Content Strategy for

Custom Web ProjectsYour guide for process, workflow, and future initiatives

ByDaniel Parkins

Are You Ready for This?

Custom Web Workflow ProcessAs the content strategist, you will need to become intimately familiar with the entire custom web process. To the right is the complete workflow. • You can also view the full process here:

• https://sites.google.com/a/boostability.com/cws/?pli=1

Because Content Strategy is a relatively new process, it hasn’t actually been integrated yet because we are still seeking approval from DexMedia and Corporate. • This is something you need to be aware of

and actively seeking to achieve. In order to be integrated into the overall workflow officially, you will need to justify the added SLA time required, and demonstrate how it will improve the process workflow.

The Content Strategy Process

Task 1Site Audits

Task 2Content

Calls

Task 3Briefs

• The content strategy process is intertwined throughout the majority of custom web projects. You are responsible for managing all content on a client’s website up until final approval.

• Your three main tasks will be site audits, content calls, and briefs. For each of these three tasks, you will need to communicate with the Design team, the Development team, and the Website Consultants.

• In the following slides, I will break down each of these tasks, so that you have a clear idea of what needs to be done to perform your job effectively.

• I also want to let you know about some of the resources I have relied on to develop this workflow as well as move Content Strategy forward in spite of tight budgets and very limited time constraints. These resources will be outlined at the end of each task description, and also at the end of the workflow section of this guide.

First Task: Site AuditsSite Audits Should happen before the Welcome Call in the Custom Web Workflow.

Site Audit Objectives• The first objective you will face with site audits will be getting them completed as soon as a ticket is

received. Right now, there is not a set standard for receiving new accounts as the content strategist. You will need to talk with the Website Consultant team lead (Javier) about coming up with a way to always have access to new accounts.

• It is critical that you get site audits done right away in order for them to actually matter. They are the foundation for all content strategies, and they serve as a stable point of reference when there are miscommunications between you and clients, website consultants, or designers.

• Basically, without a site audit, you have nothing to fall back on if the sitemap is changed without your approval, or if there is missing content that the client was supposed to provide. There are other reasons why site audits need to be done right away, but I will cover those in the “Future Initiatives” section at the end of this guide.

• Your next objective will be to get other teams to use the site audits. In theory, website consultants are suppose to use your audits as a reference when proposing sitemaps to clients. Some WCs are good about this… Others are not.

• By having the WCs use your site audits as a reference point for sitemaps (and eventually designers) you can create a standard source of information that everyone can rely on when making decisions about how a client’s website will function. As of right now, site audits loosely maintain this standard, but they could be a lot more effective if more teams were actively using them.

Site Audit Workflow• Here are the steps you need to take to perform a site audit as they exist right

now:1. Find all URLs listed on the clients existing site. 2. Map the clients site architecture.3. Label all URLs with the navigation titles/tabs listed on the client’s existing site (i.e. Home, About Us, Contact

Us, etc…). Basically get a feel for the taxonomy that the client is already using.• If there is no name for a particular page, use your best judgment and come up with one.

4. Determine if the client’s current meta tags are up to date with SEO best practices (95% will not be), and decide if you want to repurpose the meta tags on the new site.

5. Rank the client’s existing content on a scale from 1 – 5.6. Create a new site architecture that fits within the client’s package and also employs effective user experience

practices with a solid taxonomy structure (using navigation titles/tabs that categorize the content on the client’s new site).

Site Audit Workflow Continued…• Below is a file-path to a completed site audit that you can use as a point of reference:

• N:\Custom Web\Web Content\Dex\Audits - Site Architecture\BES Packaging Corporation - 667396• All site audits are currently performed in excel, so I hope you know your way around spreadsheets.

• On the first sheet of this audit. You will notice that all the URLs are listed on the far left column from top to bottom. All information connected to each URL is listed in the same row.

• Each URL is also color coded to indicate the site architecture. The “Color Legend” is located at the bottom of Sheet One.

• Basically, any main navigation items (such as Home or Contact Us) are colored blue. • Any sub-pages of the main navigation pages (such as under the Clamshells page) are colored green.

• If there are additional sub pages that drill deeper into a particular category, then you use the next color listed in the legend.

• Any new pages that you think should be added to the site (such as About Us and Testimonials) are colored tan.

• All Sub pages are listed directly under the corresponding page they are connected to.

Site Audit Workflow Continued…• By referencing the same site audit, you can also find the “Content Quality Legend” at the bottom of

sheet 1, next to the Color Legend. The legend is pretty self, explanatory, but I’ll explain how we generally use it anyway.

