Kristina Halvorson – “Content Strategy for the Web”

Kristina Halvorson – Content Strategy for the Web

It’s All About the Text, Baby
Text is everywhere. Today, most of the content on the web is text. We search for it in articles, blog posts, product descriptions, reviews, and more. We depend on it to tell us which video we’re about to watch, or where to click in order to complete our purchase. We create it ourselves using social media channels, blogs, wikis, and more. Text instructs, guides, informs, confirms, communicates, connects. (Halvorson, p. x)

A Whole Lot Less
Online, when it comes to informational, marketing, or promotional content, more is almost never more. Instead of going for “critical mass,” think about striving for “a whole lot less.” (Halvorson, p. 7)

We Need a Website
In the mid-1990s, we all woke up one morning to discover that, suddenly, we were expected to establish an online presence for our organization right now. No one asked for it. No one planned for it. But almost overnight, if we wanted to build or maintain credibility as a viable, trustworthy organization, we needed a website. Period. (Halvorson, p. 21)

No Shortcuts
Content should be your first thought. Not an afterthought. There are no shortcuts. No matter what you’ve read, no matter what the “experts” are telling you, aggregation doesn’t equal differentiation, users will not magically generate your content for you, [and] you can’t buy effective content on the cheap. (Halvorson, p. 23)

The People Behind the Content
Quality, relevant content can’t be spotted by an algorithm. You can’t subscribe to it. You need people—actual human beings—to create or curate it. (Halvorson, p. 24)

Preparing Your Content
Content on the web is a living, breathing thing. It’s ever-changing, ever-evolving, constantly shaped and reshaped by curators, creators, reviewers, and users. Prepare your content carefully, and it will live a longer, happier life online. (Halvorson, p. 111)

What Readers Want
Amber Simmons (AListApart.com) eloquently defends the need for better writing online: Content fills a real need: it establishes emotional connections between people. The writing has heart and spirit; it has something to say and the wherewithal to stand up and say it. Content is the stuff readers want to read…. It hooks the reader and draws him in, encouraging him to click this link or that, to venture further into a website. It delivers what it promises and delights the attentive reader. (Halvorson, p. 129)

Social Media Rules the Day
More than any media channel the world has ever seen, social media needs maintenance. Care and feeding. Upkeep. All. The. Time. (Halvorson, p. 141)

Bibliography

Halvorson, Kristina. Content Strategy for the Web. New Riders, 2010.