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How to Plan Website Content
It is best to plan website content ahead of time. Start with a birds eye view by planning out the site architecture. From there, flesh out the sections and fill in the pages until you have an engaging website.
Step 1: Download & Fill Out the Client Interview Form
Whenever I start a project I provide the client with a Client Interview Form for them to fill out prior to our kickoff meeting. Go ahead and download yours and fill out as much as you can. It is a good exercise that will help you to get focused.
Step 2: Create a Sitemap & Plan Your Content
A sitemap is basically a bulleted list of the page structure, or architecture, of your website. It doesn’t have to be written in stone but the more you get done ahead of time the faster it is to build your website.
- The key to creating a site that ranks is having a clear site architecture.
- Don’t try and reinvent the wheel.
- Page titles should be short and concise.
- Child pages should reinforce and emphasize the parent page.
- All pages should have at least 300 words. If you can’t write 300 words then combine it with another page to make one stronger page instead of two weaker pages.
Once you get your sitemap done, start writing or gathering the content for those pages.
Illustrated below, a simple sitemap depicted as a simple outline and then translated into a WordPress menu structure.
– Home
– About Us
– Services
— Web Design
— Graphic Design
— Search Engine Optimization
– Blog
– Contact Us
How to Plan Website Content Quantity – How much content should my web pages have?
Google recommends at least 300-500 words per page in order to engage the reader. Obviously pages like Contact Us won’t and shouldn’t have 300 words on it but it’s a good place to reiterate what you do. Informational pages like About Us, Our Services, etc. should be meaty.
It is also good to include various kinds of content on a page. Add in pictures and videos to make your pages interesting and engaging, but don’t go nuts. At the end of the day, it’s about the words.
