UpClose & Personal - Nancy Griffin

It is an electronic channel of communication that increases reach, saves money, and encourages client retention. In deciding which web strategy to implement, the content you provide on the site should be foremost in your mind.

The literal definition of content is “the substantive or meaningful part.” Translated to the Web terms, content is the “meat of your site”--the words and images used to convey your message. The most important aspect of web content is that it provides relevant information. The content on your website should give visitors a compelling reason to stay on your site, as well as a compelling reason to come back again.

Site structure should be determined by the tasks your clients want to perform on your site. Content on the home page should cater to the user's interest and let them know what to expect. It should clearly answer the question, "What does this site do for me?" The navigation bar on the home page should highlight the user's current location and must answer three key questions, "Where am I?", "Where have I been?", and "Where can I go?".

Content is divided into sections to help organize the user's experience. Some possible menu items for a ClubSpa include:

About Us
Spa Menu/Description of Treatments
Classes
Programs
Personal Training
News and Press
FAQ
New and Hot
Fitness or Spa Tip of the Month.

Linking to relevant content on other sites is another way to offer information at a lower cost.

Content Tips: Set objectives based on your customers' and potential customers' needs. Create the right environment for your content with clean design, intuitive navigation, and a fast page-loading time. Avoid marketing fluff, get to the point. Write for scanabilty; use simple sentence structure and short paragraphs.