Content Strategy Encompasses All Things Content

July 8, 2010 | by Carrie Hane Dennison | Posted in Web Content

On June 24, I had the privilege of moderating a panel of content practitioners for a DC Web Women program. It was an honor to work with this group of outstanding web content professionals (see below for their names). There were 7 panelists.

The amazing thing was that each participant had something unique to present. Of course, there was some cross-over and a lot of head shaking. But it really showed how diverse the world of web content is. We all wished that we had a half day or more to continue the discussion.

I cannot possibly cover everything that was discussed during the 2-hour panel, but here are the highlights:

• To create your editorial calendar, work backwards from when something needs to be live – this will allow you to figure out when you need to get started.
• Write content that empowers the user.
• The web is different than print because businesses can
  • Measure what users care about
  • Listen to their visitors/customers
  • React by updating the website
• Your website should create a presence for where you’re going, not where you’ve been, as a company.
• When first setting up your site, first ask “What is my story?” The answer will explain the value of all your combined experiences.
• Know your goal for the site AND for each page on the site. You can have 2 types of goals:
  • What you show (private goals)
  • What you want to accomplish (publish goals)
• Video now has 50 times more chance of being on the first page of search engine results. Therefore, video is very important content in 2010.
• Content includes conversations and discussions, not just what you publish on a page. Google now includes forum discussions and some other social media pages in its search results.

Content strategy has many pieces that go into it – information architecture, copywriting, search engine optimization, visual design, usability, and CMS customization, to name a few. It is an emerging field, but one that is quickly defining itself as critical to building and maintaining a good website.

I’ve thanked them privately for their part in the program, and now I thank them publicly. These ladies really know their stuff!

Sharon Ritchey, Home Row Editorial
Lindy Roux, Web & Content Strategy Consultant
Jo Golden, Chaos to Clarity
Erica Knoch, Aeroka Media Marketing
Merry Bruns, ScienceSites Communications
Jessica Piscitelli, Capture Video, Inc.
Susan Cato, CompTIA