Within web marketing circles, you hear about developing content as a strategy to drive traffic and gain exposure. But content isn’t a strategy for marketing the website; instead, the website should be the vehicle for delivering the message that your visitor wants.
This is where many marketers and web developers go wrong. They focus on the website, then create the message around that. What they should be doing is focusing on the message and crafting everything to meet the needs of the message. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”@StoneyD”]The website should play a supporting role to the star of the show, namely your content messaging.[/inlinetweet]
The Message Is the Foundation
Everything we do when developing and optimizing a site revolves around the message. Start with the overall messaging. Your home page design and navigation should reflect this. From there, each individual page has its own message and should be designed to accommodate that.
When reviewing the content/message, ask yourself the following questions:
- Why did the visitor land on this page?
- What information does the visitor need to get what they came for?
- What action should the visitor take next?
- What’s the best way to guide the visitor toward and through that action?
The answers to these questions will determine what content goes on the page and how it will be displayed visually.
Look beyond what to write. Instead, look to give the visitor the best content experience possible. First, determine their initial need, and next, drive them to the next step in their journey, whatever that should be.