• There are only 3 clients that I can think of who had content that ranked a 5. This is mostly because almost all our clients are using outdated SEO practices and we cannot reuse the titles, descriptions, or h1 tags. And even if they are actually using good SEO practices and we keep the meta tags, that doesn’t always mean they have great copy too.

• Content ranked at 4 is much more common. Basically, the meta needs to be reworked, but the body copy is great. This also means that we can repurpose the body copy on the client’s new site if they decide to keep the same page moving forward (I’ll talk more about repurposing content when we address building the sitemap).

• Content ranked at 3 usually needs a little work before it is truly effective. Maybe the copy is underdeveloped, or the formatting is poorly organized. Sometimes there’s just too much copy and it needs to be condensed. Most of the time, the problem is that the copy is very generic, filled with cliché’s and buzzwords that do very little to actually talk about the client’s business, products, or services.

• Note: even though content ranked at a 3 should be revised, website consultants will usually push to have the content repurposed because it is very difficult to get client’s to write a lot of copy (we only write what the client pays for—usually 3 pages… more on this later). Remember that you make the final decision about what content is used or not used, but compromise is a handy tool when your trying to build bridges.

• Pages ranked with a 2 or 1 should always have new copy written and the quality of images/videos should be assessed as well.

Site Audit Workflow Continued…• On the second sheet of the same site audit referenced earlier, you will see that a sitemap has been created, and

notes have been taken for each page. • When creating a new site architecture for client’s, it helps to use the same color legend referenced on sheet 1. This not only helps internal

communication become standardized between teams, but it also provides a great visual aid for clients to review while on content calls. • The largest challenge you will face when building a new site architecture for clients is the page count. There are

packages that clients purchase, which establish the scope of each website project. • Most of our clients purchase the $2,500.00 package, and that package only allows for 15 pages to be created before launch. Of those 15

pages, we will only write up to 3 pages with 300 words of copy or less on each. • Most of our clients also have existing websites that far exceed the established page count. Some sites will have under 15 pages. Most sites

will have 20 – 30 pages. And I’ve seen other sites break well beyond 100 pages. • It is your job to determine which pages are deleted, consolidated, or repurposed. This can get very difficult if the

client has a lot of useful content, but it must be done in order to maintain profitability and to keep the client’s launch on schedule.

• You cannot go out of scope for any client with page count or copy written. This is one of those standards that has a hard line drawn in the sand. No negotiating with clients. No compromising with Website consultants. No scope creep. Period.

Useful Resources for Site Audits• You can review all package details at the URL below:

• https://sites.google.com/a/boostability.com/cws/cws-packages• The standard package details should also be pinned on the wall in your cubicle.

• Here are some other resources you can use, if you want to research any of the topics discussed so far:• http://www.amazon.com/Content-Strategy-Web-2nd-Edition/dp/0321808304

• Buy this book! It has been my bible for creating effective content strategies. All of the principles outlined in this book (including detailed descriptions about site audits) have been the fundamental undertone for everything I have done here at Boostability. Not only did this author teach me what content strategy really is, but she also taught me how to use content strategy to win friends and push initiatives forward. If nothing else, just read the forward at the beginning of the book.

• The Content Audit Template I created combines principles from all three types of audits outlined in Content Strategy for the Web• http://braintraffic.com/

• You can also check out Kristina Halvorson’s website/business model.• https://blog.gathercontent.com/how-to-perform-a-content-audit• This is a great explanation for why content audits are important and how you can use them to gather crucial information about clients. It also comes from

gathercontent. This company sells content strategy software that we are trying to implement into the content strategy process here at Boost. More information about gathercontent will be addressed in the Future Initiative section. You can also talk to the WC team lead (Javier) for more info as well.

• Finally, talk to your teammates! Robin Johnson, Melissa Muse, and Zack Heckert are all familiar with the site audit process.

Now…

Next Task: Content Strategy Calls• Content calls are where you have a

chance to strategize with the client about website objectives and get crucial information from the client about the copy we will write for them.

• Content calls are also where you approve the finalized sitemap. After the content call, the sitemap is set in stone and you can rely on it to make sure all pages are accounted for.

• This is your only chance to get the information you need, so make it count.

• The content call relies heavily on site audits, so make sure you have those figured out before you get on the phones.

Content Call Objectives• The main objective of the content call is simple: Find out what only the client knows about his or her business, and

communicate that information to our writers. Where this objective becomes difficult is when you try to take that information and make it marketable. It’s not that our clients don’t have marketable products/services. Rather, it’s finding the features about a clients business that best benefit their customer base and then making sure that our writers know how to communicate that effectively in their copy.

