Why Do You Need A Website Content Strategy?
If you run a website for a hobby or write a blog for fun then a website content strategy isn’t necessary. But if you’re building an online business and want it to make money and to reach as many people as possible then you need to get strategic!
And, since websites and blogs rely on quality content to attract readers and keep them interested (and, eventually, buying from you!) then it makes sense to prioritize your content strategy.
What Is A Website Content Strategy?
A website content strategy is a plan of how you are going to use content to grow and market your online business. There are two basic elements of a content strategy:
- Â The content you post on your website. This includes, how often you post, what you write about, how far in advance you plan and create the content etc.
- The content you use to promote your website (for example, social media posts and emails to your mailing list).
Eventually you’ll also have a strategy for creating content for paid products.
What Type Of Content Should Be Included?
Content isn’t solely restricted to text and articles. It can include videos, quizzes, images and many other things which make your website more interesting than simply reading for hours.
Why Is A Strategy So Important?
Survey a group of successful online entrepreneurs and you’ll probably find that they all work differently when it comes to planning their content. A small number may not plan at all, but for most, having a website content strategy is essential. There are a number of reasons for this.
Firstly, having a plan means you can be more strategic in what you’re creating. Instead of just publishing a new post on whatever random topic you feel in the mood to create, you can plan topics strategically based on product promotions, the time of the year etc. Planning ahead also helps make sure you post on a regular, consistent schedule. This is important for keeping readers interested, especially if you’re still in the growing stage.
And having a strategy also helps for those times when life is unpredictable. Maybe you really want to stick to a once-a-week posting schedule but you suddenly get sick. Having your plan, and having content created in advance, means that things won’t go totally off track.
Once The Strategy Is Created
Remember, a website content strategy isn’t set in stone. You can update it at any time you feel is necessary or if you think you need to restructure and edit it to make it work better for you. It might be the case that after a month or two, there isn’t much interest in the quizzes or videos you are posting. These could be taken out or you can try other ways of promoting or scheduling out your posts that might attract more attention or keep people on your blog for longer.
Creating Engaging Online Content Strategy
Nobody likes to read pages and pages of endless text on a website. No matter how useful the content is, if you post a massive chunk that looks boring, you won’t get many readers. The eye isn’t drawn to large chunks of text. This is why it’s so important to vary the type of content you create when promoting your business.
Interactive Content
People love interacting with things online. Not only is it more interesting for them, but it encourages them to stay on your website for longer. This drives up your revenue and enhances the reputation of your business, thus causing it to rank higher in the search engines. Quizzes and surveys are a great form of interactive content. Games are another way of getting your visitors to interact on your website, although these are harder to develop and don’t always fit into every niche.
Humor and Illustrations or Comics
This type of content can be created for any type of website, and it’s a great way of providing something that has real personality and is totally unique to your site. Of course, it does depend on your niche, but why not experiment? Variety is the main thing that keeps people interested in website content, so you may not want to post this type of material all the time, but including it every now and then will help your business along.
Video
There are many ways to make videos, so if you’re camera-shy, it doesn’t mean you have to stand in front of a camera and make a video of yourself talking about your business or its products. You can either ask somebody else to take part in creating the video with you, or create it using just text, images and a voice-over. Using outsourcing websites, you can find people who are able to provide the service you need. This might cost you a portion of your advertising and content budget, but videos are one of the top ways to bring in more traffic and keep people on your website for longer.
Social Media and User-Generated Content
Having a live feed of comments people are making could encourage people to visit your website more often and get involved. Posting the reviews people have given about your business will also create good quality content that people are interested in reading. You could even invite some of your regular readers to be interviewed for your next blog post.
Free Checklist: 5 Step Website Content Strategy
No matter how much you love being an online entrepreneur, some days the thoughts just don’t come. You stare at a blank screen and struggle for content creation ideas. But when you have a system in place that takes the guesswork out of every step of the content research, creation and delivery processes, those days don’t happen.
Download my Free Checklist, Creating A Content Management Strategy to discover the best practices used by the most successful bloggers and online entrepreneurs and a 5-step process to plan, create and update your website content.