When it comes to company websites, the user experience often reigns supreme. The design process is focused almost exclusively around how a customer will experience a website, ranging from information architecture to interface design.
The time and energy is frequently focused on the technology and the details, leaving the information presented on a site behind in the dust. In the eyes of a design team, content marketing is for blogs, while a website is all about interaction.
Unfortunately, this can be an exceptionally critical mistake.
Understanding Content and UX
Many companies wrongly believe that content refers to the posts on a company blog and nothing more. In actuality, content refers to anything that conveys information to a reader, whether it comes in the form of snappy product descriptions or a compelling About Us page.
The user experience encompasses what a web user experiences and feels while interacting with a website and, whether web designers want to admit it or not, this includes the available content, no matter where it’s located.
Finding the Right Balance
So, where should your emphasis be? What your user sees or feels, or what your user reads and absorbs? The answer, of course, is both. Content and UX shouldn’t fight against one another, but should work together to create a positive experience designed to emphasize what a company and its site have to offer.
Good content can’t stand alone when the user experience is sub par, and a great user experience will go to waste when the content is disappointing.
Creating a Harmonious Marriage
In order to truly create a balance between UX and content, it’s important to take a proactive approach. Content should be crafted to enhance the user experience rather than detract from it or stand alone, making the relationship between content and UX one of love and support.
By optimizing the content you have and integrating it appropriately, linking from blog posts into the body of a site, embedding related social content, and kicking your product descriptions up a notch, you can marry A+ content with a stunning interface.
As in nature, symbiosis is an important part of creating an effective website designed to foster conversions and long-term relationships through the right balance between UX and content marketing.
Without one, the other will fall, creating a true interactive experience that must excel at all levels. When your UX and your content don’t work together in harmony, you miss out on a vital part of operating a successful website.
