Subscribe through RSSWeb Content – You Get What You Pay For!
I don’t know what it is about writing but society undervalues it until it stops being produced (i.e. the near crippling of Hollywood during the 2007-08 Writer’s Strike) or doesn’t deliver the results they had hoped (i.e. the fall-off of magazine and newspaper subscriptions forcing the shut-down of entire publications).
Sadly, the same holds true on the Web. Businesses often overlook the value of web content as being both a driver of new business and a vehicle for customer service. Since most web projects are still managed the same as print publications, web content is very much an after-thought both in scope and budget.
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, web content writing looks deceptively simple and straight-forward on the surface. How much time could it possibly take to write 150 words? Even as a writer I often fall into that trap, failing to remember my own rule:
The problem with forgetting about all of the “stuff” that goes on below the surface, is that companies fail to accommodate and invest in the time it takes to do the proper homework necessary to create websites that deliver long-term value.
Here is the dollar breakdown of two recent web projects with total project budgets equalling CDN$20,000 or higher.
New Website Project:
Website Redesign Project:
The problem I have with this kind of project budget breakdown is that it UNDERVALUES the longer term business value of the website.
If the purpose of your website is to attract, engage and retain customers, then why are you investing less than 15% of your website budget to the very thing that drives over 80% of your business?
Reality Check:
- Web Content Is Your Primary Driver of Website Traffic – Keywords and Organic Search Engine Optimization are Critical
- Web Content Makes the Sale and Closes The Deal – Clear Headers and Calls To Action Are Key
- Web Content Provides Information, Facilitates Usability, Connects and Engages With Customers, and Supports Brand Messaging – Web Content Strategy Is Paramount
Don’t get me wrong. The back-end of a website is just as important as the front end. The web development portion of any web project budget will always be the most weighty. However, to simply throw what’s left of any budget towards the content portion of the project in the hopes that it will deliver “some” value is not only short-sighted …it’s just plain dumb!
How Much Do You Think These Companies Value Their Business?
The following is a screenshot of freelance web content writing projects posted on elance.com.
The scary part isn’t that web content writers are willing to work at an hourly wage equal to that of the Great Depression (perhaps the undervaluing of content is one propagated within our own ranks…), it’s that companies are willing to risk their future sales and potential viability as a business in an effort to save a few bucks!
Web Content Is A Business Asset
Here is some feedback that I received on a recent project for a company that took the time to properly investigate how web content could help grow and solidify their business. Their investment in properly researched and written web content paid off within a week of launch. Here is a direct message that I received on Twitter from agile coach, Dave Rooney
Web content is intrinsically tied to a company’s overall business strategy. If a web content writer cannot convey the value of your business in a meaningful way that delivers results, then all you have invested in is pretty copy that is lovely to read and nothing more.
Companies: Understand and value web content in a way that will cause you to seek out the best content writers and engage them accordingly. You will assuredly reap the rewards of your investment (ROI) both in website traffic and in sales.
Writers: Mind your worth! How is anyone going to value what you do if you do not place value on it yourself? Stand up for what you are worth and others will value that worth in turn.
“Would you go to the gas station and ask for free gas? Would you go to the doctor and ask them to take out your spleen for nothing? How dare you call me and want me to work for nothing?
They always want the writer to work for nothing and the problem is there’s so many goddamn writers who have no idea that they’re supposed to be paid every time they do something they do it for nothing.
I sell my soul but at the highest rates.”
Well said Kristina! It literally “pays” for companies to invest the time and creativity required to generate compelling web content. Content that your audience can identify with (read: conveys the value of your product/service in a way that correlates to their pain points/business needs.) This kind of content strategy shouldn’t be viewed as lesser in value than the actual development-side of website projects.
Sometimes looking at the numbers really points at some strange truths in the world of business…this really does look crazy when you put it this way…hopefully you can convince some of your clients and future prospect to change their way of thinking…this post should be a useful thing to point to for us…thanks!
Touche!! “Pretty copy that is lovely to read.” How many times have I said that in my career? How many times have I scratched my head looking for some decent content to be able to give the student a mark? How many times have parents, (whose kids are now the people you are dealing with), argued with me for the poor marks their child received?
The video is worth a thousand words and every English/French teacher, business teacher, economics teacher needs to show this at some point in their course. Well done!
Sean, I’m glad you found the post of value to your business and your own web development clients.
I think it’s important to not focus solely on the numbers but on presenting the overall value web content brings to the success of a website.
Just because 80% of online business is communicated and generated from its content doesn’t mean the budget must follow suit. It does, however, highlight the need for a website project budget that doesn’t cut corners by ignoring or under-allocating resources for content creation.
Early website projects used to cost upwards of $50,000. Sure, it was a supply and demand justification for pricing – however, that model is also the reason why so many website development projects today are still costed out at less than break-even rates for the developers/designers.
Web content writing will mean that a professionally developed website will cost more, without a doubt. However, it does not mean that adding this type of value to the project is cost-prohibitive either. It just means that the additional investment in content will pay for itself in spades over the longer term.