• Your second objective on the content call is to make sure that the client knows how their site will function, and what they need to do to sustain the content strategies you are trying to employ. Most of the clients here at Boostability have no background in online marketing or copywriting. It is your job to help educate them on the tactics you employ, and it is your job to make sure that the website actually provides marketing value for the client. In other words, there needs to be a standard of quality that will produce profitable conversion rates if and when the client decides to launch an online marketing campaign.

• Your third objective is to build trust and rapport with the client through transparency and open communication. You need to make sure they understand their package and the scope of the project, as well as inform them about our process and what we are trying to accomplish with their new site. The more open you are with the client, the easier it will be to work with them.

• All of this must be done within 30 minutes. Because these websites are sold at such a low price, there are strict time constraints that need to be followed in order to make each project profitable.

Content Call Workflow• Content calls are supposed to be scheduled after the Design call, but before mockup approval. If you refer to the Custom

Websites Workflow on slide 3, you can see that the WC’s have a one week window to fit in appointments for content calls. However, this doesn’t always happen and you may end up speaking with a client much further on in the process (especially if there are problems), or you may not speak with the client at all.

• Right now, about 40% of all clients that funnel through the workflow have content calls scheduled. • There are two reasons why we don’t schedule calls with every client. First, some client’s prefer to handle their own content, or simply repurpose all

the content from their existing website. And second, scheduling content calls with every client would max out your schedule and put a lot of strain on the website consultants because they are on every call with you and don’t always have time in their own schedules to fit that many appointments.

• One factor that might change these ratios is that Javier (WC Team Lead), Lance (Design Team Lead), and myself (now you) have been developing a combined design and content call that allows content strategy and design to work closely together to create better sites with a simpler workflow for everyone. The challenge is keeping the call short enough that the client doesn’t become exhausted from new concepts, or frustrated with how much is going on. The call itself is meant to feel conversational. You and the designer will need to figure out a system for handing the conversation off to each other so that both of you can get the info you need without confusing the client. Some design and content areas overlap, while others help inform both parties about what the other is doing. We are trying to keep the call to 45 minutes.

• You can talk with Javier and Lance about where this is at for more details.

Content Call Workflow Continued…• The content call itself is pretty straightforward. As it stands right now, there is an opening script that outlines the

structure of the call for the client, and covers the scope of the client’s project. There is also a list of questions that I work from to get the information I need for our copywriters.

• I created the script and researched all the questions, but that does not mean you have to keep either of these tools in their current format. If you have your own style that you want to inject into the call, go for it.

• The WC in charge of the account will introduce you at the beginning of the call. Once introduced, You will start every call with the script, which leads you into reviewing the proposed sitemap that the WCs are supposed to have approved before the call (This happens about 30% of the time). As you finalize the sitemap, you will make recommendations for which pages you think our copywriters should handle. After you reach an agreement with the client about who is responsible for each page of content, you will move into discovery and ask any questions you think are necessary to write the pages that our writers are responsible for.

• The number of pages you recommend we write for the client depends on their package size, the quality of the content on their existing site, and how willing the client is to write their own content. You can review the packages on the custom websites wiki mentioned on slide 11.

• After collecting the information you need, you will return the call back to the WC to wrap things up. Content calls should not take longer than 30 minutes. This doesn’t always happen (especially if you have to build the sitemap on the call) but do your best to keep it as close to 30 minutes as possible.

Content Call Workflow Continued…• If you refer back to the Site Audit on slide 8, you’ll notice that on the second sheet, where the sitemap is

built, there are notes to the right that are broken out by page. These are notes that were taken during a content call. You don’t have to take notes like this, but I have found it to be very useful for a number of reasons:

• Having all the pages in front of you and being able to add notes to each page in an easy format allows you to organize your thoughts and direct the call more effectively with the client.

• You eliminate the chance of forgetting pages or missing content on pages.• You can hold the client and the WC accountable for what was agreed upon during the content call. • You can map out strategies before the call for each page, so that you can make recommendations with confidence.• Setting up your notes like this will also help you create the briefs for the writers, and you can use them as a reference when

filling out the site architecture in Launchpad. • All the research and information you collect for each client stays in one document that everyone can access.

• All in all, taking notes during your content call is critical. You might take a content call months before you get to the brief, so if you don’t write it down, chances are you will forget what you and the client discussed. I hope you’re fast on the keyboard.

Useful Resources for Content Calls• Here are some of the most prominent resources I have relied on for content calls:

• http://www.marketingexperiments.com/• The amount of free information about online marketing on this website is incredible. And it’s not just another blogger’s opinion about online marketing either.

