The case for having your agency handle website content entry

When it comes to website redesigns everyone knows that sorting through new and exisiting website content is a big undertaking. See Lisa's post here for tips on how to manage that process. Content entry or migration is just as large of a task. Unfortunately, just like content development, it tends to be underestimated or brought in-house to cut costs. 

Through 20 years of trial and error, we have found that a project tends to be more successful if content entry is completed by our team. Below is the case for having your agency handle most or all of the content entry. 

1. Better Formatting / Design

Your web designer likely designed each page with a meticulous vision in mind. Each heading the right size, spacing just so and a paragraph that sums things up perfectly. Typically there are also images, videos or forms that need to be embedded that an experienced designer or marketer will be able to execute in an efficient manner. This results in a more consistent user experience across the board.

2. Efficient Optimization 

Once the content is entered it, of course, needs to be optimized for search engines. This often includes on-page, technical and image optimization. Unless your team is experienced in SEO best practices, it is much easier to have a marketer do this as they enter content for you. 

3. Shorter Timeline 

We recently completed development on a site but unfortunately the budget did not allow time for us to enter content. This has subsequently delayed launch by over a month. It certainly isn't the client's fault—they have a lot on their plate and this task could take one individual a full week. However, the delay not only costs your company the potential loss traffic / conversions from not having a new site, but it can be expensive for an agency to re-open or revisit a delayed project.

On average, I would say that having the agency do the bulk of content entry reduces the timeline by 3-4 weeks.

4. Blog Migration

A key component to content entry that is often missed is blog migration. It is possible that your old blog content can be migrated over to your new CMS in an automated fashion. If you decided on tackling all of the content entry, this key step may go unaccounted for. Creating a blog migration plan is something that your web agency / developer will need to assist you with that could save you time and money.

5. Creates a Content Model 

As mentioned above, having experts handle content entry typically results in a better looking site. Aside from that initial round of content looking top notch, it will also provide a clear model for your team to replicate when modifying or adding new content to the site. This will result in a more consistent look and feel across pages. 

All in all, your website redesign project will likely be less expensive, have a shorter timeline and provide a better user experience if you have your agency handle a bulk of the work. This isn't to say that a collaborative effort isn't possible, but budgeting for content entry is a good first step.

Below are additional content and redesign posts you might be interested in:

• Scared of that dip in traffic post redesign? An SEO checklist can help
• How much will your website redesign cost?
• How to handle multiple stakeholders during a website redesign

If you'd like to talk to our team about a website redesign proposal or estimate, please don't hesitate to request a quote. We'd love to hear from you!