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The Web Content Strategist's Bible

Available now in Printed or eBook versions

Content Strategy - A New and Lucrative Career for Smart, Organized Writers of All Kinds

   In the post-Information-Architecture Web environment, website managers are running up against a new problem – Web site content is out of control! Creative information architects gave designers the ability to create new, large-scale websites with expansive, yet elegant, navigation systems - and did we ever use them. So much so that now most corporate websites contain so much information that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with demands for updating and maintaining existing content, much less adding new content.

Content Strategist - A New Breed of Writing Professional

 Managing the creation and maintenance of this huge volume of Web content requires an understanding of not just Web writing, but of detailed, well-planned, realistic content development processes.

   Those practicing the new discipline of Content Strategy are being called upon to help Web development teams navigate this new editorial ecosystem where content not only has to be written, but also broken up into thousands of pieces that have to be reviewed, approved, repurposed, edited for search engines, translated, localized, and generated using a new and complex set of tools and techniques.

Content Strategy is Poised for Growth

   As content development projects get more complicated, pushing the limits of what content management systems can handle, and Web traffic gets harder to generate and keep, content strategy will increasingly become an important part of the Web development process. A study from long-time Content Strategist Gerry McGovern shows how a structured content strategy increased one site's performance by 147 percent.

   Much like the practice of Information Architecture was only four or five years ago, the discipline of Content Strategy is now poised for a period of huge growth in importance and acceptance as part of the strategic foundation of website design. As McGovern's study has shown, the payoffs in site performance can be measurable and significant.

   The Web Content Strategist's Bible explains how the practice of content strategy can be used to effectively manage the size, scope, and cost of content-heavy Web development projects.

   Presented in an easy, readable style, the book explains the fundamentals of content strategy using recent examples and the presentation of best practices. Focusing on asking the right questions and gathering relevant information needed for efficient project planning and development.

Topics include:

• An overview of content strategy for both newcomers and experienced practitioners
• An overview of the various roles and players on a Web development team
• Samples and descriptions of more than twenty analysis tools and documents that need to be created in every phase of a website development project, from planning and analysis all the way to development and maintenance
• A complete description of the Content Matrix and how to develop one
• The basics of Web Content Management Systems and their role in creating Web content
• Web content translation and globalization processes and best practices
  Advice for interviewing and getting your first job as a Web content strategist

Successful content strategists come from diverse backgrounds including, but in no way limited to:

• Technical writers
• Journalists
• Project managers
• Information architects
• Copywriters
• PR specialists

   If you have good writing skills, and can plan and organize a project, The Web Content Strategist’s Bible will fill in the rest.

Who This Book is For

• Writers and editors of all kinds who want a better, higher paying, job as a part of a Web site development team
• Working content strategists who want to see how things are done elsewhere and expand, and improve, the perception of Web content strategy as a professional practice
• Web project managers who want to fully understand the Web site content development process so they can create accurate, complete, and workable project plans. No more late content!

What You Will Learn

• How a Web site design team functions (page 9)
• How a Web content strategist can work with, and assist, an Information Architect or User Experience designer (page 20)
• How to avoid the three biggest flaws in most project plans for Web site development (page 27)
• How to work as a Web content consultant when the project is first being defined (page 32)
• How to analyze existing Web site content for possible re-use or editing (page 45)
• How to analyze a client’s existing editorial process and make editorial process improvement recommendations (page 52)
• How to create and maintain a comprehensive Web site content matrix (page 61)
• How to define and create an editorial style guide to be used by anyone who is creating content for the project to endure consistency (page 70)
• How to plan for maintenance, an frequent source of trouble (page 89)
• How to create and get approval for a policy for archiving Web site content (page 92)
• How to create a process that easily handles content translation and localization (page 94)
• How Web Content Management Systems work and how to convey that understanding to a potential client or employer (page107)
• How to get your first job as a Web content strategist (page 124)
• How to use supporting academic research to make your content strategy recommendations stick (page 124)
  
