“Content is King” is a familiar phrase among web marketers, especially with those who endorse and embrace the concept. No one would deny that content is what any website is first and foremost about. Moreover, worthwhile content must be easy to find, readily understood, and effortlessly interactive. While the concept is simple, the execution can be more complex.
There’s an old saying about leading a horse to water that has its modern-day equivalent: “You can lead a viewer to online information, but you can’t make them respond to it.” Creating websites that engage your visitors should be the primary goal of anyone involved in online marketing. This is where the art and science of Information Architecture comes into play.
As an online discipline, IA might be considered one part information systems design and one part user experience design. All digital marketers should be familiar with this fundamental IT building block. Your information is worthless unless it’s structured and presented in a way that your visitors find useful and valuable.
Internet consultant and author Peter Morville created a UX diagram called the “user experience honeycomb” that illustrates the essential qualities needed to create an ideal user experience in any web design. It’s as practical as it is insightful and worth an in-depth read. In short, it breaks down the user experience into basic elements: useful; usable; desirable; findable; accessible; credible; valuable—a blueprint of sorts, for effective website design.
Many online marketers make the mistake of focusing only on the monetization side of their website. That’s a short-sighted and poor strategy. If you want to rise above the “get-rich-quick-on-the-internet” rabble, you need a well thought out information scheme that shows you have a professional grasp of your market—who they are and what it is that they need and want. The best websites will always attract visitors who know why they’re there. And if your website has well-organized quality content, they’ll have a reason to stay, and will return again and again.