Avoiding the 5 most common problems with website amends

As a client (or someone on an account team representing them), you’ll often want to make copy changes to a project. Which is fine. It’s your prerogative, right?

The real world

In the good old days before computers, we had print. And print was costly, took ages to get right and once the button was pressed you couldn’t change a thing. Which meant that copy was usually signed-off well in advance of typesetting and was always written carefully to fit the required character count and context of where it was being used. If any amends were required by the designer or typesetter to help it fit the context, they would work together with the copywriter to make it happen.

Nowadays, we can make amends to digital assets well after the initial publication and even printed documents can be amended right up to the last minute. Which has, to some extent, taken the pressure off getting copy right first time. And that’s a problem. Because amends take valuable time to implement and can often ruin a well crafted piece.

In an ideal world (and yes, I’m an advocate), all copy should be factually accurate, well-crafted, spelling- and grammar-checked, proof read and fully approved before it goes anywhere near production. Just like in the good old days.

But that’s not always possible in the real world.

So, here’s how to avoid the 5 most common problems with amends.

1. Stick to the character count

Like population growth in a rabbit warren, when an amend is being made it’s almost inevitable that the text will get longer. Which is OK if you’re writing a novel, or an academic submission and you’re 100 words short of your word count. But in the real world, longer text means it’s less likely to get read. And when your designer has crafted the page around a certain number of characters, those extra lines can make a big difference.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that designers are just fickle. Actually, no. A good designer knows that a well crafted design that looks good and shows off the copy to the best of it’s abilities is more likely to be read, understood and acted upon. So when an amend messes with that, it can be detrimental to the success of the whole piece.

So, when making amends to text that’s already been set, always try to stick to the same character count as before. It might take some crafting, but that’s OK.

2. Keep to the original plan

Well thought out communications materials have a plan: There’s a concept, style or story that brings the whole thing together to create some magic. It’s usually all thought about and agreed upon very early on. The best work sticks to that plan and it’s crucial that the project doesn’t lose its way as time, and amends, goes on. I’ve seen many great creative brochure, ad, website and video utterly ruined by bad amends, or someone who doesn’t know the project insisting on changes that don’t fit.

When making changes, always refer back to the original idea. Make sure that the amend you’re proposing doesn’t feel out of place, that it doesn’t suddenly break the link to the headline, that it doesn’t ruin the call to action.

3. Don’t leave final amends to the last minute

The closer to deadline that an amend is requested, the less likely it’ll be done well. You’ll be in a hurry to write it, your designer will be in a hurry to implement it, your tech team or printers will be put under additional pressure to publish it. It’s a breeding ground for mistakes as people rush. Corners get cut and compromises are made. And it can even mean you publish late; or if it’s a website, you publish with errors to fix later. Which isn’t cool.

The best way to avoid last minute amends it to plan well and take extra care earlier on in the project. Ask your production team for a deadline for when amends can be given so they can effectively meet the publishing deadline. Then stick to it. If at all possible, beat it.

4. Do just one round of amends (or none at all)

Multiple sets of amends are a pain in the neck. I’ve worked on relatively straightforward looking documents that have had several dozen rounds of amends after it’s been passed over for artworking. Which is insane. It’s impossible to keep a document looking smart when that happens. And many projects are commissioned on a fixed price basis (usually making allowance for one round of amends), meaning all that extra work is a cost burden on the agency or designer, rather than the client. And that’s not healthy for the relationship.

Take care to check things thoroughly and get the facts right first time.

5. Mark up amends clearly

If it’s clear what an amend is, it’s easy to implement. If it’s unclear it’s ambiguous and you’re relying on your designer or tech team to interpret them. And that means errors are possible – creating more work for everyone. A designer will often receive printed proofs, marked up in black ink (please use red), with multiple corrections or scribbled-out changes, arrows all over the place, rushed or ineligible handwriting, incomplete sentences and shorthand. It’s also not uncommon for amends to have spelling or grammar errors. I kid you not.

Which is all a nightmare for your designer. Don’t forget, they have a degree in Graphic Design, not English. So make sure every amend is well thought through and marked up clearly (in red ink).

Avoid making amends all together

Given that most amends are either factual or grammatical, it should be easy to get it all right in one go – perhaps even before it goes to production in the first place. It’s ambitious, but doable. And if we want excellent work, on budget and on time it’s important that we try.