Many site owners think of their web developer as someone who can do it all. While that’s flattering, it’s just not possible.

I’ve had many clients myself wanting me to not only develop their sites, but provide all the content as well. Most developers don’t write content because it’s not part of the development process.

Some might say they do it all, but odds are, they have a content writer on their team. If you need content written, which you will, look for a content writer, not a web developer.

Vastly Different Skillsets

Would you expect someone to be an engineer and ballet dancer? Probably not. Both require extensive training and practice. The same applies to developers and writers. Start talking to a developer about keyword density, Google friendly link-building techniques and the perfect length for blog posts, and you’ll likely be met with a blank stare. Ask them about the right plugins to use for optimal security and they’ll have a detailed answer waiting.

Creativepool describes the full extent of a web developer’s job. As you’ll notice, there’s no mention of content writing. Of course, the job becomes even more complex when you break down different types of expertise, such as WordPress and mobile.

Now, consider a content writer’s job. They have to put together words that describe a business in the best light while using the best possible keywords naturally so the almighty Google doesn’t penalise the site. They have to consider formatting, length of paragraphs, personality of the business/brand and much more. Above all else, the content has to be engaging and informative for readers.

Doing It All Takes Double The Time

Multi-tasking is a myth. Doing twice as much work in half the time doesn’t work. You might think it would be easy for your developer to write content in between creating one page and the next, but it actually takes twice as much work. Trying to switch between the two tasks back and forth only hurts the overall results.

In most cases, you likely want your site ready within a set timeframe. Unless you’re prepared to double that time, don’t expect your developer to do double duty. This is one of many reasons your developer asks you to provide the content, so they can insert it into your site and keep the project on time.

Backend Versus Frontend

If web development were easy, everyone would be able to do it. Though you don’t see what’s going on in the backend, it takes quite a bit of coding to create the frontend you see and use. While your developer is handling the extensive work on the backend, they don’t have time to worry about the content on the frontend. This is where content writers work with developers to create a finished project.

The writers prepare the content to give the developer a better idea of your site’s structure. While developers don’t write your content, they still need it early on for a better end result.

Quality Suffers Both Ways

When a web developer says they’ll do it all with no problem, they’re likely lying and you’ll get a website that barely functions with site content that’s low quality at best. Poor site development hurts your search ranking and so does cheap or low quality writing.

According to Ghost Blog Writers, there are plenty of copywriters out there, but focusing on the cheapest solution only leads to poor quality which hurts your site’s reputation. Trying to save money by asking your developer to do two jobs is just going to lead to a finished site with content that you’re ashamed of.

Let your developer focus on creating a high quality site and you focus on either creating content yourself or hiring a high quality writer to create the content for you. You’ll enjoy a higher ranking and more satisfied visitors as a result.

Conclusion

It’s not unusual for developers to be asked to write content as well. While doing it all would be wonderful, developers chose a career in web development. Copywriting just isn’t their specialty and that’s okay. With plenty of reputable and reliable writers out there, you can rest assured you’ll have an incredible website with content to match.

Want to hire an experienced developer for your website? Contact Darren at StuartMedia today for a developer who places all his focus on the site development. 

Image: Negative Space

WordPress isn’t limited to simple blog posts or basic pages. Both posts and pages are actually types of custom content on WordPress.

When building a WordPress site, you can opt to use the default content types or create your own. For instance, if you write reviews, you might create a custom post type specifically for reviews.

Custom content is essentially a way to make uploading to your website easier and quicker by customising fields, posts and more for your specific needs.

Custom Post Types

The most commonly used type of custom content is custom post types. Posts refer to a single item of content within WordPress, such as a blog post. By default, WordPress already has five post types built-in without the need for any special code or plug-ins. These include Post, Page, Attachment, Revision and Navigation Menu. Odds are, you’ve already worked with all five of these on a regular basis.

You’re free to create as many custom content types as you need and add them to your WordPress installation. Each type you create will contain custom fields for adding text, images and other media. Many WordPress themes come complete with numerous post types already built-in such as portfolios, reviews, product descriptions and testimonials.

After you’ve added a post type to your site, it will show up within your dashboard. You can use them just like you would create a new blog post or page.

Adding Custom Post Types

You have several different ways to add custom post types to WordPress. If you’re comfortable editing the code behind your site, you can use the register_post_type() function. If you’d rather not deal with adding code to your site yourself, you can also hire a WordPress developer to create a post type for you.

Another common method is installing a theme that supports the post types you’d like to use. If you’re having a theme custom made for you, ask the developer to include any post types you might use to avoid having to add them in later.

If you’re happy with your current theme and don’t like messing with code, custom content plug-ins are available to make adding your post types a little easier. Two commonly used plug-ins include Custom Post Type UI and Custom Content Type Manager. There are also plug-ins designed to add specific content types to your current theme.

Custom Taxonomies

Post types aren’t the only custom content you can create. WordPress uses taxonomies as a way of grouping things together. By default, WordPress has four taxonomies including Category, Tag, Link Category and Post Formats. As you can see, these all group different content elements together. Though the ability to create your own custom taxonomies has been available since version 2.3, it didn’t really take off until version 2.9.

Much like with custom post types, you have several ways to create and add them to your site. For developers, you’ll use the register_taxonomy() function. You can also find custom taxonomies within themes, plug-ins and through custom development.

After you’ve added a new one, it’ll show up as a new meta box when you create a post. It’ll look similar to the Tags box you’re used to seeing, but it’ll have a custom name and fields specifically for your needs. While these might not seem quite as useful as post types, grouping items together makes managing your content much easier.

Custom Media Management

Custom content isn’t limited to text or categories. It’s also a powerful way to manage your media, such as images and video. One post type many users create or install is a gallery. This allows you to group images of the same type or tag into one section, such as a gallery page. You can also create custom content fields for adding media to posts quickly and easily. You can even add multiple content types, such as audio, video and images to a single field for better media management.

WordPress already lets you upload media and divide it into categories for easier access later. Custom content types could be created to automatically pull from specific categories, much like creating a slider for website.

Conclusion

Custom content on WordPress is yet another way to fully customise your website to your specific needs. You don’t have to settle for what’s built-in. Instead, develop your own custom content post types, taxonomies and media management options. From using themes and plug-ins to hiring a developer, the options are nearly endless.