Content planning is not exciting. It can be downright boring and for people that don’t want to do it, content planning can take HOURS to do. To avoid those painful hours, take a deep breath and read on. Planning content for a website or multiple websites is a breeze with the right tools and tips.
Webmasters and business people should plan their content for different reasons. All those reasons are very important to remember. Content planning can lead to:
- Increased authority
- Increase in organic traffic
- Increase in links to the site
- Increase in search engine rankings
- Increase in profits
These are some of the reasons the most dedicated business people put themselves through hours of planning content. They know all their work will give the results they want.
Planning Made Easy
When it is time for planning, take a breath. People have to learn to relax and let things flow logically or they will end in a mess bigger than they want. Content planning is the process of deciding what content is written on specific days. An effective planning session will make people think of:
- Their keywords
- When the content will be published
- The purpose of their content
The tools most people use when they are in a content planning session are their computers, a calendar and a list of keywords they want to rank for (if available). These tools and ideas will make planning much easier.
Some Helpful Tips
There are some days planning is a pain to do. Nobody loves to do it unless they absolutely love the tedium that comes with it. For those that do not like it, here are some tips to make it bearable and easy to accomplish.
Write It Out on a Calendar
Actually looking at an actual calendar will give people an idea of how many posts they should create in that time. If a post is supposed to be created every day, it needs to be written. If business owners do not have time to write 28-31 posts every month, they should buy the content, review and schedule it to be posted daily.
Mix Marketing and Content Planning
Content is part of marketing and during planning sessions, marketing should be given a thought. It’s during this time some people decide to write an eBook or white page. These release dates and goals need to be written and scheduled.
Stay on Task
It is easy to get distracted by Twitter alerts and Facebook but don’t. Do not stray away from content planning unless it is an emergency.
Outsource If Necessary
Not everyone is meant to create content for his or her websites. They have talents that are not in the realm of content creation and they are okay with that. Take the time to plan the content that should appear on the website and buy content to fit those plans. It is an easy and affordable option.
Once the session is over, review it. If it looks good, stick with it. If it does not look good, take a break and revise the next day.
Content planning is not supposed to drag on for days. It is supposed to happen quickly so business owners can move on to their next order of business. For those that hate content planning, follow those tips and it will become as easy as breathing.