For me, one of the most challenging parts of web development is the discovery phase, or more specifically, getting the content out of my clients. With four out of five of them it’s like pulling teeth. Sometimes I have to wait for five or six months before they eventually give it to me.

I always tell them that the content is the first thing I will need from them, and that the design phases (architecture, navigation, graphics) all depend on the content. I also explain that the content is the most important part of their site: it’s the thing their visitors are looking for.

To assist them I refer them to an article I wrote that briefly explains how to write using appropriate headings, keywords, bulleted lists, simple sentences, first-person active voice, etcetera. I also suggest that they list all the general categories of site visitors they anticipate, then list the general information each type of visitor will be looking for, and then, using the lists, write out the information needed. Lastly, I try to convince them that it doesn’t need to be perfect and it’s not going to be chiseled in stone.

Nonetheless, this is the part of web development I find the most difficult. It’s beginning to occur to me that many adults are simply unable to write a few coherent pages of text. I’m beginning to think I should just interview them and write the content myself, but I want to be a web builder, not a writer.

I’m curious and looking for helpful ideas. Is this a common problem, and how do other developers handle it?

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