But what gets less electronic ink is the question of voice. What does your website sound like? Who are you speaking to? How do you think they feel about what you’re saying and how you’re saying it?

Voice is a content issue, and it’s one of the most important questions to answer during your site development process. We spent a lot of time on this issue with PAE Consulting Engineers.

PAE is not your typical mechanical/electrical engineering company. PAE is all about sustainability, innovation, quality and fun. They want people to know this above all else. And they want other people who care about those things to come and work with them. Communicating this message clearly was our most important objective on this project.

To accomplish our objectives, we focused on several things. First, we gave the site’s content the personality of the people in the firm. It’s professional, but it also is relaxed. It showcases how much the firm cares about its employees… how it understands that the staff is the firm. And the staff tends to be young, involved and innovative. The copy reflects these facts and makes a case to other like-minded, team-focused individuals.

The site’s content architecture also was created in a way that allows PAE to create a web-based presence in the world of sustainable design. The Sustainable Design Center allows PAE to feature its work, knowledge and relationships within the sustainability movement. At launch, the Center offers a good foundation of information, but the strength of the approach lies in its ability to continue to expand over time.

So, I guess the message is: tools are important, but please take your time with your content. Take stock of who you are as an organization, then try your best to capture that within the words you use on your website.