storytelling method can help you organize your content in order of importance. Start with a catchy title that grabs visitors’ attention. Follow it with a compelling introduction to your brand that is clear and concise. Don’t forget to include a conflict and resolution section to demonstrate how your products or services add value. The conclusion of your story must feature a strong call-to-action that prompts visitors to take a specific action. What do you want them to do now that they’re hooked on your brand? Subscribe to a newsletter? Click the “learn more” option? Whatever it is, make it clear so you don’t lose a prospective customer who’s already on the hook. How do you get quality content for your website?Everyone thinks they can write—until they try. Then they quickly discover that creating compelling website content that converts is harder than it looks. Working with a content specialist can improve your chances of meeting your content marketing goals. Don’t leave your website content to chance. Reach out today to schedule your complimentary consultation to get your website content producing sustainable growth for your brand. AuthorShari Berg has known she wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil in her hand. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and it’s her job to discover it. Shari owns The Write Reflection, a Pittsburgh-based copywriting and content writing company that empowers small business owners to wield the power of words.
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Business owners must do more to help their brands stand the test of time. Gone are the days of developing a useful product and providing excellent customer service as the only components of longevity. Case in point: visual branding. If you’re wondering what the heck visual branding is and why you need to add it to your business model, you’re in luck. I sat down with visual branding guru Tina Wolfe of Tina Wolfe Creative Business Solutions recently to talk about all things visual branding. Tina provided some valuable insights any size business can use to influence how their brand shows up in the marketplace. Check out her tips then reach out to her for any projects that require her expertise. What the heck is visual branding?I know what you must be thinking. So many marketing terms, so little time. Why must you throw one more at us, Shari? If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time, you already know I’m not a fan of jargon. All industries have unique lingo that drives the common folk mad. Since I’m all about providing useful information my readers can understand and apply to everyday situations, I avoid jargon like most people avoid meetings that could have been an email. Visual branding – sometimes called visual identity – is simply the fancy way of describing how you build your brand’s presence through visual imagery. There are four key elements of visual branding:
Now that you know what visual branding is, let’s break down how to do it the right way with some handy tips from Tina. Branding vs. visual identity: what’s the difference?Sometimes marketing professionals use these terms interchangeably. That’s a big no-no and can be confusing for the uninitiated. Branding and visual identity are two different things. Creating a strong, positive perception of a company’s products or services is branding. It includes communication strategies, brand archetypes, and values. Think of it as that one thing that sets your business apart from every other business out there. Visual branding promotes consistency of your brand through visual elements like colors, fonts, images, and logos. Plating these visual clues in every piece of content produced helps customers quickly and easily identify it with your brand. Here’s a simpler way to describe the difference between the two. If branding is the bridge to your ultimate customer, then think of visual branding as the paint for that bridge. “Visual branding is really just an extension of branding,” said Wolfe. “It takes it one step further and lets you do so much more with your ultimate customer.” How is a visual identity used?Before you can create a visual identity, you must familiarize yourself with all the ways it can be used across different platforms. Among the most common places businesses use visual branding include:
How do brands create a visual identity?When working with clients, Wolfe uses a questionnaire to help identify the core values that define all aspects of a business. “How do you, as a company, want to show up in the world? What is the most important thing to your business? Is your business service-minded? All these things come into play when you’re looking at crafting both written messages and the visual around those messages to attract your ultimate customer,” Wolfe said. “It’s just such a simple thing. It tells your audience that you care about how you run your business because you’re putting that attention to detail in all aspects of your business.” Identifying the ideal customerShe also takes her clients through the customer identification process. Some marketing professionals use what’s known as an ideal customer avatar. Wolfe said she dislikes using that terminology because customers are real people that are best served when businesses keep that in mind during the visual branding process. Regardless of what you call it, the process is the same. It creates a deep dive into the person behind a brand’s ideal customer to identify all the characteristics that make someone an ideal customer. “Who is your customer? Who are you serving? What’s important to them? Why do they want your product? Why do they need your product?” are some of the questions Wolfe said