Your Guide To A Successful Web Content Strategy
by Andrew MIllar
You realize you need to develop a web content strategy in order to be successful. That’s a great start, but what do you do with this knowledge?
Simply knowing that you need to implement a web content strategy doesn’t mean a hill of beans if you don’t know how to do so.
Fear not! We’ve created this simple guide to help you understand how to get from here to there without pulling out all of your hair!
Contemplate.
Before you begin creating or altering your web content strategy, set aside some time to reflect about your organization. Where are you? Where’ve you been? Where do you see yourself in five years? While these questions may sound painfully familiar if you’ve ever found yourself sitting in a canned interview, contemplating the meaning of your company’s life can set an excellent foundation when it comes to creating a web content strategy that will peacefully co-exist with your consumers.
Wear Their Shoes.
You never know what someone else’s life is like until you walk a mile in their shoes – or so the old saying goes. As you’re thinking about design, enter your industry with fresh eyes, and find a way to know absolutely nothing about what you do. This might mean you have to recruit a friend or family member who really doesn’t know anything about what you do because stepping back and putting on the dunce cap is hard for most people who are experts at what they do. Gaining fresh insight into how others see your industry, firm, and site’s function can give you an unbelievable advantage when it’s time to put the pieces of your new web content strategy into place. Unlocking the answers to the questions below might help you improve your SEO, too:
- What words are confusing?
- Where is the website getting people hung up?
- What value-added links could clarify questions along the way?
- What do viewers want to know about you?
- How did they find you in the first place?
Matter.
Sounds obvious, right? For many businesses, this concept isn’t as easy as it sounds at first. Web content needs to be clean and concise without over – or under-doing it. Remember, people have limited time as they’re searching the web for something even better. It’s up to your content to be eye-catching but not busy and blinding. Make sure you understand what your visitors want then give it to them.
Embrace the Day.
This is far more of a demand than a suggestion. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be easy to let your web content slip in favor of completing all of the other tasks on your to-do list. Keep in mind that your potential audience couldn’t care less which words live on your sticky notes; they’re concerned with the content that will be staring them in the face from the other side of the screen. Keep your content fresh, up-to-date, and relevant. If you need to set yourself a calendar reminder, do it! Stale content will make your readers run away quicker than a creepy smell coming from the depths of the fridge.
Stretch Your Versatility.
Keep your audience in mind – in its entirety! Avoid utilizing videos, layouts, or imagery that would be painful if viewed on a variety of platforms. Clean content gets the best job done.
Before you go crazy with this checklist, have us give your web content strategy a once-over (or more)! Learn more about the benefits of a custom Content Management System (CMS) created by Sheffield Media Group, and reach out to us when you’re ready!