Mostly Serious

The part of a website rebuild people talk about most is usually the visual reveal.

But a lot of the real value shows up earlier.

In Gordon College's case, the site had 4,000+ URLs, hundreds of templates, cluttered layouts, confusing navigation, and a backend that made non-technical updates harder than they should have been.

So our work started with structure. Reorganize content around how students actually browse. Reduce clutter. Improve navigation. Give editors a CMS with better workflows and guardrails.

That kind of strategy work is less flashy than a new homepage reveal, but it's where a lot of the ultimate impact comes from.

Read more about our success with Gordon College here:
https://www.mostlyserious.io/mostly-serious/work/gordon-college

Around the time ChatGPT launched, even a little before, a lot of executives had a similar dream for their marketing teams: Publish way more. Cover way more keywords. Win on a massive amount of volume.

The problem is that strategy fails in two different ways.

First, generic content does not do much when a real person lands on the page. If it reads like AI-generated filler content, they're going to leave.

Then the second failure comes later. Search and answer engines, especially those powered by LLMs, get better at filtering out the same low-effort content you were hoping would help you.

That is where most people have landed with AI and content. Not to mention, it is easy for everyone to generate AI content, so there is no differentiation, even if it worked. But it does not.

The old rules are the same rules we have today and they have gotten even more valuable.

You must give your readers real perspective, real expertise, and real answers to their problems.

Read more here:
https://www.mostlyserious.io/insights/write-for-people-not-algorithms

🎤 At Dot One Toronto 2024, our CEO Jarad Johnson shared how we're using AI + Craft CMS to create smarter, more flexible digital experiences that put users first.

🚀 See how we’re helping clients stay ahead of the tech curve by diving into the full insights from his talk here:

https://bit.ly/4eh4AmD

(Shout out to Will Browar for his superlative photo skills!)

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Nothum Food Processing Systems brand-new website. Huge thanks to both the Nothum team, and the folks at Carter Collective () for their incredible partnership throughout the process!

Nothum is a leader in food processing systems, specializing in equipment that breads, batters, and fries all sorts of mouthwatering treats. Check out their site to learn more about this historic and innovative brand.