Before You Redesign Your Website, Ask to See These Five Content Updates

Your website redesign proposal says the new site will be easy to manage. But how will your team handle a change to a program, promote an upcoming event, or cover updates when the person who usually manages the website is out?

Before you choose an agency, ask them to show you.

A content management system gives your team editing tools, but the way the website is built determines how much effort those tools require. Two websites on the same platform can feel very different to the staff managing them.

Ask prospective agencies to walk through these five common tasks. They can demonstrate a comparable website or explain how the proposed workflow would work for your team.

1. Change information on a program or service page

Start with an everyday update, such as changing eligibility requirements, replacing a contact person, or revising service hours. Where would an editor find that information? Can they change it without adjusting the page layout, then preview it before publishing?

For recurring program pages, find out whether staff will use clearly labeled fields, a reusable page structure, or a layout they need to assemble themselves. The best approach depends on your content and your team, but routine updates should be straightforward.

Check what happens when a program needs an extra section, too. Staff should have enough flexibility to handle exceptions without rebuilding the page.

2. Create a new page

Updating an existing page may be simple. Creating one from scratch can involve more decisions.

Ask the agency to show how an editor would add a new program page. Does it start with an approved template? Are headings, spacing, and button styles already defined? Can staff focus on adding content without having to design the page each time?

Follow the process through publication and consider how visitors will find the page. Staff may also need to add it to a menu, connect it to a program listing, or assign categories. Those steps belong in the demonstration.

3. Promote an event and remove the promotion afterward

An event announcement has a short life. Your team needs to publish it, link to registration, and remove it once the event is over.

Find out where the announcement will appear and who can manage it. Can staff schedule it in advance or set an expiration date? What happens when it expires?

The format should also suit the people visiting your website. Someone looking for services needs to complete that task without an announcement getting in the way. Ask how the agency would decide whether a homepage feature, banner, or popup makes sense for your audience.

4. Update information that appears in several places

A phone number, office address, or service description may appear on multiple pages. When it changes, will staff update one shared record or have to find and edit every occurrence?

The question gets more complicated when information also lives in a registration platform, staff directory, or another system. Agree on which system holds the current information and how changes will reach the website.

Some updates may need to remain manual. Understanding that workload before launch helps you plan who will handle it.

5. Hand the website to another staff member

Imagine a new employee taking over website updates. What would they need to complete these tasks without the original editor sitting beside them?

Training should cover the work your team actually does. A recorded walkthrough of publishing a program page gives a new editor something they can follow when they need it.

Ask about written instructions, access permissions, and any review steps before publication. Find out how staff can recover from a mistake. On a WordPress site, for example, ask the agency to demonstrate how to review and restore an earlier version of a page. Clarify which tasks staff can handle themselves and when they should contact your support team.

Turn the walkthrough into clear requirements

These conversations help you get more specific about what “easy to manage” means for your organization. For example:

Staff can create a program page using an approved template, preview it, and submit it for review.

That gives you and the agency a requirement you can check during development and use to guide training.

At Snowberry Media, our approach to website management considers how staff will manage content alongside how visitors will use the website. If routine updates are taking too much time, we can help you work out where better templates, focused training, or changes to the website’s structure would help most.