Marketing Experiments is one of the leading ecommerce research institutions world wide. Every principle they teach is backed by strong statistics and millions of A/B tests. I have probably watched almost all of their web clinics and have even participated in a few live web clinics. If you don’t already know about this resource, I would strongly encourage you to watch at least a few of the web clinics they have archived on their site. These web clinics and other content sources from Marketing experiments gave me the insight and depth of knowledge necessary to explain to clients how their website should be organized and why. They also taught me how to talk about online marketing clearly. Knowing how to break down concepts like value propositions, or conversion rates to clients is a huge advantage on the phone. And although they cover a lot more material than you will ever use at Boostability, the knowledge you will gain ensures that you will be able to talk to clients about any marketing concern with ease, even if it falls outside the scope of what we do here at Boostability and your role as a content strategist.

• http://www.copyblogger.com/• Copyblogger is a great site for copywriting principles and online content marketing specifically. However, because they remain on the “blogging” side of content

marketing primarily, you have to be able to discern what principles apply to website copy, and which are best left for blogs and social media. You should also note that these principles only apply to you as much as they help you inform the client about the content strategies you are creating.

• http://rainmaker.fm/• Rainmaker.fm is the podcast version of Copyblogger. Brian Clark is a brilliant marketer who demonstrates powerful marketing tactics and concepts so that they are

applicable in many scenarios. What I think you will gain most from the podcasts presented on this site is a particular mindset about content marketing that can help you come up with creative solutions for inevitable problems that always seem to crop up with website projects. You can use these content marketing principles to inform your content strategies.

• And, as always, talk with your fellow teammates for advice and direction. The WCs and Designers understand our customer base very well and they can give you pointers about how to handle particular clients better. I always talk to them before calls.

Just remember… Content Strategy Is Not Content Marketing

Third Task: Writing Briefs• All the hard work you have done up until this point

—the audits, the content calls, the haggling with WCs and client’s about what content goes where, staying within scope, and everything else—means nothing without the brief.

• Writing a brief for our writers is your opportunity to translate all the information you’ve collected from clients into an understandable format that directs our writers on what to write and how to write it. It also gives you an opportunity to share the clients vision for the site with the implementation specialists if they want special formatting, images, videos, or other content design features that our team handles.

• You will write these briefs during the content creation stage of the custom web workflow. At this point, all content the client agreed to write should be available. If it’s not, you need to push the ticket back to the WC until he or she is able to provide the necessary content, or get approval from the client to move forward anyway.

Brief Objectives• There are actually two parts to writing briefs: Developing the site architecture in Launchpad and creating the Content

Document in Microsoft Word. I will review both below and the objectives you should be trying to accomplish. 1. Site Architecture:

• Your first objective when creating the site architecture is to map out all the pages in the appropriate order, and designate who is responsible for each page of content. You will also be telling the writers how to handle any provided content from here as well. However, if instructions become complicated or lengthy, they will end up in the content document instead.

• Your second objective is to create a keyword foundation that includes keyword phrases for each page as well as geo targeted locations. Right now, all we have to use for keyword research is Google Trends. If you have something else in mind that is free and will be approved by management, that’s great. Just keep in mind that we don’t actually manage SEO campaigns in the Custom Web Department. They handle that in the corporate office, and the SEO account managers generally take their own approach. In other words, you want to spend enough time on keywords for them to be relevant and easy for the writers to use, but not so much time that you will be disappointed when you find out that the SEO team has decided to take a different direction with the clients copy.

2. Content Document:• The main objective in the content document is to provide the writers and implementation specialists with as much information as you can so that they

can do their job effectively. Your job as a content strategist is to make sure they don’t have to do anything they shouldn’t have to. Simply put, writers are supposed to write—not research, talk to clients, contact the WC, and, most of all, make guesses. Implementation Specialists should be able to focus on format, layout, and design without impediments.This goal isn’t always achievable. There will be clients who just don’t want to cooperate, WCs who aren’t willing to provide information, and designs that don’t match the content. In these cases, you just have to trust the writers and implementation specialists to make the right judgment call. But, overall, you should always be trying to outline everything for them. It’s not that they can’t do the work; it’s that they shouldn’t have to and productivity suffers when they are forced to perform additional tasks. This what you are here for. This is what it means to be a content strategist. You perform all the backend work and frontload everything for the teams you support.

Brief Workflow—Site Architecture• The image to the right is a snapshot of the site architecture for the

client we have been following from the site audit. If you want to view the full site architecture in Launchpad, ask Robin to show you where it is. The client name and ID are listed below:

• BES Packaging Corporation – 667396

• If you pull the audit back up for this client, you will notice that we have used the sitemap on sheet two to create the architecture in Launchpad, and we have relied on the notes to determine whether the client is responsible for the content or our writers.

• The image to the right shows you where each page will appear in the main navigation, where the keywords are listed for each page, and what our writers need to do with the content on each page.

• For content provided by the client, we simply proof the content and implement it on the new site. For content we are responsible for, the writers can review the brief in the word document for more instructions.

• If a client has provided content that has special instructions for how it needs to be formatted, you will use the “see brief for details” note even though the page is marked “provided by client” so that the writers know they need to pay attention to additional instructions beyond editing for spelling, grammar, and formatting.

• Ask Robin for specifics on how to notate each field in the architecture.

Brief Workflow—Content Document• The image to the right is a screenshot of the brief for BES Packaging

Corporation. You can view the full content document using the file-path below:

• N:\Custom Web\Web Content\Dex\Final Content Documents\BES Packaging Corporation – 667396

• You’ll notice that each section of the brief is underlined. I will be going over each section below:

• Content Brief: This section is used for any notes that apply to the project as a whole, or if there are any special considerations regarding the client.

• Brand:This section outlines the main selling points of the business and any expectations the business has developed with their market audience.

• Tone:This section provides a list of words that shape the tone and voice of the piece. The writers are encouraged to use words from this list.

• Target Audience:This section helps our writers talk more directly to the market audience, albeit commercial, residential, mostly women, farmers etc…

• Value Proposition:This section emphasizes what sets the client apart from competitors. It should be the main offering on the site.

• Page Specific Info:This section allows you to outline additional instructions for each page we are writing.

• Implementation Notes:This section outlines any special instructions for the implementation specialists.

Brief Workflow Continued…Once You are done with the brief, you need to set up each page section in the content document. (You can get detailed instructions about how to set up the rest of the word document by talking to Robin.)Then you need to assign the ticket to a writer both in Launchpad and on the Google spreadsheet shown on the right.Robin can show you how to perform these steps better than I can dictate them via this slide deck, so talk with her about assigning tickets to writers and how to use this spreadsheet.

Future Initiatives!• The content strategy process has not been developed beyond this point, but that doesn’t mean there are

not other plans in the works. Outlined below are a few of the projects I have been trying to get off the ground. Whether you choose to pursue these initiatives or not is your choice.

• Design/Content CallI have already mentioned this process change on slide 15, but it’s worth mentioning again. The main reason behind this change is not for an easier workflow process (although it does achieve that). It is so content strategy can start working more directly with design. The role of a content strategist is not limited to just copy. Content means images, videos, UX, IA, Podcasts, Social media, blogging, copy, and any other communication medium used on the web today, including design. Although your job is specific to websites, that does not mean that you should ignore these other roles, and you should be actively trying to expand the effectiveness of content strategy wherever possible. By working with design, you can start communicating with them about matching design and content more effectively and eventually provide support for that team as well.

• GatherContent.comI have also mentioned this initiative as well in the resources section on slide 11. However, it is more than just a resource. The software they have developed is specifically designed for content strategy project management. By adopting this software at boost, process times could be reduced significantly. However, like the Design/Content call, it’s not about the process. It’s about creating a more effective way to work with the WCs and clients. I’m not going to lie: There has been some bad blood between the content team and the Website Consultants, and I have done my very best to mend those bridges, but they still need a lot of work. Javier is awesome, and he is totally on board with content, so make sure to start working with him on this project right away.

Future Initiatives Continued...• Internal Content Audits

As it stands right now, there is no internal process for measuring the quality of content produced by our own writers. I have been trying to rectify this for quite a while, but due to logistical issues and corporate politics, I couldn’t make it happen. Our writers were in a different location, managed by a different team lead. Now, however, the writers have been moved to our team in the custom web department. This allows for a much stronger relationship with the writers and provides you with the opportunity to start measuring their level of expertise. When last I spoke with robin about this goal, we had talked about reviewing one writing task at random from each writer every week. Based on these audits, feedback from the implementation specialists, and the revision tickets we receive from clients, you should be able to get an idea of where the quality of our writer’s copy can be improved.

• Weekly Training Sessions• The plan was to begin creating training sessions every week with the writers and implementation specialists based on the results of

the internal content audits. Basically, you would be creating trainings that would target areas of writing that needed to be improved upon. I would suggest starting with tone and voice. Right now, almost every piece of copy sounds the same. There is very little difference between how a doctor sounds and how a construction company sounds. It’s all the same copy.

One Last Thing…