You would have heard the saying, “Content is king”. They told me that for a reason.
Yet, 63% of businesses do not have a content strategy for their website.
If you want to impress your visitors, drawing up a strong website content strategy is your best bet.
Are you excited yet? I’ll guide you on how to build a web content strategy for your startupthat delivers promising results.
Buckle up.
GetGet The Basics Of Web Content Right
When it comes to content, you cannot go wrong with the three following aspects as they are the baby steps to creating a website content strategy.
1. Conduct preliminary research
“We need to talk about the importance of self-awareness.” –> Gary Vaynerchuk.
As a startup, do you know what you are here to offer? What is it that you bring to the table that makes you better than thousands of your peers? How do you want your website to be? How many web pages should you create?
These are a few simple questions. Find out the answers to understand what the market is around you.
Analyzing your audience is by far the most important part of building a content strategy for the web.
For instance, a website on aquascaping attracts aquascapers and enthusiasts while a website on smartphones attracts a wider and diverse audience.
This is a simple example of how website content strategy can change depending on who your audience is and what they expect. From the web design, the layout to the type of content, everything changes.
2.Be precise with your brand message
Now it is time to take action.
Start with your web pages. Whether it is the about page or FAQs, craft the message you want to convey so that you don’t spend too much time dwelling.
Forbes recommends an average word count of 600 to 700 per page so anywhere between that mark would be a good start.
As for articles and blog posts, some studies say over 3000 words get more views while Ahrefs points out the best practice is to be exactly 750 words.
Once you decide that, here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Elaborate on the message. You want the message to get through. Rather than combining a few tweets and calling it content, elaborate so that the visitor is satisfied.
- Short posts do not bring you to the top of search results. They get labeled as thin content and are cast away.
- Create content that provides what the customers expect. What you offer must match what they want.
- Build your content’s personality right from the get-go. What separates you from the average startup that mimics other pieces of content.
- Do not try hard to perfect it. Updating your content plan along the way is one of the best practices of a web content strategy.
- Eloquence is not important. Content should be digestible and the readers don’t want to go through a dictionary to find out what you said. As long as you offer value, you are good to go.
As a startup, hiring writers and content creators can go beyond your budget. To keep it under control, you can post ads on Upwork and Reddit where you can find economical SEO writers.
Owning a website for a startup means you will stumble into mistakes. That is fine. Reaching out to a web design company can provide you with a fresh perspective.
3. Plan your SEO strategy
Now we move to SEO where you will have to spend some money.
Since you have a startup, sticking to a low budget will be economical in the long run. Out of the several factors that help you rank higher, you have to focus on two things:
- Keyword research
- Link building
Do this first: hire an SEO expert and create a keyword plan.
If hiring an SEO expert is expensive and is beyond your budget, compile client-specific questions. That way, you can structure the content around it.
The general idea is the more pages that link to you, the more valuable your page becomes. Getting backlinks organically from other websites shows that you are authentic and a reliable source of information. This pushes you higher in the ranking.
Getting backlinks will take time. But you can use internal links to boost your web pages. This creates a solid structure for web crawlers so that almost all your important pages are found and ranked.
Formulae for a well-written website content
Everybody can write. But web content needs more attention than writing a 600-word essay.
If you are just starting to write attractive web content, here are a few aspects you should focus on:
1. Nature of your content
The shorter the paragraphs are, the better for the reader. Even kids can’t focus much these days so keeping your sentences crisp and short is a basic practice of a web content strategy.
Choose active voice over passive voice. That makes it more of a direct conversation rather than just a bunch of paragraphs.
2. Tone
Nobody likes an angry, numb, or boring tone. Tone also depends on what your business niche is.
A fun and engaging tone suits best for gaming, kids, and food blogs whereas a confident tone speaks well for eCommerce websites to win customers.
3. Website Structure
The blueprint is super necessary.
Every article and web page has a clear purpose and to fulfill that purpose, you have to provide a strong layout.
70% of readers depend on the headings you use in your content. Normal CTAs are fine but personalized calls to action double your conversion rate. Spend some extra time to craft them with a personal touch.
Strategize your web content for the long run
A content strategy for your website is not a “one size fits all” document that you can blindly follow.
Mistakes are bound to happen and changes can be unavoidable.
My guess is you are here to make your startup successful. So you want to formulate a website content strategy not for months but a few years and see how things play out.
If that is you, you need to take the extra step and prepare accordingly. Here are four things to follow while you execute your content strategy for the web:
1. Use data to your advantage
Can you measure your weight without a scale or your height without tape? Obviously no.
Data is your friend and the scale to measure how good things are going with your website.
Data can bring new perspectives to mix new ideas, revive your old posts, or even republish your content on other platforms to funnel new traffic. Put them to good use.
Start with Google Analytics.
From basic info like your traffic and content performance to advanced goal setting and demographic charts, you can do it all.
You also have Google Search Console.
Google tells you if it encounters any issues on your website so that you can fix them. You also have the option to find out the query that brings visitors. That way, you can optimize your keyword strategy.
2. How frequent should you be posting?
A common practice of a web content strategy is publishing 3 articles a week and you like that strategy.
What if the numbers don’t look impressive? What do you do?
Like I said before, there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy.
Since SEO will be a key factor to rank higher and bring traffic, perform keyword research, and formulate a plan for at least 4 to 6 months.
You just have to experiment until you find the right one. Hubspot’s statistics suggest posting more than 11 posts a month brings 300% more traffic than posting just once.
That is quite the jump.
For startups, churning out content every month could be expensive. In that case, you should consider guest posting to keep the rhythm going.
It is not a bad idea to mix things up. What matters is how consistent you are with your approach.
3. Analyze, update, publish, repeat
Viewers consume content through different media. Expecting them to come to you is like trying to straighten a dog’s tail.
Instead, take the exciting route. Go to them.
With Google Analytics, check out the demographic of users that check out your website. With that, create the same ideas in different formats.
If you are creating a new clothing brand, here are things you can do:
- Talk about it on your podcast.
- Record HD videos and publish them on YouTube.
- Post cool images on Pinterest.
- Create a presentation that summarizes your blog post.
- Run ads on Facebook and Instagram that promote specific products during a new launch or a sale.
This breaks the unidimensional web content strategy of the old days and brings more eyes and ears to your website.
4. Hunt for new ideas
Did you know that tools like Hubspot’s idea generator and Ubersuggest are free?
Ideas are infinite if you have the will to put them into action and that is where you can use tools like Ubersuggest in your favor.
When you send newsletters to customers, listen to them patiently on their recommendations and suggestions. Their two cents can be of great value.
You will never know.
Before wrapping up, if you are planning to craft a new website content strategy or renovate your current plan, it is better to seek professional assistance.
This is where Gyan Devign Tech Services come into the picture.
Final Words: To craft the best web content strategy
Unlike many other web design companies, we help you build a website content strategy that you can rely on in the long run.
You don’t have to worry about how your articles are performing, what the traffic is, or any other technical factor.
We help businesses by creating a website that delivers the results not just now but in the years to come. We never fall short of quality and our work speaks for itself.
All you need to do is reach out to us now to get a quote and discuss what your business ideas are. Let us put them to the test.
