The Ultimate Guide To Content Planning
Content planning is going to be the key to your success.
So few people consider content planning, which means the people who do are often streets ahead of the ones who do not. Content planning means that you will not be host of a blog or website that is loaded with useless crap (we have all seen them).
It means that you are going to have extremely optimized content, and means that in the long run you are going to get more loyal/repeat traffic. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of content planning, you should make a point of planning ahead.
Planning ahead is the mark of a good website and blog host!
Planning your content in the short term is laudable, and is still going to put you streets ahead of your competition. But, planning for the future is also going to set up a very solid foundation on which to build your website/blog.
If you have a blog, then consider what you will be adding in a year or two years. Ideally you want your blog to evolve. If you are running a technology blog then this is fairly easy.
For example, if you are writing about the iPhone 5 this year, you can be pretty sure that next year you will be writing about the iPhone 6. Up until around the year 2045 when their marketing department will lose count and call it the iPhone infinity (when this happens, remember where you read the prediction).
Plan (at least in principal) how your website or blog is going to evolve over the years. Your blog could move from generic subjects for starters, to intermediate subjects and then onto advanced subjects.
Your website could evolve from a clothing store with images of clothes; to a store where viewers may dress and avatar in an outfit (remember again where you read that prediction).
Plan for the future of your website, and your content planning process will become far more sophisticated. You will no longer be at the mercy of the Google Shuffle, or at the mercy of your competitors’ SEO budget.
What is your website content about?
To start off you need to figure out what your website is going to be about. What message is it going to convey? What is the goal of your website? What is the viewer going to take away from your website? What is the use of your website, and how are you going to make it more useful? If you can answer these questions then you are one step closer to planning your content. It will help you to keep your content relevant and useful for your viewer.
What does your target audience want to see?
Are you actually going to fulfill a want or desire that your target audience has? Wants are things that they need, such as traffic reports, etc.
Desires are things that they do not need, but would like, such as tips on saving electricity. You need to research into all the wants and desires of your target audience, so that you can plan to fulfill as many of their wants and desires as possible.
What is your website capable of holding?
Your website, its design and its hosting is going to be limited. It is unlikely that you have bought the services of a full server or two, so holding thousands of images on your website may not be doable.
You need to examine the limitations of your website, so that you do not plan to add content that your website simply cannot hold.
What is your web design capable of doing?
Your website or blog may only be optimized for limited things. Is your website’s design capable of holding and installing a chat room? Many people have foolishly thought they could create their own social media site, only to find out that their web design will not allow the use of user-profiles (at least it will not without a large re-write).
What sort of content can you create yourself?
Can you create textual content, images, or videos? What are your limitations? Are you pretty poor at writing text, but are great at graphic design? The content you create yourself is going to be cheaper, so it may be better to plan for content that you can produce yourself. You may then use your excess cash in order to add other forms of content at a later date.
What type of content can you afford to buy?
Can you afford Hi-Res images or graphic design? Planning such content is not actually a bad idea. You will find that you put a lot more effort into your planning and content development if it is costing you money. You may be able to pay for content that you cannot create yourself, so that you may have a more rounded website.
Korah Morrison is a writer on College-Paper.org that helps students to write essays of any complexity.
