Let’s start with pages.
Pages
Pages are where most of your site’s content will live.
When you’re creating a page, think about who the page is for, and what purpose the page serves. For example: The primary audience for a “Services” page will likely be prospective customers. Meanwhile, the primary audience for a “Support” page will likely be existing customers.
You can create a hierarchy in WordPress with pages and sub-pages. This is useful for drilling down into specific information. For example: create sub-pages under “Services” for each service you provide.
To get you started, here’s a basic outline of what a good corporate site should include:
- Home Page: Introduces your business, guides visitors to relevant content.
- Solutions: Identifying the needs/pains/challenges that your business solves.
- Products & Services: Pages detailing the specifics of what your business offers.
- Resources: Supplemental content that educates potential customers.
- Blog: News, events, press releases, and other such content (see “Posts” above).
- Contact: Phone numbers, email & physical mailing addresses, contact form.
- About Us: Company history, mission, executive profiles, media kit downloads.
- Legal: Copyright, Terms of Use, Cookie Policy.
Action Item
Use a tool like Xmind or MindMeister to map out your page structure. Plugins like CMS Tree Page View and Hierarchy will let you set up this structure within WordPress.
The Importance of Images
Good content includes more than just text. It should also include images. Images help you communicate your idea by providing visual aide. They can also break up large blocks of text into smaller, easier-to-read chunks.
Additionally: Sites like Facebook and Twitter will pull images from your page content. If someone shares a link to your page on social media, it will stand out in the social feed. This makes the content more compelling to click.
A word of warning: Avoid generic corporate stock photos. These images add nothing of value to your content. If you’re going to use a photograph, make it a real one. Have photos of your actual team, your actual office.
If that doesn’t work, no problem. Images don’t need to be photographs. Illustrations, diagrams, and catchy typography can work just as well.
Whatever you use, ensure the image supports your message and helps communicate key points.
Action Item:
- Use an online service like PicMonkey, Canva, Pablo, or Pixlr.
- Google Apps user? Drawings and Slides can create images, too.
- On Office? Use PowerPoint.On Mac? Use KeyNote.
- Not comfortable creating images yourself? Services like 99Designs and Fiverr can connect you with talented designers.
Outsourcing Content Production
If you can’t handle the content production yourself, consider outsourcing. Put on your Manager hat and find other people to contribute. This’ll let you focus on the strategy while leaving the writing to someone else.
There are plenty of articles online to help you get started with outsourced content creation. Here are a few:
- How to Outsource Content (That’s Worth Reading!)
- The Dos and Don’ts of Outsourcing Content Creation
- Should You Outsource Content Creation or Hire a Content Marketing Team?
Recap
Content is the “meat” of your website, the real substance that visitors are seeking. Creating good content is hard work, but the hard work is worth it, as it’ll pay dividends for the business later. The best part? You content is never “finished”. You can always make improvements down the road.
Key takeaways from this series:
Posts are timely articles published by authors, organized by categories and tags. A corporate site should cover areas of expertise for the business, plus company announcements. Start by publishing once a week and work your way up from there.
Pages are for information that never gets old. They can have a branching hierarchy of child pages. Every page on your site should have a target audience in mind. At the least, communicate:
- What problems the business solves
- What products/services it sells
- The story behind the company
- How people can contact the company
Images are a crucial part of content. Use them as visual aide to communicate key concepts. Avoid using generic corporate stock photos. Create original images using:
Web tools (like Canva)
Desktop apps (like PowerPoint or Keynote)
Services (like 99Designs or Fiverr)
Not comfortable creating content on your own? Try outsourcing. There are plenty of guides available online to help you get started with outsourced content creation. Here are a few:
