Ten Tips to Improving Web Content

Planning Content and Measuring Outcome Enables Success

Oct 13, 2009

The key to improving Web content is to have a solid strategy. What is the content trying to achieve and what is the end goal?

Sharply focused, customer-centric Web content enables customers and clients to take action. While that “action” may resemble a buying decision, learning opportunity or some other matter, content helps stakeholders make decisions. Content manages expectations, brings a company’s brand to life and builds trust.

Yet, organizations spend an inordinate amount of time discussing how to sell their products and services, yet spend very little time on the words behind the effort.

First and foremost, any organization must have a strategy to create useful content. A strategy is more about the “why” than it is about what is to be published and where the publishing will occur. Companies should ask themselves these two questions: “Why” is the content necessary and what is the end goal?

A superior content strategy isn’t just deciding what should be included; it’s also deciding what to leave out.

10 Tips to Improving Content:

Before beginning any project, the writer and/or team must know the intent behind the content, or what the content is trying to achieve. Going into a project blindly without knowing what the content is intended to do will present numerous problems when it’s time for approvals.

2. Identify Who is Responsible for Providing, Reviewing and Approving the Content Before Writing Begins

Oftentimes, 90 percent of any outcome is knowing the nuances associated with that outcome, and in the case of “content,” it’s all about knowing who is responsible to write, review and approve the copy. This sounds as if it’s an easy step – but not always. Companies with multiple layers of personnel must discuss these matters up front.

Writing for the Web is avery, very different process and medium than writing for print. Although this step should be obvious, many companies and organizations merely take what’s written for print and post it online, only to find themselves short on results. Not only is the style much more abbreviated, but keywords matter for Search Engine Optimization purposes.

4. Keep the Content Audit Up-to-date to Eliminate Redundant Workflows Among Various Communicators

Companies should audit their content periodically to ensure it is timely and links still work. Many organizations post content that becomes dated very quickly, and while there’s almost infinite room in cyberspace, no one wants to send a prospect or customer to content that is old or dated.

5. Ensure Quality and Quantity Control, Informed by Clear Recommendations and Overseen by Dedicated Resources

Although this step might seem similar to #2, this one is more about the person(s) editing the content for clarity, style, and most of all, usefulness. There is nothing worse than writing content and posting it without a trained eye to review the content before it goes up. Editors, too, must know the outcome of the copy or what it is trying to do in order to achieve the best results.

Content should be evaluated in quantitative measurements rather than strictly qualitative. “Quantitative” measurement is something scientific that included hard numbers: How many clicks did the content bring? How many products were bought by the content? “Qualitative” measurement is about feelings: Did the reader like the article?

Don’t vary from the original strategy – even though the writer might be tempted to insert his or her own opinions. Stick to the original plan.

This crucial step can make or break online content. If a company does not give an audience what it wants, how can the audience react in a positive way?

With resources scarce and budgets tight, companies need to find more ways to repurpose copy. Can an article be turned into an online brochure? Can the CEO give a speech based on the content?

While deadlines loom and time is short, writers and providers of content should slow down to assess their work before submitting it. The best approach is write the content, put it away and then come back to it for review. Chances are it will be improved on the second reading.

Creating and sourcing Web content shouldn't be guesswork. An effective strategy incorporates pre-planning, on-point execution and follow up through strategic measurement. Organizations using this approach will discover opportunities and increases in their sales efforts.

The copyright of the article Ten Tips to Improving Web Content in Online Publishing is owned by Scott Cytron. Permission to republish Ten Tips to Improving Web Content in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.