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A great website is not just about a great design. We all know there’s more to a website than a cool layout and some pretty pictures. All the ‘behind-the-scenes’ stuff matters too: it needs to be responsive and load quickly, for example. But then there’s what’s actually on the page – the website copy, or the words. They’re vital – but at what point in the creation of a new website do they come in? Should it be design first, or copy first?
Designing a website is like designing a house
If you’re commissioning a new website, it’s easy to assume the design comes first and then you add the words. But think of designing a website like designing a high-quality hotel. The builder can’t start without knowing what the finished design looks like. And that will depend on what you’ll need where, and how it will be used. A hotel should be welcoming to guests, and it should make sense to them. They won’t expect to walk into reception and find themselves in the kitchen, or to have to work out for themselves where their room is.
Making sure the hotel you’re building is right for you and your guests is crucial to how successful it will be. If the builder doesn’t really know what you need from your new business, all they can do is guess. If a website designer has no idea what you want from your website, or what’s going in it, all they can do is guess too.
Copy first versus design first
A ‘copy first’ approach focuses on developing the written content before the visual design of a website is started. It should prioritise the messaging and plan the path a visitor will take through a website. It focuses on creating the key messages and the supporting page structures, as well as the user journey. The content, search-engine optimisation (SEO), and calls to action (CTAs) will be aligned from the outset.
A ‘design first’ approach will focus on building the structure, layout, and flow of a website according to how it looks. The design then shapes where the copy goes and how much or how little you need in each place. A very rigid or fixed template will dictate the content and how it is laid out.
Designing without copy
When designing without copy, a website designer will create a layout based on assumptions made during their initial conversations with their client. And if the client is unclear on what content they need, this could be doubly unhelpful. Without copy to work with, designers are essentially guessing.
The problems with designing with lorem ipsum or placeholder text
Using lorem ipsum or other placeholder text seemingly gets round the ‘no copy’ issue. However, it can actually cause more problems than it solves. It can lead to misaligned layouts, poor user experience, and wasted time trying to fix issues.
- Layouts can ‘break’ when the real content is used
- There’s no context for hierarchy or emphasis
- Uninformed decisions can get made
- Double the feedback and revisions.
- Missed opportunities for better design
1. Layouts can 'break' when the real content is used
Placeholder text is generally short, uniform, and meaningless. Real copy varies in length, tone, and structure. This means headlines can be longer (or shorter), and there will be areas where more or less space is needed. Carefully designed layouts can ‘break’ (and look awful) when the words wrap awkwardly or won’t fit, particularly on mobile devices. Either the copy has to be rewritten to fit, or the designer will have to adjust things like font sizes, column widths, and spacing.
2. There's no context for hierarchy or emphasis
Without real copy, designers can’t tell which message is the most important, where a reader should focus their attention, or what actions they will be expected to take. While it might still look good with the real copy, it’s unlikely to support the intended user journey.
3. Uninformed decisions can get made
A designer might use three boxes across a services page, for example – which looks great with placeholder text. However, the company may have two, or four, or five services, so either the design has to change, or it could look wrong or unbalanced. Maybe they have three services but there’s one main one and two minor ones that need different emphasis – and therefore less space or a different layout.
4. Double the feedback and revisions
Designs filled with placeholder text often get great initial feedback as they should look perfectly proportioned. Add the real content and the visuals will change, plus the copy may not flow, and so on. This means a second round of feedback about the design that can cause a second round of work. If (when) the content doesn’t fit the lorem ipsum design, redesigns, updated layouts, and so on can lead to unanticipated extra time, delays, revisions, frustration, and work.
5. Missed opportunities for better design
Good design can enhance content but that can only happen if you are designing around the content. Without the real messaging, designers can’t highlight powerful phrases, design around storytelling, or use whitespace to support key ideas. The result might fail to get across the emotional connection intended by the copywriter.
What are the risks of 'copy first' design?
The biggest risk with ‘copy first’ website design is that the copy just isn’t right. If it’s not SEO-friendly copy written with all the important elements necessary to keep both readers and search engines happy, it’s unlikely to lead to a good design. Too much copy, long-winded sections, a lack of headings, calls to action in the wrong places, poorly thought-through navigation and so on, won’t help.
A good SEO website copywriter will know how to create copy that resonates with a company’s target client and that also informs the website design. And when website designers and SEO copywriters work together, they can create a superior product and outcome for their clients.
Website copywriting that creates better results
If you need a website that gets results for you – or if you’re a website designer, marketer, or coach, and need great results for your clients – make sure you have a professional website copywriter on hand to create the copy before the design. If we go back the hotel analogy, a copywriter specialising in search-engine optimisation and website copywriting is like the hotel’s marketing department. They’ll make sure the right people know all about it.
Why not get in touch and find out more?