In the age of AI, content creation is more important than ever — but it’s also easier to get wrong.
I’m a content creator. I write this blog. I create other content for other websites. I’ve been doing this for years now, and I’ve learned that many people misunderstand what content creation really means.
When I talk about website content creation, I don’t just mean writing copy. That’s only part of it. There are many different types of content that go into a website, from text and graphics to video and audio. And there are many different ways to use those pieces of content to tell your brand’s story, answer questions your audience might have, or guide visitors toward meaningful actions.
But in order to do all that, you need a strategy. You can’t just start creating content without thinking through where you want it to go. You need to plan out what kind of content you’re going to make, how you’re going to make it, and who you’re going to make it for. You need to research your audience and understand their needs and wants. You need to organize your content in a way that makes sense to both your audience and your business goals. And you need to refine your content over time as you learn what works best.
So if you’re thinking about creating content for your website, here are some things you should know:
Content creation is a deliberate multi-phase process, not just writing copy.
The workflow of website content creation involves many stages, from planning to publishing.
Before any writing begins, you must plan out your content strategy.
Content should serve distinct visitor goals and map to different stages of the buyer’s journey.
A solid strategy is required to achieve ROI from content marketing.
There are several major misconceptions that lead content creators astray.
SEO and content structure should be integrated from the start.
Let me explain each of these points in detail.
What is Website Content Creation?
Website content creation is the process of intentionally planning, producing, organizing, and refining content across a website. This includes various forms of content such as text, graphics, video, and audio. The purpose of website content creation is to effectively communicate with the target audience, promote the brand, and drive conversions.
The process of creating content for a website typically involves several key steps. First, content creators conduct thorough research to understand the target audience's needs, preferences, and behaviors. This helps in identifying the right topics, tone, and style for the content. Next, the content is created, which may involve writing articles, designing visuals, recording videos, or producing audio content. Once the content is created, it undergoes a review and editing process to ensure quality and accuracy. Finally, the content is organized and published on the website, making it accessible to the target audience.
Website content creation is an ongoing process that requires continuous refinement and optimization. As the audience evolves and new trends emerge, the content must be updated and adapted to remain relevant and effective. By following a structured approach to website content creation, businesses can effectively engage their audience, enhance their online presence, and achieve their marketing objectives.
How Much Time Does One Page Really Demand?
Creating one page of content for a website is often underestimated by companies. While it seems like a simple task, the reality is far more complex. Here is a breakdown of the full workflow involved in creating a single page of content:
-
Brief/page table
-
Research
-
Write
-
User test and iterate
-
Review
-
Revise
-
Upload to CMS
-
Review in HTML
-
Publish
-
Govern/maintain
This list contains 10 stages, but in practice, the number is much higher. For example, when researching, you’ll find yourself spending hours digging through data sources. When writing, you’ll spend even more time rewriting sentences. When testing, you’ll find yourself reworking the layout and design of the page. When reviewing, you’ll discover that the original brief didn’t account for every detail. When revising, you’ll realize that your first draft wasn’t good enough. When uploading to the CMS, you’ll find yourself struggling to format everything correctly. When reviewing in HTML, you’ll see problems that weren’t visible before. When publishing, you’ll find yourself waiting for feedback from others. When governing and maintaining, you’ll find yourself constantly updating the page to keep it current.
And this doesn’t even include the time you’ll spend on marketing activities related to the page, like social media posts, email campaigns, or paid ads. In fact, most marketers estimate that marketing takes about half of the total time spent on content creation. So if you think that one page of content takes about 2 hours, you’re probably underestimating it by a factor of 5.
That said, there are definitely ways to speed up the process. One of the biggest timesavers is using templates and other tools that help automate repetitive tasks. But no matter how efficient you are, you’ll never be able to create high-quality content quickly unless you take the time to plan ahead.
Here’s a rough estimate of how long a 750-word page would take to create, assuming you don’t use any templates:
-
Brief/page table: 1 hour
-
Research: 2 hours
-
Write: 3 hours
-
User test and iterate: 2 hours
-
Review: 1 hour
-
Revise: 1 hour
-
Upload to CMS: 1 hour
-
Review in HTML: 1 hour
-
Publish: 1 hour
-
Govern/maintain: 1 hour
Total: 13 hours
Of course, this is just a rough estimate. If you’re using templates, you could cut the time in half. If you’re working with a team, you could cut it in half again. But no matter how efficient you are, you’ll never be able to create high-quality content quickly unless you take the time to plan ahead.
If you’re interested in learning more about content creation, I recommend checking out my masterclasses on the topic. I teach dozens of classes every year, and thousands of people attend them. In fact, I’ve taught classes for four years now, and they’ve averaged about 15 hours of content each. If you want to learn how to create high-quality content quickly, I highly recommend taking one of my classes.
What Should Be Planned Before Any Writing Begins?
When creating content for your website, it’s important to have a clear plan in place before you begin writing. This will help ensure that your content is cohesive, consistent, and meets the needs of your target audience. Here are some key elements that should be planned before any writing begins:
-
Types of content to create: Decide on the different types of content you want to create for your website. This may include blog posts, product descriptions, case studies, whitepapers, infographics, videos, podcasts, etc.
-
Channels to create for: Determine which channels you want to create content for. This may include your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, YouTube, podcasting platforms, etc.
-
Audit outcomes: Conduct an audit of your existing content to determine what you want to keep, archive, repurpose, or create new content for. This will help you identify gaps in your content strategy.
