Feb 08 2007 at 12:05pm
Who is Responsible for the Writing?
I believe that good writing is really key to a good website. Great visual design, usability, mark-up, and SEO aren’t going to be nearly as effective if the writing is bad. However, this is something that falls through the cracks on a lot of websites. Ideally you’d have a copywriter or editor to take care of all your writing needs, but most small projects don’t have the resources to hire a writer (if they even consider it in the first place).
So whose job is it then?
Most web designers rely on the clients to write the copy. They are the people who know about what they need to write, so this is usually the most logical choice. The problem is that a lot of business owners aren’t very good at writing. A lot of people aren’t very good at writing. The client turns up with terrible copy (2 months late, of course) and the web designer publishes it as-is.
Who else could do the writing? If you had a SEO or marketing specialist that person might be an appropriate choice. Marketers and SEO’s seem to have a better understanding of the importance of words. However, most small projects don’t have a budget for a dedicated writer or SEO anyway, and those tasks often fall to the web designer.
Who’s left? The web designer. If no one else is able to write good copy, then the web designer should be able to offer that service, or at least connect the client with someone who can.
In my current position, I do the final copy editing. If someone needs something posted on the website they either give me some preliminary copy or just tell me what it needs to say. Then I edit it according to established web writing theory and my own expertise. I happen to be pretty good at writing – a lot web designers aren’t. But they should be 
If you are interested in writing, Signal vs. Noise and Copyblogger are good sites to visit. My #1 tip: the best way to get better at writing is to read.
Adam H February 9th, 2007 at 1:23 am
I know exactly what you mean. I have that same problem generally. Most areas that I have worked with just don’t WANT to write the copy and so try to push the job. I do my best and have been told I write fairly well but I am no marketeer.
I was glad to get your copy for the latest project (even though the department mangled it up with a million changes, sheesh).
Adam Kinder February 9th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I wrote up most of the text on our company site, with the help of my fiancee and our designer, Dan. I used a little bit of the business school teachin’ that I got from PSU, but I also just wanted to get the site up, so parts of it probably read rushed
Brooke February 12th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
This is the same issue every day! But what if the company you are writing for is very technical? I can get as much information that I can – but how is it best handled?
Megan February 13th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
I think having someone to rewrite the content is ideal. It’s a touchy subject though, because you’re never sure if the other person will be okay with their content being rewritten or not.