Website Content Strategy Fundamentals

Website development is no small task. From the very first ideation to the final launch, there are many hours, prototypes, and meetings that go into a new website —and none of it follows an exact formula.  Even so, when a few key elements come together, magic happens. It’s a process that includes a well-researched UX/UI strategy, purposeful design, and advanced development, all resulting in website success.

When creating a website, the first and most important step is your content strategy. It’s vital that you take the time to understand your audience, your business goals, and the user experience that can take your audience towards your goals—all before diving into design and development. Content strategy doesn’t mean having everything written before moving to the next step. It’s about thinking strategically in the initial stages so that every step that comes later is intentional and purpose-driven.

Content strategy is the planning, development, and implementation of strategic and targeted content.

In the current web landscape, content is abundant. This means that user attention is at a premium. By thinking strategically about content, you can create opportunities to put the right message in front of the right person. Without a strategy, you’re just adding to the Internet’s noise. 

How to build a website content strategy

Define a Goal

• Before starting any project it’s important to define your goal. What are you looking to accomplish? By when? How will you measure your progress towards that goal? Without a clearly defined goal, you have no way of knowing if your project is successful. Common goals in website development include; increased sales, X amount of new leads, and cohesive rebranding. 

Conduct Research

• Research, as bland as it can seem, is a step that cannot be skipped. Research, at its foundation, will tell you who to reach and how to reach them. Other research tactics can help you discover what your target audience likes, dislikes, where they work, what motivates them, etc. Common research methods include interviews, content audits, competitive analysis, persona research and surveys. 

Check-in

• Once you’ve wrapped up the research process, it’s important to take a step back and look at what the research uncovered. Does it fit your previous ideas of your target audience? The data you uncovered can allow you to audit your existing content strategy, see what’s working and what needs rethinking, then develop a plan for new content creation.

What happens if I don’t do website content strategy first?

We all know that content is an important piece in the web-dev puzzle. However, you might not know that putting content first can prevent a ton of problems. Ultimately, putting content first will save on time, money, and resources.

Here’s a list of common problems caused by not focusing on content strategy:

• Website layout doesn’t support content
• Design visuals don’t match content 
• Rushed content creation
• Targeting the wrong people
• Depleted resources 
• Never-ending revisions
• Strained client or team relationships as budget and time increase

Partner with Pyxl

In order to have a strong website content strategy, you must define your overall goal of the website, conduct research on how to achieve your goal, and continually audit the site for best practices. Looking for a place to start, but overwhelmed by what website development can all entail? Don’t let that get you down – contact us and we can help you develop a strong website content strategy from beginning to end.

Updated: Apr 13, 2022