Some individuals may be surprised to know that a substantial amount of the work in creating a website takes place outside of the content management system. In fact, users can start planning for a new website project months before even getting access to a CMS. This is because content creation and planning are system agnostic: it doesn’t matter what CMS is used. Content authors still need a content plan.
Expand the tabs below to read information on tools and processes that may help units plan and prepare content for a new website project or for website maintenance work.
A content inventory is a list of all possible content and content sources for a website. Examine all communications materials in the unit: magazines, newsletters, emails, social media content, existing websites and webpages, flyers, handouts and more.
Create a spreadsheet list of all this content, including the following details:
- Where is it located?
- How is the content connected to other content?
- How is it structured and stored?
- What is the format?
- For web content:
- How much traffic does it get?
- Can search engines find it or is it hidden from indexing?
Content authors can use this inventory to feed into the Content Audit and Content Priority Guide tools (see below).
Content audits add a layer of evaluation to the content inventory. In the book “The Content Strategy Toolkit,” author Meghan Casey notes that when reviewing content as part of a measurement plan and rolling or annual audit, “you’re looking for whether it supports the strategy, is appropriate for the audience, communicates key messages, uses clear calls to action and employs a voice and tone that reflect the brand.”
Use a content audit document to evaluate webpages to this end. Note which pages need to be updated or improved, what should be removed or not included in the new website, what gaps need to be addressed with new webpages, and what content from the inventory is missing and should be included on the new website. Start the content audit using the site inventory or a site crawl spreadsheet and add in additional detail columns as needed.
Document details about the content, such as:
- What is the content about?
- Who is the intended audience? Who is this content for? (Remember: if it’s for everyone, it’s for no one!)
- What is the intended purpose? What does this content do? What user goals is it designed to support?
- Is the content brand-aligned? Does it have the correct voice and tone?
- Does the content have an appropriate and compelling call to action?
- Do links work and link to the correct location?
- Are pages accessible using navigation?
- Are pages mobile-friendly? Do design changes need to be made to improve the experience on mobile devices?
- How long is the content?
- Is the content up to date and accurate? How often does it change?
- Who is responsible for creating, updating and maintaining the content?
- How easy is it to scan and understand the content?
- For example, are there page headings and subheadings, bulleted or numbered lists and short paragraphs?
- Use a tool such as Hemingway App to evaluate the readability of the content.
Create a content priority guide for each key page on a website. This guide documents the goal for each page. It then lists and prioritizes the content that will be included on that page, with the most important content going at the top. Prioritization should be based on the user’s needs, not the needs of the unit. Anticipate users’ top questions and needs. Note the intent of each included component: what is that specific piece of content meant to do and why is it on the page?
View additional resources for creating quality priority guides:
- Priority Guides: A Content-First Alternative to Wireframes by A List Apart
- Priority Guide with Intent by Workday Design
Content copy documents (often referred to as copy docs) are documents that contain all the text and other content that will be placed on a webpage. These can be created in any word processing tool, such as Microsoft Word. Copy docs should reflect the prioritization decisions made in the content priority guide for the page.
University Communications and Marketing has found copy docs to be an effective tool for drafting, editing and finalizing content prior to building a webpage or website. It is often easiest for editorial staff to review content in a Word doc where they can make and track changes. It also allows for non-content management system, or CMS, users to review content without needing CMS access or training. Content can be drafted, edited, finalized and approved in the document and then copied into the CMS.
A content migration map is a spreadsheet of all webpages on an existing website and all planned pages on a new website. This is commonly used when migrating from one CMS to another. It is used to track which old page URLs need to redirect to new URLs and which pages are going away entirely and where they should be redirected.
Additional columns can be used for internal project workflows: who is responsible for migrating content, migration status, who is responsible for approving pages and approval status.
An editorial calendar is a document that accounts for ongoing website maintenance. Websites with news stories or blog content often use an editorial calendar to map out what content will be produced and when it will be published. This is a good tool for ensuring content is created to address all strategic goals and audience needs.
Editorial calendars, or similar tools, also can be useful for websites with static pages that do not often change. Create a schedule for reviewing webpages to ensure the content on each page is accurate and up to date. If pages contain content that is impacted by external events, such as rankings releases, tie review dates to these event schedules. Be sure to assign an individual responsible for reviewing and updating content on each website or webpage/section within the website.
Additional Information
User-Centered Design Conventions
Review best practices for crafting website user experiences.
MSU Research: What Makes a Good Headline?
Headlines can impact whether an audience member wants to view content. They can also impact SEO. MSU researchers have provided advice for developing quality headlines.
Documentation updated: Nov. 1, 2024
Note: According to the Literacy Project, the average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level. Readability is a part of web accessibility. WCAG best practices indicate that text should not require “reading ability more advanced than the lower secondary education level” for WCAG 2.0 Level AAA. MSU’s standard is for WCAG 2.0 Level AA, but content authors should still strive to provide readable content when possible.
Individuals reading on the web often scan page content, so even if they have a higher reading capability, they may not absorb all content while quickly reviewing a website.