Design
Overview - Web Content
What is web
content and why is it so important?
A word you'll
likely see around a lot is "web content" but what is that
and why is it so important? By definition, content is the
'stuff' that makes up a website. This could be text,
pictures, images or sounds. However, when we talk about web content, we are essentially
referring to content in a textual nature. Content therefore
in this sense is the 'information' a website provides.
It's a fact
most people use the Internet as a resource for
seeking information. This is why the vast majority of sites
on the web are information-centric, that is, they provide
text-based information as their main content. Relative to
the purpose of your new website, you must satisfy this need
for information by developing high quality content that will
benefit your intended target audience.
The web
content you devise, layout and development are arguably the
most important area of your site. However, many other issues
come into play which we must understand. The web does
not work in linear ways like print. In print, the user is
focused on the entire set of information. On the web, you'll
likely need to split each document into multiple,
hyper-linked pages because web users dislike having to
scroll down and read long pages.
It's
estimated that reading from computer screens is 25% slower
than from paper. Your web content therefore should have
approximately 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent.
Other studies show over 75% of web users scan web pages
instead of reading word-for-word.
The website
content must address several limitations that users
encounter by
creating a site that is 'user-friendly' to the wider
audience. You must
ensure all users interacting with your site are minimally
obstructed with the textual content, site navigation,
orientation and general functioning of your site. In a word,
your site must strive for 'simplicity'.
Simplicity is
the main, web design principal. Web design is
about good content design and making it easy for the user
to read, navigate and interact with your content. This does
not automatically mean your site must look dull, be boring
and is lifeless; it simply means our site is addressing
issues for greater audience participation and use.
Now we know
what web content is and why is it's so important for
websites to have it presented appropriately, we can move on
and explore ways in developing content for your own site.
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