Hi friends 👋🏻

This week, I'm sharing a quick example of what custom content types look like on a website. I realize I throw this phrase around a lot when I'm consulting on website projects, and examples are always helpful!

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ICYMI here are a couple of recent editions!

• ​Where are your donors coming from?​
• ​You're not ready for a website project​

Remind me: what do you mean by content types?

One of the key questions I assess when I'm consulting on a website project is around the need for custom content types.

Most website platforms give you "pages" and "posts" out of the box. And maybe "events" and "products".

⬆️ These are content types. Whether you're using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or something else, these distinctions are meaningful. Each content type asks you to fill in a different set of fields on the back-end to create one, and they are displayed differently on the front-end of the website.

Sometimes pages and posts isn't enough. Here are a couple of example scenarios that are obvious when I log in to a client's site:

There are a ton of pages that have been created for a specific type of content, all with similar structure.

This isn't a great idea for lots of reasons, but here are a couple:

• If you ever wanted to apply a consistent layout change to all these pages, you would have to edit every page and make the same layout changes.
• If you wanted to update the list of data points included on each piece of content, you would have to edit every page and be careful to use the exact same formatting each time. No bulk editing here.

The default post content type has been used for lots of different types of actual content.

You can work around this with creative use of post categories, up to a point, if creating custom content types is out of reach. But if you're using posts to house a mixture of news updates, downloadable resources, and stories of impact, you're missing some opportunities. For example:

• It's harder to customize the layout of these different types of content for their different audiences. For example, stories of impact might benefit from a donor-oriented CTA, while resources are more focused on attracting downloads and new email signups.
• You're often just using the basic post title, author, date, and body content fields for each item. Structuring a set of fields required for each distinct type of content allows for more consistent layout on the front-end, and a smoother and more accurate content creation process for your team.

This "blog" is really a mix of two content types, for two different audiences

Here's an example: I worked on advocacy campaign website project where the task was to migrate from a poorly maintained WordPress install to a simple, secure Squarespace setup that will be easier to maintain for a small team with a low budget, and to clean up the content and visuals as we go.

Part of the existing website is a "blog" – a collection of posts on a mixture different subjects:

1. Organizational news updates
2. Announcements about sign-on letters and lobby activities
3. Stories from individuals impacted by this specific policy area

As we were reviewing this content and deciding how it should be migrated, we realized it's a mix of content for two different audiences.

Posts in buckets 1 and 2 are for organizations that are involved in the campaign, or might be considering joining the campaign. The content includes opportunities to join sign-on letter initiatives, analysis of new bills, policy agenda, etc.

Posts in bucket 3 are on the website so they can be shared with Members of Congress or legislative staff during lobby days. They are typically comprised of a name, personal photo, and a first person narrative about their life and how this policy area impacts them.

Bucket 3 posts are a totally different type of content, for a totally different audience. A great example of when it makes sense to consider a separate content type.

In this case, we moved these posts into a "Story" content type, and are presenting them on the updated website in a Story Library – a dedicated link that can be shared during advocacy activities that keeps the personal stories separate from campaign logistics aimed at member organizations.

If you're considering a website refresh or platform migration, here's some advice:

Find yourself a partner who will help you think through your content in a strategic way, instead of an agency that will just slap a fresh coat of paint on the site without digging into deeper questions about the site structure and purpose.

Until next time ✨

— Ed Harris (your digital strategy guide)

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