When it comes to understanding content strategy, you need to realize that not everyone can understand it in the same manner, and that it is a relatively new concept which does not have a clear definition. First of all, you have to keep in mind that content strategy is not just about content writing. A number of other things related  to it concern web designers, such as development, production, design and presentation.

This post intends to study the relationship of content strategy and design in the processes of creation, arrangement and display of web copies. An interesting interplay of content and design is capable of bringing in a breakthrough result.

Content Strategy in a Nutshell:

Content strategy is basically a bridge between effective writing and eye-catching designs. This bridge stands on the pillars of good communication. The right communication can speed up the progress of a project. Here’s what happens when a new project arrives:

• The project manager wants to get the landing page designed quickly so that it can be showed to the client.
• The designer cannot design until he gets the content and
• The content writer cannot write until he sees the design.

The only solution to this is to create the content first. The fact that content throws the cornerstone for designers to build their designs on, should not be forgotten. For example, to create content for a landing page, you should consider things like the target audience, the message being conveyed, the word count and the call-to-action. A clear idea about these aspects will help the content writer produce effective content and the designer create a good web design.

Web development team depends on web design, web design team depends on content team, content team depends on project management team, which depends on all three. To ensure the work-flow is in the right direction:

• Entrust someone with the sole responsibility of content strategy.
• Co-ordinate between the content writing and website designing teams to ensure the professionals in both teams understand their responsibilities clearly.

Using content templates can free the designers’ mind from guesswork to a great extent. It also helps clients get a basic idea of how their website will look and decide the word count and text placement more comfortably.

There are some dedicated software for project management which can be used for streamlining communication. The best thing about such software is that they provide a common platform for professionals to interact and manage tasks. It saves a lot of time for the teams as well as the project manager.

Now, regardless of how many steps have been taken to ensure a smooth work-flow, there will be a conflict between the design and content writing services at some point of time. This is commonplace in any and every project. But did you know that this conflict is essential? Otherwise a project is considered to be in trouble.

In the next post, you will find some ‘content-design’ conflict issues along with ways to deal with them. Happy strategizing until then!

With the introduction of Google Panda, good quality content now assumes an important position in the SEO industry. No longer, sites can get away by publishing low quality or duplicate content. Rather, to improve rankings and avoid penalty, sites now have to post original and fresh content regularly. However, even that is not enough to acquire a strong fan following.

Despite posting good content, many sites find that their traffic rate is not improving. This leads them to believe that content marketing is an ineffective strategy. Unfortunately, they are unaware of the fact that the problem does not lie in Google or content quality. Sometimes, the way you market website content also affects your traffic rate.

What is the definition of ‘good’ content?

Everyone has his or her own interpretation of ‘good’. In most cases, an article qualifies as a ‘good’ content, when it gets several Tweets, Likes, or comments. However, we feel that to qualify as a ‘good’ content, an article should possess at least one of the following features.

• Good content is credible

To create good content, you need to be an expert in the particular field. If you do not possess an in-depth knowledge of a topic, avoid writing about it. Remember that a great article should always contain reliable and authentic information. Unless you are an expert in the field, it is impossible to incorporate authentic information in the article.

• Good content involves great effort

Web content writing demands investment of time and energy. A well-edited video, detailed research, and an informative infographic design – all can help you to come up with good content. Obviously, to edit a video or create an infographic design, you will have to put in time and energy.

• Good content contains useful and practical tips

People read blogs and articles to acquire good information. Therefore, to create a great article, you need to include valuable information in it. Additionally, ensure that the tips you offer are practical. Providing users with tips that they cannot implement in reality does not make any sense.

Tips to market your content

Considering the fiercely competitive scenario of the 21st century, it is wrong to assume that your job ends after writing a great article. Many believe that people will be aware of a great article automatically. Unfortunately, in the cyber-world, you need to be market your article and site aggressively. There are millions of sites in the Internet and if you do not market yourself well, people will not be interested in visiting your site.

• Interact with people

Once you have published your posts, get in touch with your friends and relatives. Inform them about the posts and request them to Tweet or Share them.

• Strategize your launch

Most of us are unaware of the fact that publishing time of the content plays a critical role in its success. If you publish your blogs at a time when the whole world is busy, chances are high that people will not be interested.

For this reason, creating awareness about the time when you would publish the article is important. Compare blog publishing with product launch; declare the date and time beforehand, plan the launch, and be vocal about it.

• Promote your content well

As mentioned earlier, publishing your content is not enough. You need to promote it aggressively. Few powerful marketing techniques can include sharing the content at social media platform, building links, and writing guest posts on similar sites.

