The page layouts are ready and launch is approaching, but placeholder copy remains. The supplier is waiting for client content. The client assumed building the website included writing it.
Avoid that gap by agreeing who provides the knowledge, who turns it into useful text and who approves the result.
Count content types, not only pages
A short contact page and instructions for a complicated application are different writing jobs. Group the material into service information, instructions, news, team profiles and frequently asked questions.
For each type, record whether the text exists, needs editing or must be written from interviews with staff. This helps a writer estimate the effort involved in finding the information, as well as putting sentences on a page.
Prepare a content brief
For an important page, record the audience, the question it answers, required information, source and approver. A consultation page, for example, might explain who can attend, how to choose a slot and what to prepare.
Agree the tone, service names and how readers are addressed. Start with one sample text. Once it is approved, it becomes easier to maintain a consistent approach across the site and avoid reworking every page later.
Separate writing from publishing
The proposal should specify whether it includes interviews, drafting, proofreading, feedback rounds, entry into the CMS and checks on the finished pages. Photography, translation and document adaptation may be separate tasks.
Reserve expert time for checking facts. An editor can simplify a sentence, but should not have to guess how your institution's service operates. Put named materials and responsible people in the schedule instead of a general instruction that “the client will supply content”. That turns a hidden dependency into work both sides can plan.
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