FUNDAMENTALS OF WEB DESIGN:CONTENT STRATEGY

Course Director: Terry Weber

What is a content strategy?2

•A plan to create content that is informative, relevant, meaningful, and interesting to your intended audience.

•A guide to the types of content you want to create.

•A publishing schedule for your content.

Why does content matter?3

•Visitors are coming to your site because they have questions. • You need to answer their questions: what do they

want or need?• Your content provides the answers.• You should provide content in a variety of formats

(text, videos, podcasts, slideshows, visuals, etc.).

•Search engines rank sites based on a number of factors, including relevant content, up-to-date content, and external links to a site’s content.

•Builds trust in your company and helps differentiate you from competitors.

Ways to Use Content4

•Tell Your Story• What makes your company or product better than the

rest. • Why should a customer choose you over a competitor?

•Educate = provide information that will help your audience

•Entertain = engage your audience, make them laugh, make them feel an emotion

•Get them to act = fill out a contact form; buy a product; call your company

•Get them to share = post links to your content on Facebook and Twitter

5 Steps for Content Strategy5

Step 1 = Understand your goals and positioning

Identify your company’s objectives, such as:• Increase leads and sales• Increase brand recognition• Build a community of product evangelists

Identify your company’s advantages compared to the competition:• What makes your company/product unique?• What’s your perspective on trends in your industry?

5 Steps for Content Strategy6

Step 2 = Understand your audience

Identify your site visitors’ goals, such as:•Get useful information•Purchase a product•Find out more about what you offer•View examples/demos/trials•Learn about others who have used your product/service

Identify how people access your website:•Web browser•Mobile / smartphone•Tablet

5 Steps for Content Strategy7

Step 3 = Conduct a content inventory of your current website

Describe the content and format on each page, including text, images, videos, and multimedia.

5 Steps for Content Strategy8

Step 4 = Create a content outline

List the content that should be added to the site in order to meet your goals and the goals of your primary audiences.

5 Steps for Content Strategy9

1. Daily• Twitter and Facebook

updates• Review and reply to blog

comments2. Weekly

• 1-3 blog posts• How-to article• Short video

3. Monthly• Email newsletter• Longer article• Podcast• Case study or customer

success story

4. Quarterly• Webinar• Ebook (PDF)• Contests

5. Yearly• Live or virtual event• Best Practices guide• Mobile application

Step 5 = Create a publishing schedule, such as:

Types of Content - Text10

Text on your site’s main pages – the home page, about us page, description of your products and services, case studies, client success stories, etc.

Blog posts and articles.

Types of Content - Links11

Links to other blog posts, articles, affiliated websites, etc. that your audience would find useful.

Types of Content - Images12

Images can convey or reinforce a point, describe a process, evoke an emotion, or simply provide separation between text.

Types of Content – Video & Audio13

Video testimonials, demos, presentations, webinars, and podcasts

Types of Content – Interactive Content14

Can include Flash, Ajax, JavaScript, jQuery, and Silverlight

Types of Content – Functionality15

• Ecommerce• Search• Contact/request forms• Community / forums• Content management system• Custom programming• Integration with other sites (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr,

Slideshare, Google Maps)• Site security (SSL, logins)

Steps for Content Creation16

1. Research2. Writing3. Editing4. Proofreading5. Publishing6. Sharing