  

  Customer Feeback "Kudos! I wish the Content Strategy Bible had been in existence eight years ago when I began my career as a Content Strategist and had to figure all this out myself! The methodical process and examples provided in this "how-to" book should not only be an inspiration for those writers seeking a new career related to the web, but for experienced practitioners as well, who are looking to compare notes. This book also provides a great reference for evangelizing the role of content strategy to clients or to management for upcoming projects. Kudos Richard, for a job well done." Lisa Lehman Trager, Content Strategist - NJ

Content Strategy Deliverables Explained in Detail

Since every project is different, The Web Content Strategist's Bible explains how to build the various deliverables needed during a content strategy engagement by listing the kinds of questions to ask and data to collect at each stage of the project.

Discovery Phase Documents/Deliverables

Content Project Summary Worksheet
Content Inventory Spreadsheet
Existing Content Audit
Content Datascape
Missing Source Content Report
Content Workshop Agenda

Analysis Phase Documents/Deliverables

The Content Strategy Document
Existing Content Analysis
Content Gap Analysis of Current Site
Competitive Content Analysis
Editorial Process Analysis
Making Editorial Process Recommendations
Readiness Analysis

Design Phase Documents/Deliverables

The Content Matrix (New - Template file provided as a bonus)
Editorial Style Guide (New - Template file provided as a bonus)
Sample Style Guide Table of Contents
Approval Process
Translation Process
WCMS Development Consulting

Build Phase Documents/Deliverables

The Content Reviewer Guide
Tracking the Project

Maintenance Phase Documents/Deliverables

Ongoing Website Maintenance
Establishing an Editorial Calendar
Content Removal Process Description
Archival Plan and Policy

With a complete explanation of how to create these client-facing documents, even a brand new content strategist can hit the ground running and be a contributing team member, right from day one.

A Note From the Author (and some useful bribes)

I need your help! I’m a smart guy but I don’t claim to know everything about anything, much less something as complex as content strategy and website development.

Bonus # 1 - Free Updates for Life!

I want to know what you think about the book. Tell me about the parts you like and what needs more work.

I’ll send everyone who buys the book a direct email link so you can send me your comments and suggestions.

In return, I’ll send everyone who responds a notification and a link to download the latest version whenever I make changes. Next week, next month, or next year, you will always have the latest updates.

Bonus # 2 - Content Matrix Master Template File!

You asked for it... here you go! Hopefully, this content matrix template file alone will save you more than enough time to justify the cost of this guide. It took me a few hours to put together, and then tweak so that it works just right. The content matrix contains 44 columns and lets you capture and track every detail that I could think of. It also has rows of sample text so you can see how I use it and what kinds of information go in each column. Just add your logo, change the name to yours, and you are ready to start billing hours!

Bonus # 3 - Editorial Styleguide Template!

Once content development is about to start on any project, the whole thing will come grinding to a halt without a well-thought-out style guide. Should all the writers use email, e-mail, or Email? Website or web site? A good style guide will keep the writing moving and help produce consistent result. This reusable 37-page Editorial Styleguide Template will give you a huge headstart in the development process. Just plug in your name and the project name, make a few changes to reflect your preferred usage and you are ready to go.

My Personal Guarantee to You

I want everyone who has an interest to feel comfortable taking a look at the ebook so my personal guarantee to you is this:

Content Strategist is the Best Writing Job I’ve Ever Had

I’ve had all kinds of writing jobs, even a few years as a freelance magazine writer, and Content Strategist is easily the best of the bunch. It’s the only one where:

• I am well paid either as a contractor or as a full-time employee
• I get to be creative and have real creative input - I’m not just taking orders
• I work on great teams with fun, creative people
• I get to have real and meaningful strategic input - my teams listen and value my input
• I get to work on cutting-edge Web-based projects

If this sounds like your kind of writing career, then give the ebook a look and let me know what you think!

Best of luck,

Author: The Web Content Strategist’s Bible

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