UNB| 2015+ Website Refresh

Content StrategyTemplate

Developed by Sean Sullivan, UNB Marketing |

INTRODUCTION

What is a content strategy?

Ensuring that you have useful and usable content — that is well structured and easily found — is vital to improving the user experience of a website.

Your content strategy helps you to identify what already exists, what should be created and, more importantly, why it should be created.(Source: usability.gov)

UNB Marketing has created this template to help you plan your 2015+ UNB website. For more about the website refresh project, visit: unb.ca/website-refresh

Follow the steps below to create your own content strategy. Feeling stuck? Reach out to . We’re happy to help.

DIY CONTENT STRATEGY

STEP 1:

CREATE YOURKEY MESSAGES

Create 2-3 clear, concise statements that will help focus your message and highlight what is special in your faculty, unit or department.

What makes you stand out? What are you proud of? These key messages should be referenced throughout your website.

1.x

2.x

3.x

Examples:

  • Our undergraduate labs are among the best in Canada.
  • We provide an environment that fosters new ideas, critical thought and innovative approaches.
  • Our experiential learning opportunities give graduates a distinct advantage when entering the workforce.

STEP 2:

IDENTIFY GOALS AND TACTICS

What would you like your website to accomplish? Whatever your goals, this is where you identify them — and figure out what’s needed to accomplish them.

We recommend 2-3 goals, with 1-2 tactics for each. A tactic defines how you will achieve your goal.

1.x

2.x

3.x

Examples:

Goal: Increase number of graduate students.

Tactic: Highlight funding opportunities and research by faculty members.

Goal: Reduce student visits to departmental office.

Tactic: Make it easier to find important forms.

Goal:Show that an engineering degree is the best option for employment-minded students.

Tactic: Highlight the varied careers of our graduates, our co-op program opportunities, and students’ job readiness upon graduation.

STEP 3:

CONTENT AUDIT

Reviewing your existing website helps determine what you have — and what you can cut — for your new website.

With the aid of your web content spreadsheet, review your pages and their content. A good website should only have content that is unique and necessary to the group that it connects with. Less content means better content, as more attention can be paid to keeping that limited content up-to-date and relevant.

Ask yourself:

  1. Should I have this on my website?
  2. Does this information already exist on the UNB website? (e.g., admission requirements, tuition)
  3. Can this be easily found through a Google search? (e.g., how to write a cover letter, Thoreau’s biography).
  4. Is this information up-to-date?
  5. Is this content being used? (check spreadsheet)
  6. Does this content need to be formatted for web?
  7. Can this be consolidated or combined with other content on my site?

Make note of content pages that can be removed, need to be formatted, or is out-of-date.

STEP 4:

IDENTIFY GAPS IN YOUR WEBSITE

Now that you’ve reviewed your website content, think back to your goals and tactics. What content is missing?

Ask yourself:

  • Are your key messages reflected in your website?
  • Do your tactics call for more or new content?
  • What do students call or ask you about?
  • Are there topics that should be covered and aren’t?
  • What would a first-time visitor want to see?

This process helps determine new web pages to create, or messaging that needs to be incorporated into your current content.

Website gaps:

1. x

2.x

3.x

STEP 5:

BUILD YOUR SITEMAP

A sitemap is a visual representation of a website’s structure. It should clearly communicate how all of the pages on a website are ordered and organized.

A“starter” sitemap is below and can be modified to suit your unit’s needs. The sitemap for each department will vary depending on goals and requirements.

Departmental website sitemap

1)Home

2)About

3)Research

4)Undergraduate Programs

a)Program One

b)Program Two

5)Graduate Programs

6)Faculty & Staff (directory)

7)Current Students

a)Forms

8)Contact

1

Questions? Email