Websites are tools we use to achieve certain goals, such as soliciting applications for admission or employment, soliciting donations, boosting attendance at an event or elevating the reputation of a college or unit. In order to make sure your website will achieve the goals you set for it, you need to develop and implement a content strategy for your site. This will help you determine how the pages on your site relate to one another, and what content should be on each page.

To develop a content strategy, first identify your primary audiences, and choose the goals you have for those audiences on your site. Knowing this high-level information helps you then decide which pages your site needs and what those pages should contain.

Content strategy is somewhat abstract, which can be confusing at first for those unfamiliar with the discipline. But due to the size and scope of many sites, it is an important skill set to master in order to have an effective website that achieves your goals.

Our workshop series for content maintainers can help you better understand the power of content strategy and how to leverage it when working on your website.

Tips for Content Planning

If you make content simple, skimmable and engaging, people are more likely to read it, which means your page will be more likely to achieve your goals for it. Here are a few best practices for planning the content that will make your webpage effective.

• Set goals for your content.
  • If you can’t explain whom this page serves — and why — it shouldn’t exist.
  • State your goals in terms of what you want your audience to learn, think, feel and/or do as a result of visiting each page.
• Front-load your content on the page.
  • Your most important and broadly relevant content should come first, nearer the top of the page.
  • Put less pertinent content lower down on the page.
• Front-load important words within your content.
  • Place keywords or keyphrases near the beginnings of headings, sentences and paragraphs.
• Phrase your content strongly, clearly and directly.
  • Write imperative (“Register today,” “Give now”) and declarative (“NC State is a preeminent university”) sentences.
• Trust your users.
  • If they’re looking for something important, they’ll keep clicking until they find it — if your website’s structure and content are intuitive to use.
• Draw each page on paper.
  • Sketch the page’s layout and the content it requires.
  • This is the quickest way to identify layout problems, spare parts and missing pieces. 
• Ask real users what they think of your pages.
  • If you can’t find a user in the wild, try a co-worker.
  • Every ncsu.edu page undergoes team review.
• Create a governance document that specifies how your content will be maintained and updated.
  • Search engines prefer fresher pages, so update your content on a rolling schedule — especially facts, figures and rankings.