Your plans for the what, where, and when of quality content development will be guided by your content strategy. As content is what draws visitors to your website, any redesign should put content first. Even excellent thought-provoking information matures with time, so your website’s content may need to be updated if you haven’t updated it recently. In order to create a solid, client-focused plan for your website content, there are a few essential elements that we’ve defined.
1. Identify your unique value proposition:
Your company’s why and how should be addressed on your website, along with an explanation of how your services and workflow benefit your customers. Your distinctive selling point should immediately address these issues and set you apart from competing businesses in the market. This value proposition should serve as the foundation for whatever content you write for your website. Your website’s content should prominently feature your unique selling proposition and incorporate it throughout; the success of your site depends on making sure that your material is relevant to the audience you’re trying to reach.
2. Conduct a website content audit:
Determine what material you already have and where you notice gaps that need to be addressed before developing new content. What material should be rewritten? What content is succeeding and might not require as much work? Make sure to catalog all of your present content before deciding what should be removed, what should be updated, and what can stay. This will help you understand how much new content you need to produce and where to begin.
3. Target each of your personas:
Businesses frequently consider what they want to say when generating website content rather than what their audience wants to read. As your material is primarily intended for your website’s diverse audiences, it is crucial to keep them in mind as you write. Consider what matters to them the most. With the aid of buyer personas, you may more clearly visualize the demographic you are targeting and comprehend their behavior. You may produce personalized content that is focused and pertinent to their interests, objectives, and goals by identifying your key buyer personas. Your content should address their concerns, provide them with information on related subjects, and address their inquiries. Always remember that you have different target audiences, and your website should include material tailored to each of them. You should design website material targeted not only at prospects but also at clients, potential employees, business partners, the media, etc.
4. Map content to the client lifecycle:
Visitors and prospects should be guided through the sales process by your content. Depending on where the prospect is in the customer journey—from awareness to purchase to advocacy—your website should include a variety of information that addresses various issues or concerns. A case study or testimonial would be more appropriate for a prospect who is considering hiring your firm to show the successful work you’ve done for your clients, whereas a blog (or thought leadership) is an excellent tool for raising awareness, educating, and responding to general questions about your services or industry.
5. Include the essential content:
Each piece of quality content on your website will have a clear purpose and audience if a sound content strategy is in place. Individuals utilize the internet to read up on numerous topics and conduct research. Use the information on your website to inform potential customers about market trends, frequently asked questions, and, for those farther down the sales funnel, information about your business, process, and services. Job seekers are another key target group; as they explore potential employers, they are interested in learning more about your corporate culture in the careers area.
6. Write compelling web copy:
Spend time writing text that instructs, enlightens, and directs your audience. A minimum of 300 words for the web is a reasonable rule of thumb for SEO purposes. The length of your copy depends on the goal of the page and your overall message. But quality, not quantity, should be your main priority. Provide knowledge to your audiences that they will find valuable and fascinating. The use of facts, studies, and quotes can give your content more weight, so it’s crucial to spend the time to locate excellent graphics and photos. Misspellings or improper punctuation can ruin intriguing writing and give the wrong impression. So proofread carefully and have other team members evaluate.
7. Use the right language:
It’s crucial to use the same terminology as your audience as you start to compose your quality content. Choose the language that your audience will comprehend instead than utilizing internal jargon. You can utilize technical language in your quality content if your audience is more technical. Still, otherwise, you should keep to more simple language that will connect with your audience and show your knowledge of and familiarity with their business. Your website’s content, aside from blog posts and other thought leadership pieces, should be more informal than official. Remember that your content is not about you but rather about your present and potential clients and what you can do to help them. Write as if you were having a one-on-one conversation with a prospect or client.
8. Develop a content schedule and optimize for SEO:
It’s critical to arrange the material you need and create a planned schedule for completing. It once you’ve determined the kind of content you require. Choose if you want to start by concentrating on a certain persona, industry, or stage of the client lifecycle. Create a schedule after deciding what kind of material you want to produce.
The subjects you’ll cover, how frequently you’ll publish, and the dates. It will be released should all be mentioned in your material. Planning out the year one quarter at a time, or the complete year if you and your team have the means, may be advantageous. Consider major themes in your sector, develop insights around them, and develop topic clusters inside each theme so you can use them to further break it down. A collection of articles with a common theme is referred to as a subject cluster.
Make sure the word count is at least 800 words for SEO purposes. Also, you should include current, pertinent keywords to each piece of content.
9. Assign the right people:
Creating a process for creating content is a component of a content schedule. The ideal course of action would be to designate employees within your company as quality content contributors. Look at the subjects you intend to cover and find company members who are authorities in those fields. You can hire technical specialists to assist you in content creation with the help of executive leadership. Hiring a reputable, deadline-conscious agency or freelance copywriter is a good idea if your business lacks the necessary resources. Accountability will be established and consistency in your publication will be guaranteed by explicitly outlining who is in charge of your company’s content.
10. Measure and track performance:
Keeping your web content strategy relevant to your audiences is essential for success. This necessitates continuously monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of all your content. Take note of the content that is being shared, the pages that are receiving the most views compared to those that are not doing well, and the average time spent on each page by visitors. This will make it easier to decide where you connect with your consumers. They provide excellent material as well as where you need to make changes. With a clear plan for adding new quality content going forward, keep your website current and relevant.
