It’s always been about the content

It’s always been the case and never more so than now. Once the quality of your writing was all that could differentiate you from the competition. Adding images lead to download times certain to lose the interest of even your greatest fans.

Time and the Web have moved on and broadband makes a full multimedia experience a possibility. But you don’t have to go that route. It’s all a matter of what your trying to say.

Text isn’t dead

The quality of the content your writing is still one of the biggest factors for success. Unfortunately, the promise of multimedia has pushed this into obscurity. The power of good copy writing is often underestimated and it is assumed that the content can be added to pad out the design at a later date. This is a big mistake, since the text usually form the backbone of a website.

I want multimedia

And you can have it, just remember that the success of the media you use is dependent on how you use it. The days of the flashing gif image and continuous tinny background soundtrack are long, long gone.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking imagery. Careful use of images provides the spice that grabs the attention before the ‘back’ button is pressed, and everyone knows how a picture is worth a thousand words. But note the use of the word “careful”, web images need to provide maximum impact on a range of different computer platforms; for example, Windows and Apple; whilst remaining as compact as possible. Large images, or many small images, will result in a slow response, even in these days of broadband, and that is a good way to lose visitors.

It’s not just images though. Many websites owe their considerable success to media such flash animations, audio and video. If any of these technologies add to the message of your website then why not use them. Always remember the trade-off in website performance. If you think a particular media resource has value but is going to slow things down, don’t force it on the visitor, give them the option.

Consider your content

The underlying message is that content isn’t an afterthought, it’s the website! But the choice of media available to convey your message has never been greater. Carefully consider what message your website is trying to pass on and then design the content to meet the goal. Only then are you ready to design the website to present it.

Examples of multimedia on the Web

• flickr
• YouTube