Finally, consider the fact that success never happens overnight. To acquire a loyal fan base, you need to post good articles and market them regularly. Read comments of your readers and find out their preferences. Interact with them to show that you are willing to be part of a meaningful discussion.

Bob Stone, a famous copywriter, highlighted the importance of a great headline, when he declared, “Your first 15 words count more than the 15,000 words that follow!”

A great headline is somewhat similar to a movie trailer. It raises your curiosity and encourages you to explore the movie/article further.

As an Internet marketing expert, consider the fact that good web content writing can evoke various responses amongst the target audience. A well-written headline can provoke the user to read the article. On the other hand, a poorly written title can drive away people.

We provide you with few examples of great headlines and discuss why they are effective.

Headlines that Highlight a Thought-provoking Question

Maxwell Sackheim, in an article used the headline ‘Do you make these mistakes in English’? The headline, written almost 80 years ago, is still considered as a powerful title.

This headline is effective because it asks readers a thought-provoking query and engages them. It prompts readers to find out what exactly ‘these’ mistakes are, thus involving them in the process. The importance of the headline lies in the fact that it makes users curious, encouraging them to read the article.

The headline uses human psychology intelligently. No one likes to make mistakes. Therefore, if any one comes across a title such as the above, the person will automatically try to find out what mistakes the author has highlighted.

Headline that Starts with ‘How To’

A famous example of this type of headline is ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’? Dale Carnegie used this title in his popular self-help book.

This title earned great popularity because it solved one of the basic requirements of most people, i.e. influencing others. Similar to the above example, this headline also utilizes human psychology cleverly. After all, who would not like to know the secret of influencing others?

This headline highlights the benefits (win friends and influence people) and avoids pointing out the process (talking in a particular way, offering positive feedback) that one may have to go through for enjoying the benefit. This strategy lures people successfully because they want to know how they can influence others.

Headline with a Direct Statement

Consider the headline ‘The most affordable website design solutions you will ever find’.

This headline highlights a direct statement and is perfect for companies who want to present a powerful feature. The title is clear, direct, and does not make the reader guess anything.

The ‘Benefit’ Headline

This headline tries to present the benefits before the readers. A good example can be ‘How to lose 2 inches in 1 week’?

This headline emphasizes the benefit that the user can enjoy. To create the benefit headline, find out your unique selling point and incorporate it in your headline.

To assure the customer, you can use the phrase ‘money back guarantee’ as your sub-heading.

Opt for the ‘Command’ Headline

As compared to other headlines, a command headline is more aggressive. Consider the example-‘Utilize your time better by writing powerful headlines’. It is a powerful title because it urges people to act.

Headline that Uses ‘Who Else’

‘Who else wants to shed some weight?’ can be a good example of such a headline. By using the term ‘who else’ in the title, the writer creates the notion that others have already availed the benefit.

This headline also taps human psychology perfectly. Humans are more likely to consider an option (a weight loss program or a new product), when they know that others have also tried it.

Writing attractive headlines is critical for drawing attention of the people. However, remember that your title should match the body of the article. If you do not progress logically from the title to the body, your readers may feel deceived. Therefore, offer good information in the title and enjoy higher traffic.

Despite what its detractors might say, fact remains that several thousands of Press Releases are shared by social media users in sites like Facebook and Twitter. There are reasons for web users preferring press releases over other forms of content.

• Web users, including social media users, often get distracted by vast labyrinth of information thrown by search results. They often face a problem of finding out content that is authentic and useful. Press releases are viewed as de facto statements of events relating to an organization and hence they carry some amount of credibility.
• Well crafted press releases convey relevant information in a brief package. Users need not go through long pages to get the gist of a matter.
• Press releases usually do not come with bindings like copyright and sharing restrictions. They are meant to be distributed.

Web solutions services need to be aware of salient characteristics of effective press release to cater to users. They need to compose press releases to suit requirements of web users. It is also necessary to be aware of how web users want information to be delivered to them.

• Press releases should feature elements that can be indexed by search engines easily. They can contain keywords and compelling visuals along with a landing page that can be shared across popular social media sites.
• Web users can access information in various ways. Therefore, SEO professionals can think of presenting a press release in various web friendly formats. For instance, content about any event or product can be distributed online in various ways. A webinar can be turned into a podcast or blog post. A Press release can also be used in similar ways.
• Not all web users have the same habits as far as content sharing is concerned. Some may prefer podcast while some others are hooked to media based content found in online media sharing sites.

