Recently I have written a fair bit about optimizing web content.
My thinking has been, and still is, that too many companies rush to publish new content without first establishing a clear purpose for each page or post they create.
In other words, marketers often feel that the simple act of publishing a new page or post is enough.
It’s not.
For web content to deliver value – to both your audience and your company – it has to be purpose-driven. You have to figure out WHY each piece should be published, and then optimize it accordingly.
For example, one post might be optimized for the search engines, while another is optimized for social media. Another might be optimized to attract inbound links, and so on. (My post here goes into this in a lot more detail.)
To truly optimize all of your web content, you need a strategy, a plan and a content calendar that reaches out months into the future.
In other words, get organized and get professional.
And yet…
A part of me rebels against the idea of ALL content being carefully and deliberately crafted to achieve a precise purpose and fit into a rigid calendar.
Part of me asks, “OK, but what happened to spontaneity? What happens to content that is offbeat, off-strategy, but somehow still wonderful?”
I think spontaneous, unexpected content has a place. A really important place.
What do I mean by that?
Think about a gruff, formal and serious grandpa who is gruff, formal and serious at every thanksgiving dinner. That’s just the way he is – until the year he sings a song or tells a silly joke.
That unexpected moment redefines everything. He’s still the same old grandpa, but with a new and memorable twist. Your family will talk about that song or joke for years to come.
The same can be true for your site and your brand.
Establish your baseline with carefully planned and optimized content.
But allow for those moments that can redefine everything by permitting and even encouraging the occasional “outburst” of unexpected content.
No, this isn’t an excuse to get all sloppy and casual about all the content you publish. You can’t make the excuse that all of your content is “deliberately unexpected”.
Step one is to establish a strategy, create a plan and a calendar, and optimize all the content you create.
Step two is to then – and only then – allow for and encourage those occasional outbursts or “grandpa specials”.
NOTE: If you are serious about writing high quality, optimized content for your website or websites, check out my course, Web Content Optimization.
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