Developing a Content Strategy Report
After weeks of simply talking, researching and writing about content strategy, I took the daunting yet exciting task into my own hands. I decided to create a content strategy booklet for a website redesign. The website I chose is for Laramie County in Wyoming; a place that is very far from me but still sparked my interest.
Website Link: https://www.laramiecountywy.gov/index.aspx
Truthfully, the reason I picked this site is that when I first clicked on it, I was overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas that I knew would be perfect for the development of a content strategy.
The purpose of this report is to outline the best way in which the Laramie County website could improve its content strategy and better serve users.
The client, Laramie County, has submitted a request for proposal (RFP) for a website redesign. However, before attempting to redesign the site from scratch, it’s important that I thoughtfully outline a content strategy to give this client the best results.
I had 6 overarching goals for the site that I wanted to see achieved in this redesign. Those included:
Create an engaging and appealing site design — The overall goal of this website redesign is to create a space that will look as pleasant as the destination is. When users click on the site we want them to feel welcomed, stress-free and even inspired.
Diversify the content elements — As mentioned in the RFP, the client wants to implement more diverse content elements such as images, graphics, videos, text and more. Right now, the site mostly only has text.
Better organize the navigation bar drop-downs — The drop downs on the navigation bar are the second-most cluttered area of the website that must be revised. Re-organizing these elements will make it easier for users to navigate the site, and therefore entice them to stay longer.
Combine the navigation bar drop-downs — In addition to better organizing them, there are also some that can be combined so that there aren’t an overwhelming number of choices when users click on the site. Anything that looks overwhelming will result in stress and users exiting the site.
Uniform text — Use uniform text on the homepage specifically and get rid of the multiple colors going on. I believe the site designers were aiming for a patriotic theme, but the changing colors make the site immensely more confusing
Allow users to define the reason they’re on the site — This is a good technique to narrow down which users are on the site for which purposes. Since county and state websites have a large target audience and the site is used for various purposes, this part can get confusing. This is why I believe implementing a choice or search element can help users guide themselves.
Throughout the creation of my content strategy, I went through around 16 steps. It all started with analyzing the website and then analyzing the RFP that the client gave. This helped me to gain empathy and understand where the problems lied and where the client wanted changes to be made.
After this, I also outlined what content pieces in the website could stay, which had to be removed and what new content I was adding. I determined that a majority of content had to go or be adjusted and that I was adding in a bunch more new content.
Additionally, I used Screaming Frog to analyze the sites search engine optimization, accessibility, writing and architecture. Studying the architecture also led me to analyze the website on mobile devices. I learned that the site worked on mobile devices but was not user-friendly.
Example of one of my pages
Furthermore, throughout this process I defined clear business goals, content objectives and even key performance indicators to measure my success. These are important because they laid the foundation for the content strategy report.
Another aspect that I touched on was a competitve analysis. These are arguably one of my favorite parts about redesigning websites because it allows you to see what’s working and not working as a user. It also fosters inspiration and creativity for brand new ideas.
Lastly, the content strategy report is long but definitely worthwhile, I was able to outline significant problems, solutions, site maps, wireframes, various tables of information and I defined a single core strategy statement.
It reads: To create a welcoming website environment, we will provide Laramie County resident and non-resident users with an interactive search tool to allow for an easier, customizable website experience.
This experience taught me the depth in which content strategists go to achieve their business goals and ultimate success.