Introduction

Continuing from my previous post, the next step in the evolutionary path of a web presence is Content Management.

Content Management

Content Management is the ability for non-technical people to update the content of the website themselves. Using What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editors, you're able to create, update and delete pages (or the content of exiting pages), including titles, bold, italics etc.

Fresh content is important, due to:

1. Blog posts and press releases can get referenced on other sites, which can point back to your site, encouraging visits to your website.
2. The more content you have, the better search engines can find you.
3. Search engine ranking often has a freshness component, so making sure you regularly update content should increase search engine ranking.

Goal

The goal of a content managed site is to engage your customers and increase search engine rankings by providing fresh content, and decrease website maintenance costs by not having to have a web developer involved for minor changes.

Types of Updated Content

The Blog

The simplest form of content management is the Blog. A blog is like an online diary, or web log, hence the name blog. It is usually - as this blog is - a more personal way of writing, and therefore usually more readable than formal press releases.

Press Releases and Announcements

Any time you release information to the press, or have any public announcement, you should put it on your website. These are usually more formal in writing style, as you would expect to read in newspapers.

Updated Products and Services

As you change your services or offer new products, you can update the website yourself without interacting with a web development company (such as TEIQ). And of course, that may lead to a blog post or press release, which should be cross-linked to product page.

Core Content

Any of the content noted in the 1st blog post can also be maintained, such as staff changes on the About Us page and updated address information on the Contact page if you move. This content is unlikely to change as often though.

What is more likely is to include the titles and short intro of some updated content - blog and/or press releases - on the Home page, to capture visitors attention. Then linking those pages into your complete press release for people who want more information.

This method of linking across your site - internal crosslinking - gives a greater chance that your new content will be found and read by visitors. It also can improve search engine rankings.

Summary

Content management encourages people to visit again, by giving them a reason to do so. It also improves the freshness of your site, meaning search engines rank you higher than other more stale sites. It empowers you the user to update the content yourself, reducing the long-term expense of engaging designers for minor changes by giving you the ability to do the work.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the power of content management. In the next article, I'll be telling you about e-commerce, the ability to sell products online.