Content is why people visit your website. Period. So why is quality content so easily discounted? Why do we neglect this critical website element that we rely on to attract, inform, engage, and retain site visitors? Answer: content is massive, political, and time-consuming. A college website contains thousands of pages with limited content contributors, editors, and managers, all with different perspectives and priorities. Web content strategy is an essential discipline that author Kristina Halvorson defines as "the practice of planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content." In this session, learn how to implement and maintain effective content that drives marketing, engages users, and increases website conversions.
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Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content (HighEdWeb 2010)
1. Content Strategy:
The Key to Effective Web Content
Rick Allen
HighEdWeb Conference
October 12, 2010
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
5. What I’m talking about
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
6. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
7. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
8. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. How to maintain quality
content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
9. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
Elements that comprise a
content strategy
How to maintain quality
content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
10. Why am I focusing
on content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
11. Because I’m a publisher.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
13. “ The moment you launch a
website, an email campaign, a
mobile application, or content
of any kind, you’re a
publisher. Shouldn’t you start
acting like one?
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
17. “ View yourself more like a
publisher delivering valuable
editorial products than as a
marketer selling products and
services.
Joe Pulizzi
Co-Author, Get Content Get Customers
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
18. Why is
content often
neglected?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
19. Content is
massive
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
20. Content is
political
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
21. Content is time-
consuming
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
22. No more
excuses.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
23. “ Content strategy is the
practice of planning for the
creation, delivery, and
governance of useful, usable
content.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
24. “ Content strategy is the
practice of planning for the
creation, delivery, and
governance of useful, usable
content.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
26. “ Effective is a two-way street.
Georgy Cohen
Manager, Web Content and Strategy
Tufts University
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
27. Effective content
meets college objectives
and users’ goals.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
28. Quality content
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
29. Quality content
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
30. Quality content
Attracts
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
31. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
32. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
33. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages Retains
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
35. Let’s take a look...
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
36. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial
content
FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective
site content
PDFs Sidestep editorial process,
compromising quality
“Related links” List orphan pages or
irrelevant content
Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or
effective brand messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
37. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial
content
FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective
site content
PDFs Sidestep editorial process,
compromising quality
“Related links” List orphan pages or
irrelevant content
Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or
effective brand messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
38. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial
content
FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective
site content
PDFs Sidestep editorial process,
compromising quality
“Related links” List orphan pages or
irrelevant content
Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or
effective brand messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
39. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial
content
FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective
site content
PDFs Sidestep editorial process,
compromising quality
“Related links” List orphan pages or
irrelevant content
Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or
effective brand messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
40. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial
content
FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective
site content
PDFs Sidestep editorial process,
compromising quality
“Related links” List orphan pages or
irrelevant content
Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or
effective brand messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
42. And more...
‣ Broken or mislabeled links
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
43. And more...
‣ Broken or mislabeled links
‣ Contradictory descriptions
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
44. And more...
‣ Broken or mislabeled links
‣ Contradictory descriptions
‣ Missing or inaccurate information
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
45. And more...
‣ Broken or mislabeled links
‣ Contradictory descriptions
‣ Missing or inaccurate information
‣ Inconsistent page titles and
metadata
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
46. And more...
‣ Broken or mislabeled links
‣ Contradictory descriptions
‣ Missing or inaccurate information
‣ Inconsistent page titles and
metadata
‣ Unanswered user comments
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
47. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
48. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
49. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
50. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
51. Make
content
work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/ / CC BY 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
52. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
53. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
54. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
How do we decide
what content to
create and update?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
55. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
56. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
57. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
How do we
determine our
users’ needs?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
58. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
59. How do we align
analytics, usability
and SEO/SEM with
content creation?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
60. How do we align
analytics, usability
and SEO/SEM with
content creation?
