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Content Management
Content is King... Content is King... Content is King
Recite the above to yourself several times. Without content, your site will not attract and retain visitors and will perish. Visitors are attracted to useful and relevant content. Content which is maintained well and updated regularly will attract and retain visitors. Part of your corporate strategy will be deciding who will contribute content (content production) and how that content gets delivered to the website (content delivery).
Content Production
Content may come from information already in existence or may have to be created. The Planning stage should identify who the primary authors will be for content. To maintain a consistent writing style, it may be necessary to make one person the editor who will take responsibility for the final product format. The type and extent of content will be dependent on your business plan.
Motivating authors to contribute to the content is key. They have to be aware of how important their contributions are to the overall business plan. The authors must take responsibility for not only creating the content, but also for maintaining it. This is a time commitment they must be willing to make.
Content which is verbose may require the services of a creative writer especially if authors are poor communicators. The writer may be someone already in your organization or they may have to be outside consultants. The outcome of the content process should be accurate, concise, easily understood, and relevant information. One tool to ensure information is relevant is to create content from the intended audience's questions. When a customer or other potential web viewer asks a question, you should ask yourself whether it is worthwhile in putting the answer on the corporate website.
Content Delivery
Content can be delivered in one of two general ways. Either statically or dynamically. A static delivery system (often referred to as a static website) combines the content production and delivery functions into one function. Much like using a word processor, the content words or information is not only created but also formatted into its final presentation form. The final form is a web page which is static in its information content, look and feel (which includes graphics and other visual or auditory experiences). The only way to change the information or look and feel is to open the page in a web editor (such as Microsoft Frontpage) and edit the content, look or feel. Dynamic delivery (often referred to as a database driven website) uses a database to collect the content information in its raw form. The database then delivers the web pages on demand. In other words, the web pages do not really exist until a viewer makes a request. The database then combines the content information with predetermined look and feel parameters into the final web page the viewer sees.
Static pages have the advantage in cost savings and simplicity. Additionally, most search engines work better with static web sites. However, if the website gets too large, maintaining the information and keeping it updated becomes more difficult. Templates can be purchased that easily create a consistent look and feel for static web pages but generally cannot vary the look and feel for each viewer. Database web sites facilitate quicker and easier information maintenance, but have large upfront set up costs and may require more expensive web hosting services. Database software must be used and generally simple programs like Microsoft Access are insufficient. More robust programs like MySQL (an open source and popular program) and SQL Server (Microsoft product) should be used. The look and feel can be modified providing the viewer with a more rich experience. Websites for small organizations usually follow the path of static pages first and then perhaps a database driven website later on.
Remember, all decisions in the content management stage should be part of a feedback loop to your business plan. Your business plan may change or your web strategy may change during the content management process. Click HERE for a pictorial representation of the feedback mechanism.
Chartered Accountants with an IT designation specialty can advise the small business owner on IT solutions and resolutions to problems. Contact Keith Anderson CA-IT at (780) 447-5830 if you have further questions, concerns, or the need for advice.
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