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Website Best Practices:Strategies for Great Content

Kristina on Content Strategy?

“As a community, we’re rather quiet on the matter of content. In fact, we appear to have collectively, silently come to the conclusion that content is really somebody else’s problem—“the client can do it,” “the users will generate it”—so we, the people who make websites, shouldn’t have to worry about it in the first place.

Do you think it’s a coincidence, then, that web content is, for the most part, crap?

Dealing with content is messy. It’s complicated, it’s painful, and it’s expensive.

And yet, the web is content. Content is the web. It deserves our time and attention.

And that’s where content strategy comes in.”

- KRISTINA HALVORSONhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/thedisciplineofcontentstrategy/

Why Have a Content Strategy?

Content that serves your customer, serves your business.

Your Website is usually the first point of contactReduce frustrationsReduce support calls

Be a Content Strategy NinjaThe Process

Perform a content audit

Determine Priority

AnalyticsWhat questions are asked?What common problems are people having?Ask users what they want (focus groups)

Create Personas

Identify 1-3 primary audiencesChoose a photo representing each and identify them

Name Occupation Marital Status Children Hobbies Reasons for coming to your site

Persona 1

Persona 2

Write use cases

Make a list of questions users are asking when they come to the website.

What path would they expect to follow to find that content?

Define Goals

Define some overall goals for your site Based on personas and use cases

Write goals for each page Page tables

Research, Organize & Write Content

Gather needed info or factsCard SortWrite

The Rest

Create wire framesUser TestingDesignProgramUser TestingLaunchAnalyzeMaintain

Editorial Calendar

Questions?

Resources

A List Aparthttp://www.alistapart.com/

The Discipline of Content Strategy by Kristina Halvorsonhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/thedisciplineofcontentstrategy/