It is important for a content writer framing press release or sharing it online through various modes to know what outcomes he wants to generate from target users. This, of course, depends on type of content used in a press release.

• Press releases can also turn out to be effective means of lead generation for businesses at times. This is owing to the fact that they can be shared quickly. They can reach out to various segments of users too.

Press releases come in handy when an organization wants to widen its target audience and reach out to more people outside its customer base fast.

Often, website design experts will concentrate more on the aesthetic factors of a website. There is nothing wrong with it, except, they end up compromising site usability for the sake of beauty.

The usability of a website makes it popular among its users. Here are some of the most important usability principles for successful website designing:

1. Design With a Target in Mind- If you work in a website design company, you obviously work with clients regularly. You have to know the main purpose behind building a website to design one accordingly, and help the client achieve his goal.

2. Design a Site That Answers the User’s Questions- Every user has 3 basic questions upon visiting a site that your design must fulfill.

• Where Am I? – Highlight the particular page in the menu bar to help a user understand which page he is on currently. The page title and H1 and H2 tags should be relevant to further help him.
• What Can I Do Here? – The main objective of an eCommerce website is to make the visitor realize that he can buy a product from the products page. You should design the site in such a way that the user clearly understands what the company is selling and how he can buy it. Integrating a detailed product list with images, a “buy now” button, simple payment process, etc. can help answer the user’s questions.
• Why Should I Do It? – This is where web content writing comes handy. A well-written salescopy can encourage a potential buyer to buy a product. The job of a designer is to make sure content is readable and complemented with images, video or audio to make it interesting.

3. Design for the Ideal Customer- A website is bound to attract visitors from different age groups, with different purposes. Some will simply visit the site for free information, while others will want to buy a product. You have to satisfy them all. A combination of useful information and benefit (usually in the form of useful products, free downloadable items, etc) is useful.

4. Users Don’t Like to Think; They Like to Scan- Design a website in such a way so that users can easily scan pages and realize what the site is about. Web users not only hate long paragraphs, they also dislike confusing menu bars. When you design a site, put yourself in the user’s position and find out which parts of the design makes you think twice.

For instance, if you simply include a page as “About” in the menu, a user doesn’t understand what the page is about – about the business or about products? Instead of “About”, if you write “What We Do”, he will immediately realize that the page will inform him about the business and possibly, about products too.

5. Follow the Conventional Rules of Website Designing- Users are comfortable with traditional website design styles – a horizontal menu with drop down feature, links that change color when clicked, contact info at the top of the page or in the footer, a vertical navigation, etc. If you are designing a site to reap profits from the web, don’t take chances with what’s been there and is accepted.

A complicated navigation system, Flash buttons in the navigation or in the page to unlock text, text or image on mouse-over, etc, may give your site that much needed zing, but will not benefit it in the long run.

Panda’s first appearance was in February this year and its effect was felt across a significant number of popular websites like eZine Articles. Five more Panda updates have been unleashed by Google since then. Webmasters need to equip their sites with acceptable SEO features to safeguard them from Panda updates.

Google has said that website owners should be really cautious about quality of content. Websites with low quality and irrelevant content will be affected by Panda, irrespective of what SEO measures they resort to. For a SEO company, this is the right time to re-evaluate its existing SEO tactics to survive Panda updates in the near future.

• It is very important for SEO services providers to evaluate content in their sites using effective web analytics software. They need to assess relevance and popularity of site content using various metrics like bounce rate, exit rate and page views. This will help them understand which web pages are not liked by users.

Panda update is basically meant for presenting web users with sites that offer relevant and quality content. By quality, Google does not only mean fresh information; quality of language is also a parameter in this aspect. Hence, web content writing should be checked for punctuation and grammar related errors.

• Panda updates also cracks down heavily on websites with thin content. This means websites that do not provide readers with adequate information on topics will not be spared Panda’s wrath and their ranking will definitely take a nosedive.

On an average, website owners should ensure that any content in a page does not contain less than 200 words; 350 words content is recommended. In case content cannot be expanded in a page, website owners can consider removing that page altogether and making a fresh one in its place.

• Google has indicated since the start, no website with duplicate but cleverly spun content will be tolerated. This is also true for web pages featuring syndicated content. Panda is smart enough to trace pages that contain near identical content, recomposed cunningly.

Google Webmaster Tools are quite useful for detecting and removing duplicate content from web pages.