she asks her clients during the visual branding process. The answer to these questions helps Wolfe craft a visual representation of a client’s brand. Problem-solving with visual brandingVisual branding works best when it solves a problem, Wolfe said. Coca-Cola is an example of a company that has nailed the problem-solving aspect of its visual identities. You can find the company’s logo, color palette, signature font and imagery in every piece of content it produces. Moreover, Coca-Cola creates marketing campaigns that are pure visual identity genius, featuring their products as the solution to everyday problems. Take this ad produced for the 2021 holiday season. It takes problem-solving to a whole new level. The ad is chock full of visual identity, including a Coca-Cola box that puts the finishing touch on a community effort featured in the ad. “Every time you see the Coca-Cola symbol or a bear at Christmas time, you know that’s a Coca-Cola commercial,” Wolfe said. “You automatically identify it.” What visual elements make a brand stand out online?As previously mentioned, there are four key elements of visual branding. Let’s break each of them down and talk about their importance to a well-rounded visual identity. Color paletteColors evoke emotional responses. Warm colors like red can represent anger or hostility, while cooler tones like blue and green promote feelings of calm and relaxation. Before you choose a color palette to represent your brand, you must decide what emotions you want to provoke in your target audience. Once you decide on colors, you must be consistent with their use in all digital and printed materials for your brand. Logos, advertisements, and website banners must all incorporate your colors. Most people choose one main color, then form the rest of the palette around it. You can do this by choosing darker or lighter shades of the same color or complementary colors. Fonts and typographyFonts and typography are important components of your visual identity. Any graphic designer worth their salt explains this to their clients before they create a logo or a banner for a website. Big, block lettering exudes stability and strength. Swirly scripts tend to denote elegance and tradition. Headers should be distinguished from body copy in digital and print media. The key is to choose fonts and typography that bring a balanced look and feel to your brand. Graphic design and imageryGraphic design elements like icons, patterns, shapes, and textures can add dimension to your visual branding. They can be used on websites, social media platforms, and even printed marketing materials. Be sure to use your color palette and fonts and typography in any design elements for consistency. Illustrations and photos are part of this category. Custom graphics and photos must represent your brand voice. Custom illustrations should use your color palette when possible. A well-placed logo within an illustration also is advisable. When choosing photos, make sure the objects, people, and places within the photo communicate the right message. Marketing pros call this “on-brand” visual messaging. For instance, if you’re a travel agent focused on exotic locations, choosing imagery that clearly illustrates some of the cool places you can send your clients would be on brand. LogoLogos are arguably the most important visual branding item in your toolkit. All other elements should be shaped around your logo. Wolfe said one of her first clients – a chamber of commerce – had a logo but nothing else. While the logo was recognizable by everyone in the community it served, most people couldn’t explain the purpose of the organization. She took that logo and created a visual branding package around it by adding a color palette, fonts, a stylebook, and a visual branding guide for their logo. “Everything we put out was then consistent with their mission statement and brand. When people saw a billboard, they knew that it was the chamber of commerce. When people saw a flyer, it was designed in such a way that it was obvious that the chamber was behind it.” How does visual branding enhance the customer experience?Every company strives to build trust with its target audience. After all, loyal customers refer your products and services to others, helping to grow your base. Some of the other ways visual identity improves the customer experience include:
Tools for creating your own visual branding“Canva is a great tool for business owners with small budgets who want to incorporate visual branding,” said Wolfe. “When you’re a small business owner, you’re wearing all the hats. Canva can help with creating basic visuals for all your marketing campaigns.” Businesses can choose between a Canva free or pro account. User-friendly tools like a drag-and-drop editor and access to more than a million free graphics and images can make visual branding affordable. Another tool Wolfe recommends is Buffer for social media management. Like Canva, it has a basic free option, plus three other plans at increasing price ranges. Businesses can prepare and schedule social media posts consistent with their visual branding to maintain consistency. Use Canva to create the graphics, then schedule them in Buffer. Need more help with visual branding? Reach out to Wolfe today to schedule a hassle-free consultation. AuthorShari Berg has known she wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil in her hand. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and it’s her job to discover it. Shari owns The Write Reflection, a Pittsburgh-based copywriting and content writing company that empowers small business owners to wield the power of words. |
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