Design and content, or data, have become further separated recently so that different presentation formats can be adopted as containers for the same data. Content is updated
more frequently, and the visitors are encouraged to contribute to the site. Social bookmarking, blogging, and Content Management Systems have flourished in popularity and allowed
users a more elaborate level of interaction with the web.
The most important element of good web design is to enable a clear channel of communication between the business, as a website, and the consumer, or the person browsing
the site in question. Choosing what to communicate and deciding how it is conveyed quantifies the web designers job. Their success, with the use of intelligent Search Engine Optimisation,
some would argue, can be reflected in the number of eligible hits on the site. The designer, armed with the fundamentals of design, some knowledge of marketing, and a good programming
skillset, should potentially, be able to satisfy the demands of a client if attention is paid to the key part of a good site; the content.
The content of a website should not be regarded as simply the text that appears within it. The presentation of content in the web medium takes into account an understanding of the
way in which the human eye takes in a website, and the way it reads text on a computer screen. With the use of intelligent design and clarity of content, a website can intice the browser
into an almost immediate understanding of the general idea of a site. Through well-planned layout, site architecture and navigation, a browser can be led through the content of the site
while information is unfolded in response to questions or needs that may arise in the user's mind as they traverse the site. By the time the user reaches a place on the site that leads them
into consuming a product or service, or merely an end point in the site, they should feel well-informed as to the intention of the site. They should feel as though they have gained something,
even if it just a familiarity with the services of the business represented on the site. They should not feel mistrustful, or ill-informed, but rather comfortable - as though the amount of time
they had spent investigating the site was worth it.
Clever copyrighting is only a small part of website content. Many content-related disciplines may need to be considered. For example, when e-commerce processes are used within a site,
legal and regulatory concerns should be addressed, often with the help of a good solicitor. An understanding of semantics, information architecture documentation, metadata, and
Search Engine Optimisation
is often called for. The delivery of web content, or content channel distribution,
takes into account the way in which content will be made available to users. Some content will remain on a site, whilst other content may be updated according to a certain schedule through
the use of a Content Management System, and yet another part of the content may be emailed to registered members in the form of a regular newsletter.
Online publication, like web design should spring from the goals and approach of the individual or business, and their intention behind the site. A site's content should focus on a target
audience, and should address the needs and behaviour of this audience. The use of information within the content is often a mixture of hard facts as well as impressionable writing that conveys
the quality of a business, individual, product, or service. Website content and design should allow the user to quickly scan the page and easily comprehend what the site is about. More advanced
sites that encapsulate Web 2.0 ideologies would also encourage the user to participate, or engage with the site, instead of offering simply an interesting read.
Most importantly, website content requires succint, purpose-driven content that is informative and useful from a user's point of view.