-
Editorial calendar: Create an editorial calendar to plan out your content creation schedule. This will help you stay on track and ensure that you’re consistently producing content for your website.
-
Content style guide: Develop a content style guide that outlines your brand’s voice, tone, and style. This will help ensure consistency across all of your content.
-
Content brief for creators: Create a content brief for your writers that outlines the purpose of the content, the target audience, the key messages you want to convey, and any specific instructions or guidelines.
-
Plan: Have a plan in place for how you want to create your content. This may include outlining the content, writing drafts, editing, proofreading, and publishing.
-
Specific purpose and goals: Clearly define the purpose and goals of your content. This will help ensure that your content is focused and effective.
-
Best-practice creators: Identify the best-practice creators in your industry and look to them for inspiration and guidance.
-
Readability and accessibility focus: Focus on readability and accessibility when creating your content. This will help ensure that your content is easy to read and understand for all audiences.
-
Specific digital marketing channel in mind: Keep in mind the specific digital marketing channel you’re creating content for. This will help you tailor your content to that channel.
By planning these elements before you begin writing, you’ll be able to create high-quality content that meets the needs of your target audience and supports your overall marketing goals.
Why Do We Need a Content Strategy?
Content marketing is a powerful tool that can help businesses grow and succeed. However, in order to achieve a good return on investment (ROI), it’s important to have a solid content strategy in place. A content strategy is a plan that outlines how a company will create, distribute, and manage its content. It should include information about the target audience, the types of content to create, the channels to use, and the goals of the content marketing efforts.
Without a content strategy, businesses risk wasting time and money on ineffective content marketing campaigns. A well-planned content strategy can help businesses save time and money by ensuring that their content is focused, targeted, and effective. Additionally, a content strategy can help businesses measure the success of their content marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed.
There are many factors that affect the ROI of content marketing. These include the type of content being created, the channels used to distribute the content, the level of engagement with the audience, and the amount of traffic generated. Businesses that invest in a solid content strategy are more likely to achieve a positive ROI from their content marketing efforts.
In conclusion, content marketing is a powerful tool that can help businesses grow and succeed. However, in order to achieve a good return on investment (ROI), it’s important to have a solid content strategy in place. A content strategy is a plan that outlines how a company will create, distribute, and manage its content. It should include information about the target audience, the types of content to create, the channels to use, and the goals of the content marketing efforts. Without a content strategy, businesses risk wasting time and money on ineffective content marketing campaigns.
Common Misconceptions About Content Creation
There are many common misconceptions about content creation that can lead to wasted time and effort. One of the biggest misconceptions is that audiences want to see credentials, licenses, or certifications from content creators. In reality, audiences are more interested in seeing content that is helpful, informative, and engaging. Another misconception is that audiences want to see content that is overly technical or complex. In reality, audiences prefer content that is easy to understand and relevant to their interests.
Another common misconception is that audiences want to see content that is overly promotional or salesy. In reality, audiences prefer content that is authentic and genuine. They want to see content that is created with the intention of helping them, not just pushing a product or service.
Another common misconception is that the same content can be reused everywhere. In reality, this can hurt your credibility and reputation over time.
Finally, another common misconception is that keyword density guarantees SEO success. In reality, keyword optimization matters more than simply repeating keywords.
These are just a few of the many common misconceptions about content creation. By understanding these misconceptions, content creators can avoid wasting time and effort on content that won’t resonate with their audience.
SEO and Content Structure
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential aspect of website content creation. It involves optimizing your content so that it ranks well in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO is important because it helps your website appear at the top of the SERPs, which increases the chances of people clicking on your link. To optimize your content for SEO, you need to make sure that it is properly structured. This means using proper heading tags, including keywords in your content, and making sure that your content is easy to read and navigate.
In addition to SEO, content structure is also important for user experience (UX). Your content should be organized in a way that makes it easy for users to find what they are looking for. This means using proper headings and subheadings, including navigation menus, and making sure that your content is easy to read and navigate.
AI-driven search engines are constantly evolving, and they are becoming better at understanding the intent behind a user’s query. This means that your content needs to be optimized for both SEO and UX. You need to make sure that your content is relevant to the user’s query and that it provides a good user experience.
One way to optimize your content for AI-driven search is to use topic clusters. Topic clusters are groups of related content that are organized around a central theme. This helps search engines understand the relationship between your content and your audience’s search intent. Topic clusters also help improve your SEO because they allow you to create more content around a central theme.
Another way to optimize your content for AI-driven search is to use pillar pages. Pillar pages are comprehensive guides that cover a broad topic. They are typically written by experts in the field and provide detailed information on a particular subject. Pillar pages are useful for SEO because they allow you to create more content around a central theme. They are also useful for UX because they provide users with a wealth of information on a particular subject.
To measure visibility in AI-driven search, you can use a variety of tools. Google Search Console is a free tool that allows you to monitor your website’s performance in Google’s search results. Perplexity is a search engine that uses AI to provide more accurate search results. ChatGPT is a chatbot that can help you find information on the web. Gemini is a search engine that uses AI to provide more accurate search results.
You can also use tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to monitor your website’s performance in search engines. These tools allow you to track your website’s rankings for specific keywords and phrases. They also allow you to analyze your competitors’ websites to see how they are performing in search engines.
Overall, SEO and content structure are important aspects of website content creation. By optimizing your content for SEO and UX, you can increase the chances of your website appearing at the top of the SERPs and providing a good user experience.