Web development and SEO veterans think that web pages with better design and page layout are likely to be favoured by Panda over others. However, Google has not said anything on this aspect officially. Of course, websites that have not received any update in structure and layout for long can benefit from a revamp.

While revamping, website owners should keep an eye on the number of ads. Google prefers pages with more relevant content and fewer amounts of advertisements these days. In any case, adverts can be placed in the sidebar and footer sections in web pages.

The pricing factor alone does not determine the fate of an online business, but the services it offers as well. Offering only web content writing services will not help you increase your client base. If you really want to increase your profit margin and attract new clients, you should offer website design and development services as well.

When you start offering web design, development and content writing solutions under one roof, clients will be more interested to hire you. You will become their one-stop solution for all web related needs. Consequently, you will get more clients and increase your profit margin.

Here are some of the advantages of offering content writing services with web design:

• When you design a website for a client, he lays out certain specifications before you, according to which you are required to design his website. For instance, a web page may require a heavy footer, long left-side navigation and a number of ads on the right-side, and a video file in the middle of the page – all of which ultimately leaves little space, or need, for content.

As a designer who is already aware of just how much space is available for content, you can advise your content writing team to write minimum content for that specific page, thus saving them time and effort. Content compliments the design as the designer and content writer works cohesively. Because you are working with the client from the early stages of the project, you know everything about the client’s business and can write suitable content to complement their brand image.

When you offer only content writing services, you may have to churn out a lot of words, which ultimately gets slashed to accommodate design.

• The possibility of a project delay is less when you handle content assignments with design. You don’t need to wait for a third-party service provider to deliver content. As the design progresses, your content writers can supply content for each page to help the project complete faster.
• Good quality content helps increase conversion rate of websites. If your company provides good content, you can be assured that the client will hire you when he needs to update the content of his site, or add new articles in his blog, etc.

If you offer keyword rich content to the client, his website will rank high in search results and he will be pleased with your work. This will improve your reputation as a quality web development company.

Your home or landing page is ideally where you have talked most about your product or service with the intended purpose of a positive action from your visitor. Given below are 12 useful content writing tips that will help you write an effective, result-oriented landing page.

1. Headline – Make sure your headline matches the source text your visitor has clicked to land on your site. An exact match, or even a close match between your landing page headline and ad copy will tell the customer he has come to the right site, and keep him oriented.
2. Call to Action – You must tell the visitor what you expect him to do. Your landing page should have a defined call-to-action graphic or linked text that urges the visitor to act upon it.
3. Writing in Seconds – Visitors aren’t exactly bothered about your company or the products or services you provide. What they really want to know when they come to your site is how your site will benefit them. Address your visitors in your landing page content as ‘you’ and ‘your’ and refer to yourself as ‘I’ or ‘we’. This also builds interactivity.
4. Writing Style – Your landing page content should be business-like, clear and easily understood by visitors. You must write to precisely communicate an idea to your audience, not showcase your grasp of the English language, or creativity.
   
5. Long or Short Copy? – Both work depending on your end product. If you are selling a product or service, a long copy is generally more useful in cash generation. For a free newsletter subscription, a short copy suffices. Whatever you write, just make sure it is motivating and gets you the result you desire.
6. Set Clear Goals – Your body content should be a logical extension of your headline. Your content should focus on the products you are selling. Any ancillary services wastes time, distracts the viewer, and is of little use.
7. Focus from the Start – The most important features of your product/service should precede paragraphs and bullets. Most visitors will only scan through your page content, and they should be able to do so quickly but without missing out points which talk about your business. Also, readers have a tendency to read the starts and ends before reading the actual body content. The most critical points about your product/service should therefore be at the top and bottom than in the middle.
8. Short First Paras – The first paragraph should not be more than one or two lines. A short first para means it’s easier for your readers to follow your remaining copy. Also, at no point of time should your paragraphs exceed four or five lines.
9. Content Above or Below the Fold? – The natural tendency of users is to scroll. So ideally, it doesn’t matter if your opening paragraphs trail below the fold. Of course, some things like the banner, menu and headline and sub-headline should be above-the-fold, including the opening paragraph. It helps catch reader attention.
10. Keep Your Landing Page Clean – Remove extra elements like navigation bars, links, and extra images from your landing page. Your readers should only focus on your web content copy and any supportive images that reinforce the idea you are trying to convey.
11. Don’t Need? Don’t Ask – Your landing page isn’t a market survey form. Don’t ask for information you will not need to complete a sale. Too many questions irritate the user. Besides, it’s a waste of time.
12. Test – A site, which works on assumption, isn’t too far from its doom. You might be the best web designer/developer in town, but you are still human, and humans err. Test your landing page before making it available to visitors. Interactive elements whose sole purpose is to engage visitors must be tested to ensure they are working. You don’t want to lose out on business because of broken links or forms that don’t work, do you?

