Posts Tagged ‘excellent sites’

Hooray for the Content Strategy Champs

Monday, June 8th, 2009

There’s a great discussion on the Content Strategy Google Group about sites that are good examples of effective content strategy.

What makes a good content strategy?

• Content that is relevant.
• Content that is interesting.
• Content that uses the appropriate tools of the trade – text, pictures, videos, animations — to tell engaging stories.

But a good site has to do more than that:

• It lets users get to the information they want within a couple of clicks.
• It serves the needs of all of your target audiences.
• It offers clean design that doesn’t overwhelm site visitors and lets them evaluate their choices quickly and effectively.

With those criteria in mind, here are five of my favorite sites:

• Chevron.com – Okay, so you can’t fault me for starting with my baby, can you? When redesigning the site in 2008, we tried to follow all of the principles I’ve described. Check it out and let me know what you think. Where did we succeed? Where can we do better?
• MayoClinic.com – The site offers a lot of choices on their homepage, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. You can get all the disease definitions your could ever want, make an appointment with their doctors or explore their research all within a couple of clicks. I just wish their blog, sharing.mayoclinic.org, was easier to find from the homepage. Other than that, great site.
• Paniko.cl – I discovered this Spanish-language site a couple of years ago during a visit to Chile. It was started by a group of college students who felt the mainstream media didn’t cover things that interested them. As a result, Paniko is edgy, provocative, a bit crazy and fun just like their audience.
• RoomAndBoard.com – Their site reflects their stores and merchandize. Clean lines. Classic design. Useful. It’s no wonder I’ve spent a bundle buying from them.
• Zappos.com – They’re the kings and queens of customer reviews. Amazon was smart to buy them. I particularly like the “Quick Shoe Search” and the “Popular Searches” features on the homepage.

Now it’s your turn. Which sites do you think do an outstanding job of presenting content? Share your thoughts here.

Tags: chevron, content strategy, excellent sites
Posted in Content Strategy, Excellent Sites 1 Comment »

Content Strategy Matters

Monday, June 8th, 2009

Why is content king? Because it’s the reason people come to your site: to get information.

But way too often, content is almost an afterthought in creating a Web site. The content creators are brought in after information architects, designers, developers and site owners create and approve a shell that needs to be filled.

By letting the content strategist be part of the team from the start, you ensure the site meets the needs of visitors and site owners. You’re also able to set editorial standards early on in the project, which allows your writers, producers and editors to create content that reflects your brand’s voice and tone.

Effective content strategy is simply good communication.

Tags: content strategy, content tips, effective content, excellent sites, writing for the web
Posted in Content Strategy, Excellent Sites 2 Comments »