Yesterday, Google announced the availability of real-time data in Google Analytics. Hooray. Finally, we have it! Oh, wait. What do we have exactly? Real-time analytics is an attractive feature, but the value is questionable. What actionable insights can you make based on real-time data? (They do exist but are few and far between.) Google’s announcement prompted me to revisit … [Read more...] about The Questionable Value of Real-Time Web Analytics
Selling Content Strategy: A Continuous Process
One of the top questions new content strategy practitioners have — as I did when first introduced to the discipline — is how do you sell it? How do you make the case for content strategy and convince web stakeholders that their content needs a better plan (assuming a plan currently exists — eek!)? It’s easy to get discouraged. Have you ever had an experience like the … [Read more...] about Selling Content Strategy: A Continuous Process
Google Says Users First With Lengthy Page Content
The simple secret to search engine optimization (SEO): focus on your users. In Google's latest attempt to improve search for web users, they have prioritized single-page versions of multi-page articles (if a single-page version of the article exists) in search results. This is a relatively minor tweak on Google's part, but it's a good reminder to create web content for people … [Read more...] about Google Says Users First With Lengthy Page Content
Prioritize: Less Content, More Action
This week, Tim Nekritz, director of web communication and associate director of public affairs at SUNY Oswego, discussed the need for less talk and more action with web content. In the process of revising the SUNY Oswego Admissions page, he pared down the existing content. He focused only on essential admissions information and included a compelling video describing the SUNY … [Read more...] about Prioritize: Less Content, More Action
Web Analytics for Content Planning
We commonly associate web analytics (including Google Analytics) with web governance and measurement, using it to evaluate content performance and user interaction post website launch. But web analytics can do more than report progress: it can inform process. A lot of content work happens before we have a governance plan in place, including content research and discovery. We … [Read more...] about Web Analytics for Content Planning