A nightmare for all content writers is their content getting plagiarized or copied by someone else. Actually writers can’t do much to prevent their content being copied after it has been written and uploaded on a web page. What writers can do is write content in a style that is matchless and be alert during the content writing process, thus diminishing the chances of their content being plagiarized.

A professional content writing company has the right expertise to check plagiarism. Their content writing team consists of experienced writers who know the ways to creating fresh, unique content that won’t be easy to plagiarize. Here’s how.

• Give Your Writing a Personal Touch: The best way to stop others plagiarizing your content is by adding a personal flavor to your articles. It is better to pen your ideas or thoughts in the first person. You would be churning out excellent articles if you are able to support the factual information with some personal experiences, research work, and personal interviews with experts, etc.

For instance, if you are a web developer, you can share some of the best techniques that you have employed while designing a website. It would not be so easy for plagiarists to copy your codes without understanding them. Remember, technical jargon is difficult to copy or replicate.

• Create Original Ideas: Be original and come up with fresh ideas while you are writing on a topic. You need to think first and then pen down your thoughts. If your content is just a repetition of an entire lump of information from another source, no one will like to read it. Ensure that you read between the lines. Read up information from other sources and deduce facts, writing with original ideas. Form rational opinion of the things you read from other sources and pen them down.

• Write Lengthy Content: Usually, plagiarists do not have the patience to copy content which reaches 800 words, edit it and get it published. Plagiarists have the tendency to copy shorter content.

• Focus on a Matured Audience: Write your content for a learned and mature audience instead of the multitude. Remember, there are less chances of your content being plagiarized by a mature audience, first because they are industry professionals and second, because they are probably equally as good as you in providing niche-specific information. Experts don’t copy; plagiarists do!

• Do not Paraphrase: It is a common practice of plagiarists to copy paragraphs after paragraphs from an original source and replacing the content with the over-use of synonyms. Such form of plagiarism can be avoided by writing up in a unique style and doing your own analysis of the information available. Write slightly longer content, something around 700-1000 words, with examples, images, personal experiences, ideas, experiments, etc, in between factual matter.

You can take information from other sources but say a strict ‘no’ to directly replicating interpretations of other writers. Remember that content creation is all about writing on original ideas. Doing a sound and extensive research on topics reduces chances of plagiarism.

There is no use denying the importance of content behind the success of a website. Attractive and relevant information is what the web users look for in a website. A website with eye catching graphic design may turn out to be a dud if it does not have compelling content. Therefore, web developers from professional web development companies need to focus on the quality of content in a website along with design aspects including Flash design etc. The content writers writing for the web users need to focus on the needs of the target readers when they develop the content. This is even more applicable for business content development, which requires extraordinary writing ability coupled with in-depth knowledge about the business and industry. A content developer assigned with the task of content writing for a business website needs to keep certain aspects in mind when he develops the content for the client website.

• Success in business content writing depends largely on the understanding of the need of the target audience. Different types of businesses can have separate target users. For instance, the web users visiting an insurance website would be different from those who visit a website selling children’s products. The writing style needs to be suited as per the mindset and liking of the target readers. Sometimes the writers may need to focus on the quality of products made by a client and in some cases they need to clarify the services of clients and their values in enhancing the user’s lifestyles.

• It would be wrong for the business content writers to use complex vocabulary and jargons. The web users prefer reading simplified and crisply written content. The writers should write the content in a way that the users find it helpful. Instead of focusing on how great the products of the companies are, the writers should try stressing on how they can benefit the readers and resolve their needs easily.

• The presentation of the content in a website is also of utmost importance. The content should be presented in a webpage with enough room for images and white space. The viewers should never get an impression that the Web Pages suffer from information cramming. The quality of the content in a business website also needs to be thoroughly evaluated. A professional looking business website has no place for proof reading and grammatical error in the content. The content writers should be aware of the commonplace grammatical mistakes that lessen the value of writing. Before publishing the website content should undergo a through scrutiny for any kind of spelling, punctuation and other errors.

• The business content should be informative and the writers need to be aware about using accurate and up to date information. For instance, while comparing the products of a client with others a content writing professional needs to refer to relevant sources and present credible data. Using links from renowned and authentic sites convinces the readers and enhances the search engine ranking of the business websites to an extent.