How Web Design Impacts Content Marketing

Content marketing is considered one of the most impactful avenues for marketing investment. The selection of design by a company significantly influences how potential consumers perceive them. From colour to layout, different elements all add up to create an initial impression. Alternatively, a poor design can lead potential customers to close the browser and find your competitors.

Here we have put this guide together for you to align your web design and content seamlessly.

What is content marketing?

It can be considered as publishing content that indirectly promotes a company’s product or brand by offering relevant and valuable information. Content marketing is a pivotal strategy within search engine optimization (SEO) that enables you to affordably rank higher in search results. To enhance SEO rankings, leveraging a Google Analytics SEO dashboard or a similar platform is essential.

How web design influences content marketing

While content is the key driver for visits to your website, web design impacts how users can engage with and absorb the information presented to them.

• Accessibility: An essential aspect of designing a content-rich site is accessibility. Content should be easy to locate and comprehend on your site. Your navigation or Information Architecture should enable users to find the desired information without navigating through irrelevant content. Your website should be designed with a simple navigation to quickly access sought-after information.
• Appearance: Your prospects form opinions about the credibility of your brand based on the content and your site’s appearance. Even if your content is easily accessible, dated or unattractive design elements may deter a prospect. A clean user interface reflects professionalism and gives users confidence in your brand.
• Readability: Excessive fonts can appear unprofessional while using a consistent font for titles and another for body text enhances readability. Selecting fonts and colours are vital for helping your audience absorb your content. Although you may have valuable content, illegible text due to poor colour contrast may discourage visitors from reading it. Body text should be clear and sufficiently sized for easy reading.
• Comprehension: Individuals are becoming more visual learners and require graphics and imagery to learn new information. This means it is vital to incorporate visuals into your content. From a design perspective, your site’s layout should accommodate visual content and facilitate seamless browsing of photos and videos.

Designing a content-friendly site in 2024

In our years of working in the industry, the significance of content continues to grow and in 2024 there is no exception. Stepping into a new year, understanding how to effectively utilise content marketing strategies to meet your prospects’ needs becomes greater!

Value-driven content

Value remains at the core of successful content marketing. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, consumers are becoming picky about where they invest their time. Brands must go beyond merely discussing their products or services and focus on delivering tangible value to their audience. The key lies in addressing specific pain points and guiding prospects toward meaningful engagement.

Expertise takes center stage

Consumers seek insights from experts. Google recognizes this trend and emphasizes websites with robust topical content in its search results. Gone are the days of relying solely on backlinks and keyword-stuffed short-form blogs. Brands aiming to establish authority should prioritize long-form content centered around pillar website pages. The goal is to delve into specific topics and expand from there.

User-centric approach over SEO

In the past, SEO-focused content could boost rankings even if it didn’t resonate with users. However, as search engine algorithms evolve, user experience takes precedence. High-quality information, thoughtful web design, seamless user interactions, and fast load times now drive content visibility. The shift is away from keyword stuffing and toward delivering valuable content directly to the user.

Content Atomization

This idea involves deconstructing a comprehensive piece of content into smaller, more manageable segments. An effective application of this technique is to transform a substantial e-book by converting each chapter or lesson into individual blog posts. By doing so, consumers can engage with bite-sized content, extracting maximum value. Additionally, this approach encourages repeat visits as users return for the next snippet, fostering ongoing engagement with your website.

Find out how we can help you

While content remains crucial, your content marketing strategy relies heavily on website design and user experience optimisation. If you’re uncertain about your brand’s ability to adapt to current trends and enhance your online prominence, chat to us today to see how we can help!