What is Web Content and Why is it so Important?

A word you'll likely see around a lot is "web content" but what is that and why is it so important? By definition, content is the 'stuff' that makes up a website. This could be words (text), pictures, images or sounds.

In essence however, when we talk about web content, we are essentially referring to content in a textual nature. Content therefore in this sense is the 'information' a website provides.

It's a fact most people use the World Wide Web (WWW) as a resource for seeking information. This is why the vast majority of sites on the web are information-centric, that is, they provide text-based information as their main content.

Relative to the purpose of your new website, you must satisfy this need for information by developing high quality content that will benefit your intended target audience. The web content you devise, layout and development are arguably the most important area of your site. However, many other issues come into play which we must understand.

The web does not work in linear ways like print. In print, the user is focused on the entire set of information. On the web, we'll likely need to split each document into multiple, hyper-linked pages because web users dislike having to scroll down and read long pages.

It's estimated that reading from computer screens is 25% slower than from paper. Your web content therefore should have approximately 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent. Other studies show over 75% of web users scan web pages instead of reading word-for-word.
We must also consider people connect via the Internet:

• from literally anywhere in the world
• with different connection speeds
• with varying types of technology (PC's)
• using various forms of (browser) programs and methods
• speaking different languages
• with varying degrees of online 'know-how' or knowledge

In other words, we must understand that our web audience may have accessibility, disability and other limitations that are 'foreign' to us.Our website (content) as a whole must address these limitations by creating a site that is 'user-friendly' to the wider audience.

We must ensure all users interacting with our site are minimally obstructed with the textual content, site navigation, orientation and general functioning of our site. In a word, our site must strive for 'simplicity'.
Simplicity is the main, web design principal for websites. Web design is about good content design and making life easy for the user to read, navigate and interact with your content. This does not automatically mean your site must look dull, be boring and is lifeless; it simply means our site is addressing issues for greater audience participation and use.

Now we know what web content is and why is it's so important for websites to have it presented appropriately, we can move on and explore ways in developing content for your own site.