How do we maintain
voice, tone, and branding
with content across
multiple channels?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
61. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. How to maintain quality
content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
62. What I’m talking about
Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
How to maintain quality
content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
63. Elements of content strategy
‣ Message architecture
‣ Content audit
‣ Content analysis
‣ Planning &
Implementation
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
64. Elements of content strategy
‣ Message architecture
Content audit
Content analysis
Planning &
Implementation
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
66. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
67. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
68. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
69. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
‣ Aligns messaging across all
communication channels
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
70. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
‣ Aligns messaging across all
communication channels
‣ Determines if content is appropriate for
your users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
71. “ How can you measure if
content is appropriate if you
don’t have a metric against
which to measure it?
Margot Bloomstein
Principal, Appropriate, Inc
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
72. Elements of content strategy
Message architecture
‣ Content audit
Content analysis
Planning &
Implementation
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
79. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of
web content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
80. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of
web content?
‣ Does content meet our business
objectives and users’ needs?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
81. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of
web content?
‣ Does content meet our business
objectives and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to
our content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
82. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of
web content?
‣ Does content meet our business
objectives and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to
our content?
‣ What content do users need, but not
know to look for?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
84. “ The analysis is not just about
the deliverable, but about the
insights you gain and what
you decide to do about them.
Colleen Jones
Principal, Content Science
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
85. Elements of content strategy
Message architecture
Content audit
Content analysis
‣ Planning &
Implementation
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
94. Planning & Implementation
‣ SEO & metadata strategy
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
95. Planning & Implementation
‣ SEO & metadata strategy
‣ Page-level content structure
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
96. Planning & Implementation
‣ SEO & metadata strategy
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Content formats
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
97. Planning & Implementation
‣ SEO & metadata strategy
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Content formats
‣ Content channels
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
98. Planning & Implementation
‣ SEO & metadata strategy
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Content formats
‣ Content channels
‣ Maintenance requirements
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
99. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
100. What I’m talking about
Why quality web content is so
important to higher ed
Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. How to maintain quality
content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
101. Governance:
keeping it
going
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dasqfamily/ / CC BY 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
102. Governance
‣ Manage publishing process
‣ Measure content efficacy
‣ Evaluate goals & objectives
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
103. Governance
‣ Manage publishing process
Measure content efficacy
Evaluate goals & objectives
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
104. Understand
content
ecosystem
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rofanator/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
105. “ The ecosystem often reveals
the ‘underlying principle’ of
the content problem.
Colleen Jones
Content Science
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
106. Have a plan.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
107. Governance
Manage publishing process
‣ Measure content efficacy
Evaluate goals & objectives
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
108. Measure
content
efficacy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chandramarsono/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
109. Qualitative analysis
‣ Is content redundant, outdated, trivial
(ROT)?
‣ Is content still usable, useful, relevant,
appropriate?
‣ Usability tests
‣ User feedback (surveys)
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
110. Quantitative analysis
‣ Are links still functional?
‣ Is content still findable?
‣ Are we reaching our audience?
‣ Is content accessible?
‣ Are users taking the actions we want?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
111. Governance
Manage publishing process
Measure content efficacy
‣ Evaluate goals & objectives
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
112. Is our strategy
successful?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
113. Evaluate goals & objectives
‣ Have our website objectives changed?
‣ Have our users’ needs changed?
‣ Have our resources changed?
‣ Is our strategy still effective?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
114. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
115. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
‣ Audit. Analyze. Strategize. Repeat.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
116. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
‣ Audit. Analyze. Strategize. Repeat.
‣ Content strategy is a plan, not a
project
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
117. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
‣ Audit. Analyze. Strategize. Repeat.
‣ Content strategy is a plan, not a
project
‣ Get buy-in through education (and
shame)
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
118. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
‣ Audit. Analyze. Strategize. Repeat.
‣ Content strategy is a plan, not a
project
‣ Get buy-in through education (and
shame)
‣ Start small, aim big
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy
119. Words of wisdom
(a work in progress)
‣ Audit. Analyze. Strategize. Repeat.
‣ Content strategy is a plan, not a
project
‣ Get buy-in through education (and
shame)
‣ Start small, aim big
‣ Content strategy requires regulation
(empowerment and accountability)
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #heweb10 • #ContentStrategy