Almost inevitable. We contracted a new client looking to create a great content strategy. We had a launch call and they said to us, “Yes, we just launched a new website and now we're ready to really dive into content marketing strategy. mine . ”
My heart sank.
They just launched a new website and now they are thinking content strategy. It's like going fishing. The content strategy of thought leadership is the bait, but the bottom line and bottom line for the rest of the site are afterthoughts.
We've long focused on blogs and video content as the mainstay of content marketing.
The problem is, they aren't.
Your website – the information architecture that makes up all of navigation and user flow – is essential to your content marketing success.
If the navigation on your site doesn't make sense and isn't optimized for search, you could be at risk of losing traffic and potential conversions. Without a hook and fishing rod, you won't catch any fish, no matter how much bait you feed with your bait.
Discover the strategy behind information architecture and how you can optimize your website for more user engagement and traffic.
Your content strategy starts with your IA
Before you can write and publish any content on your website, you first need to understand what type of content will appeal to your target audience — and how you'll organize it. That's where information architecture Your (IA) comes into play. This is simply how your website visitors will find the content they need and complete actions (conversions) on your website.
Your IA controls how your content:
- Organized in the navigation bar
- Labeled in breadcrumbs and other links
- Navigate from many other pages
- Searched by users
“When we set up our new website, we knew we wanted it to be optimized for search and conversion from the start,” said Nick Phillips, co-founder Kids Art Box , a subscription box service, “The key to making this happen is to start with a solid information architecture. ”
Is IA the same as UX?
Information architecture and user experience are similar in that they are both tools for creating experience locations ive to your website visitors . However, the IA needs to be set up before the UX designer can start creating the page.
Content strategists create a site's IA into a sitemap. A UX designer can then use that plan in their website creation. As a team, marketers and web designers can build an architecture that is fun and easy to use for their users. The goal is to make navigating through your site as easy as possible.
Businesses everywhere can benefit from strategic planning of their website information architecture. If users visit your website and can't find the information they're looking for, chances are they'll leave and find their solution with one of your competitors. This can affect your site's bounce rate, leave a negative experience for users in terms of how they see your brand, and most importantly, lead to lost opportunities for new customers.
How sales funnels will boost your site structure
Understanding the sales funnel and how prospects move through that process is critical to designing the information architecture on your website. Your IA represents the solutions you have to offer your customers, which Google and users will consider pretty far down the funnel.
When users visit key pages on your site (such as a product or service page), their intent is most likely to perform some kind of purchase action – whether that's actually buying something. something online or fill out a lead form. These pages will usually have a high conversion rate. However, you must focus your content on the right type of keywords – keywords that are closer to the buying stage than the thought leading stage. You need the right hooks.
Your actual blog and your owned media content will primarily focus on thought leadership topics. It will provide people higher up in the funnel with useful information that they can use to narrow down what they are looking for. To come up with blog ideas, consider topics specific to your niche, something a regular customer wants to know about. This could include tips on how to use the products you sell or news specific to your industry.
Combining this thought leadership with actual pages on your website and understanding how they interact can help you identify paths of least resistance. Find out where your visitors are in the sales funnel and deliver content that matches their intent. When you have this in mind, you can come up with calls to action and other navigations to engage them and guide them along their journey.
Your goal is to discover what it takes for someone in the funnel to read a blog post, visit more pages, and then be encouraged to say, “Yes, I am ready to buy.”
“Strictly intertwined with new thoughts Melissa Dreyer, Marketing Manager at STANLEY . Access Technology “Without these two components working together, you can get a lot of traffic, but not a lot of conversions.”
Tips for presenting an organized website
Information architecture can seem complicated, but it's easier to put together than you think. You just need to consider what makes the most sense when organizing the pages on your site.
Consider these tips to help you get started building IA for your site:
- Let's simplify. You want the process of navigating your website to be easy and simple. Don't add unnecessary distractions that keep your users from finding the button you want them to click, the form you want them to fill out, or most importantly, the answer to their query.
- The same goes for the simplicity of the navigation bar. Keep your navigation bar simple and uncluttered. A good rule of thumb is to keep the main navigation under seven items. Your page groups should be meaningful and related to each other, like the services offered or information about the company.
- Have an internal linking strategy. Invite your website visitors to learn more or take a step toward conversion by showing them links to click through to your products and services or Contact Us pages. These hooks can take people from “just browsing” to considering pretty quickly.
- Research your industry. Review your competitors to learn industry standards for the presentation and organization of your content.
Phillips states, “Our site started from scratch, and in just a few months we were ranking in the top 10 for some keyword competition that we thought would take a year or so. than to rank. The research and effort put into IA paid off very quickly. ”
Please, start your content strategy with your IA
In order for your business to be more visible online and more successful with customers, you must start with a strong marketing strategy. When you think through your content strategy – starting with information architecture – you can not only make an impact by delivering real value to your industry, but you can also capture get a lot of new business – that's always the point, isn't it?
Post a Comment
Post a Comment