1. Content Strategy:
The Key to Effective Web Content
Rick Allen
Babson College
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business
Canadian Post-Secondary Web Conference
May 26, 2010
@epublishmedia
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

2. Hi, I’m Rick.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

3. Hi, I’m Rick.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

4. What I’m talking about
@epublishmedia #pseweb

5. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
@epublishmedia #pseweb

6. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
@epublishmedia #pseweb

7. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

8. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
Elements that comprise a
content strategy
What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

9. Why am I focusing
on content?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

10. Because I’m a publisher.
Just like you!
@epublishmedia #pseweb

11. “ 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

12. Yes.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

13. “ 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

14. Content is why people
visit your website.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

15. Period.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

16. “ Without content, the web
would be a search box and a
check out cart.
Ian Alexander
Eat Media
@epublishmedia #pseweb

17. Quality content
Users
@epublishmedia #pseweb

18. Quality content
Users
@epublishmedia #pseweb

19. Quality content
Attracts
Users
@epublishmedia #pseweb

20. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
@epublishmedia #pseweb

21. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages
@epublishmedia #pseweb

22. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages Retains
@epublishmedia #pseweb

23. Would you risk meeting
any of these goals?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

24. Warning signs
that you need content strategy.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

25. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

26. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

27. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

28. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

29. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

30. Content strategy, anyone?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

31. “ 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

32. “ 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

33. Content strategy answers
critical questions.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

34. @epublishmedia #pseweb

35. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

36. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
How do we decide
what content to
create and update?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

37. @epublishmedia #pseweb

38. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

39. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
How do we
determine our
users’ needs?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

40. @epublishmedia #pseweb

41. How do we align
analytics, usability
and SEO/SEM with
content creation?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

42. 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?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

43. Some good questions to
answer, right?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

44. Why is
content often
neglected?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

45. Content is
massive
@epublishmedia #pseweb

46. Content is
political
@epublishmedia #pseweb

47. Content is time-
consuming
@epublishmedia #pseweb

48. Real challenges
@epublishmedia #pseweb

49. Poor excuses:
@epublishmedia #pseweb

50. “ It's the content contributors'
responsibility. They need to
own their content.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

51. “ But, I did make it better!
@epublishmedia #pseweb

52. “ We can't accommodate
everyone.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

53. “ Best practices aren't
real-world.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

54. Customers don’t forgive
businesses for bad websites.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

55. No more
excuses.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

56. Make
content
work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/ / CC BY 2.0
@epublishmedia #pseweb

57. Understand
your
content
ecosystem
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rofanator/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
@epublishmedia #pseweb

58. “ The ecosystem often reveals
the ‘underlying principle’ of
the content problem.
Colleen Jones
Content Science
@epublishmedia #pseweb

59. Web publishing is a
collaborative process.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

60. @epublishmedia #pseweb

61. @epublishmedia #pseweb

62. @epublishmedia #pseweb

63. @epublishmedia #pseweb

64. “ Design without content is
decoration.
Jeffrey Zeldman
Author, Designing With Web Standards
@epublishmedia #pseweb

65. A CMS
is not enough.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

66. ‘Nuff said.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

67. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

68. What I’m talking about
Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

69. Have a plan:
@epublishmedia #pseweb

70. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
Audit
Analyze
Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

71. Message architecture
@epublishmedia #pseweb

72. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
@epublishmedia #pseweb

73. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
@epublishmedia #pseweb

74. 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
@epublishmedia #pseweb

75. 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 sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
@epublishmedia #pseweb

76. 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 sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
‣ Aligns messaging across all communication
channels
@epublishmedia #pseweb

77. 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 sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
‣ Aligns messaging across all communication
channels
‣ Determines if content is appropriate for your
users
@epublishmedia #pseweb

78. “ How can you measure if
content is appropriate if you
don’t have a metric against
which to measure it?
Margot Bloomstein
Appropriate, Inc
@epublishmedia #pseweb

79. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

80. Plan
Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
Analyze
Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

81. “ If you don't understand where
you are now, you can't create
a plan to get you where you
need to be.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
@epublishmedia #pseweb

82. Content audit
@epublishmedia #pseweb

83. Content audit
‣ Content inventory
@epublishmedia #pseweb

84. Content audit
‣ Content inventory
‣ Quantitative audit
@epublishmedia #pseweb

85. Content audit
‣ Content inventory
‣ Quantitative audit
‣ Qualitative audit
@epublishmedia #pseweb

86. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

87. Plan
Prioritize message hierarchy
Audit
‣ Analyze
Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

88. Content analysis
@epublishmedia #pseweb

89. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

90. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to our
content?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

91. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it 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?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

92. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it 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?
‣ What resources are needed to complete the
project and maintain it post-launch?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

93. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it 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?
‣ What resources are needed to complete the
project and maintain it post-launch?
‣ How will we measure the effectiveness of our
content?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

94. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

95. Plan
Prioritize message hierarchy
Audit
Analyze
‣ Strategize
@epublishmedia #pseweb

96. Results
@epublishmedia #pseweb

97. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
@epublishmedia #pseweb

98. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
@epublishmedia #pseweb

99. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
‣ Editorial process: roles, source content,
content types, and interaction with
marketing, design, developers
@epublishmedia #pseweb

100. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
‣ Editorial process: roles, source content,
content types, and interaction with
marketing, design, developers
‣ Editorial calendar, considering content
channels, types, and themes
•
@epublishmedia #pseweb

101. Results
@epublishmedia #pseweb

102. Results
‣ Page-level content structure
@epublishmedia #pseweb

103. Results
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Linking strategy
@epublishmedia #pseweb

104. Results
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Linking strategy
‣ Defined content channels
@epublishmedia #pseweb

105. Results
‣ Page-level content structure
‣ Linking strategy
‣ Defined content channels
‣ Content maintenance requirements
@epublishmedia #pseweb

106. Define your
publishing process:
@epublishmedia #pseweb

107. @epublishmedia #pseweb

108. Publishing roles
‣ Requesters
‣ Providers
‣ Creators
‣ Editors
‣ Approvers
‣ Publishers
@epublishmedia #pseweb

109. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

110. What I’m talking about
Why quality web content and
strategy are so important
Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
@epublishmedia #pseweb

111. Keep it
going
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dasqfamily/ / CC BY 2.0
@epublishmedia #pseweb

112. Have a plan.
@epublishmedia #pseweb

113. Measure
content
effectiveness
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chandramarsono/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
@epublishmedia #pseweb

114. Web analytics
Business Effective Key
goals analysis metrics
@epublishmedia #pseweb

115. (More) content analysis:
@epublishmedia #pseweb

116. Is content redundant,
outdated, trivial?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
@epublishmedia #pseweb

117. Are links still functional?
Is content still findable?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

118. Is content still useful,
relevant, and accurate?
@epublishmedia #pseweb

119. Key points
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

120. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

121. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

122. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

123. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

124. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable,
and sustainable plan
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

125. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable,
and sustainable plan
‣ Measure content constantly—adapt to change,
make smart decisions
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

126. Questions?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

127. Thanks.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb

128. Rick Allen
@epublishmedia
http://www.epublishmedia.com
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
@epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy
#pseweb