How to get content on your site

If your website is working smoothly, content seems effortless. Audiences can find what they need without frustration, stakeholders are confident that their subjects are represented well, and nobody has to question whether what they’re seeing is accurate or up-to-date.

But this kind of content doesn’t happen by chance, or by a group of magical content elves who appear and transform your site into tip-top shape overnight. It takes people, time, and effort. It’s easy to waste resources simply by not being clear about who should do what, and when.

Too often, we see all the responsibilities of maintaining a website dumped on one staffer (who’s usually expected to do the work on top of their existing full-time job). The expectations for this poor soul are unclear and inconsistent, and they end up taking content requests from the loudest stakeholders, with little oversight for accuracy or consistency. It’s no wonder that so many clients come to us complaining about their overstuffed, confusing, out-of-date websites. 

It takes a village to keep your content timely, accurate, and useful. Yours could be a very small village; what’s most important is that everyone knows their role and their place in the content workflow.

It can be useful to reflect on your current processes (or lack thereof) and what works or doesn’t work about them.

Ask these questions:

• Who updates the website now?
• What content is the most frequently updated?
• What content should be included on your site that currently isn’t?
• What usually triggers a content update? (Examples: A stakeholder request, a seasonal need, or an event like an admissions cycle or a product launch)
• What is the current process for updating the website? (Does anyone review before publishing? Is the same person who writes the content the same person who adds it to the CMS?)
• What works about the current process? What’s frustrating?
• Is there anyone with time and interest who could be given content responsibilities?

Crafting a seamless content workflow isn’t about summoning a mystical team of content elves; it’s about fostering clarity, delegation, and accountability. By recognizing the collective effort needed to maintain timely, accurate, and purposeful content, and by assigning clear roles and responsibilities, you pave the way for an efficiently managed website. 

Embrace this opportunity to reflect on existing processes, identify gaps, and download our PDF guide to streamline your content workflow. Remember, it takes a village—even if yours is a small one—to transform content management from chaotic to cohesive, saving time and frustration along the way.