Sitemap
A sitemap is simply a blueprint that shows what pages the site will contain. Determining this is one of the very first steps in the website process. In most cases, we will have recommended a sitemap as part of our quoting process.
Now that the project is approved and underway, we just need to confirm that this blueprint is correct. It is an important first step for 2 reasons
- It determines what we need to design.
- It outlines exactly what content you need to start putting together.
What if the sitemap changes to what was detailed in the quote?
If there are changes, that’s okay. It’s normal for ideas and goals regarding the website to evolve during the project.
If the changes are small, then it will often not result in any change in price. However, we don’t factor in ‘contingency’ to our quotes so additions to the scope will result in us raising a variation quote for the additional time. However, these would normally be small.
Who writes the content?
Different website projects may have different inclusions regarding copywriting, so please refer to your own quote for specifics, but normally we will include an allowance for copywriting that is intended for us to come up with recommendations for key messaging, and we will generally recommend all the copy for the home page. *Often key sections of the home page will be reused on other pages/templates.
At icreate.agency we use the story brand framework for structuring home pages and writing compelling copy. You’ll find out more about this when we send you the initial concept.
Normally, beyond the home page, the client will provide us with all of the page content. Occasionally, we may have a larger copy allowance factored in for working on other key conversion pages.
While we can certainly provide additional copywriting services, appreciate that a copywriter will not be an expert in your business or industry, so you would still need to be involved in providing direction. This could be drafting content the copywriter can improve and expand on, or verbally via one or more phone/zoom meetings.
If you would like to engage us for additional copywriting services, please ask your account manager.
How do we send you page content?
Normally we will set up a Dropbox or Google Drive folder, and simply encourage you to send us an individual Word Doc or Google Doc for each page.
For large sites that require a lot of content production, we may set up a content register to make it easier to keep track of the progress and workflow.
Templates: Structured content vs flexible content
As important as determining what pages the site will contain, is understanding what templates are required.
There are basically two types of content that will appear on your website.
Structured Content
There are pages in the sitemap that have their own template.
- This could be a special structured layout for a unique page such as the home page or contact us page.
- Or it could be a template that is applied to a lot of pages that have specific structured data eg: staff profile, real estate listings etc.
These will each involve a unique template that we will specifically design during the design phase of the project and send to you for feedback/approval.
Flexible Content
For larger sites, most of the ‘back page’ content such as service pages, is classified as flexible content. For these, we use a special, highly flexible template that comes with a number of ‘layout rows’ (we call bricks), that we can employ to best layout and structure the content you provide us.
So you won’t receive design mockups of these during the design phase, there will only be a single ‘standard template’ design that we will send you with example content, showing the application of our layout bricks and common heading/typography styles to show you how these back pages may look and feel.
Once we have the content from you, we’ll create these pages during the ‘content insertion’ phase, and you’ll be able to provide feedback on these pages when we send you the staging server link.