WHY YOU NEED A CONTENT STRATEGY
Are you creating a new Web site for your
company/organization or updating the Web
site? If so, you need a Web site content
strategy.
I discussed this idea last week during a "Web
Writing Workshop" at Century College. The
discussion was lively and it was interesting
to hear different viewpoints on this. I'll
also be discussing this topic during an
upcoming webinar slated for Nov. 11, 2009
(see related story).
Why have a content strategy?
A successful web content strategy will help
you plan for and create effective web copy
that connects to your brand, aligns with your
marketing positioning and keeps your users
engaged.
Step often gets missed
Often, this important step gets missed during
the Web site planning process or gets delayed
in favor of developing the web design.
I've been involved in several new Web site
projects and this step often gets avoided,
despite my recommendations to conduct this
content planning early on.
What is a web content strategy?
So what exactly is a web content strategy? It
is a plan for creating, publishing and
maintaining useful content directed by the
corporate or organizational marketing
positioning. It also establishes key messages
and helps to ensure unique, engaging copy
consistent with your brand.
Why is it important?
Content is the reason that people go to your
Web site. And, since web content is critical
to the user experience, it deserves
consideration. Why? Because it's all about
first impressions and users' judge web sites
in the first few seconds of visiting.
What if you don't have a content
strategy?
So why does it matter? The absence of a web
content strategy can have a negative impact
on the brand and result in:
- An experience that is not engaging for
the user
- Content that doesn't mirror key marketing
messages
- Content that doesn't complement the web
design
