A website redesign can be a long, arduous process. When you finally make it to the point that your content management system is ready to be filled with the well-written, accurate, and up-to-date content you’ve spent months creating, you may feel like all the hard work is done.
Unfortunately, content entry can be as difficult and time consuming as content creation, especially with a modern CMS that makes use of widgets and reusable content. Depending on the format of your old content, you may need to break up the content into pieces to take advantage of the tools your new CMS offers. Often the content doesn’t fit quite like you expected.
Options for Content Entry
- Some groups use an internal team to enter content. This is a great option if you have the time — your team will really get to know the ins-and-outs of a CMS during the content entry phase.
- Finding an off-shore resource is another route many groups we work with take. It’s the least expensive choice (at least on paper — more on that in a bit).
- There are tools such as GatherContent that automate the process.
- My preference is to let the team that created the content enter it.
Why Use the Content Team That Created It?
It comes down to how to deliver the highest quality content. It’s rare that templates designed at the beginning of a redesign look or work exactly as planned. Content will likely need to be adapted to fit the final product. The team that created the content has the best understanding of how to change the approved content.
The content team can also assess if the page is accomplishing its goals once it is in the CMS. Is the main message high enough on the page? Are the paragraphs too long? Are there links to help visitors find additional content? Minor revisions are common during content entry.
Some clients think that it’s a waste of skill to use people who are capable of creating content to enter content; I encourage them to think of the benefits — both for them and for visitors to the site.