Step 3: Define Page-Level Content Strategy

After looking at the big picture, it’s time to zoom into individual pages to set goals, key words, and more. Page-level content strategy is a plan for what information needs to be on each specific page.

Deciding Page-Level Content Strategy

Using your information architecture as a guide, you will need to create a master list of all pages you will make for your site. Spreadsheets or word docs with bulleted lists to show the site’s hierarchy can be helpful ways to do this.

If you are working with existing content, you may use your content inventory and content audit as a starting point for this exercise.

Next, for each page of content, you will need to determine:

• What content needs to be included. What information would a user reasonably expect to be on this page? What does the business need to convey to the user here?
• What keywords to target, if any. What are the calls to action that make sense on this page?
• Any key calls to action (CTAs). What words or phrases do users search for to find the type of information that will be on this page?

These questions help guide the creation of your content.

How to Record Page-Level Content Strategy

There are many ways to record page-level content strategy, but these three categories are perhaps the most helpful:

• Spreadsheets: Great for seeing all page-level strategy at once
• Word documents: Great for more detailed page-level strategy
• Diagramming Tools: Great for visualizing IA and content strategy together (FigJam, Microsoft Visio, etc.)

Using Spreadsheets

Using a spreadsheet is a great way to see all of the pages of content you need to create at once, as well as key pieces of page-level strategy. If you’ve conducted a content inventory and audit, you may already have a spreadsheet to start from.

Your page-level content strategy spreadsheet should have the following fields:

• Page Title (new and old, if applicable)
• Path / URL (new and old, if applicable)
• Content Notes

These are the bare-minimum pieces of information that will help you see what content you are including and where.

If you’re looking for more specific information for each page, you might consider adding a column for recording primary calls to action (CTAs) for each page as well as targeted keywords to improve search engine optimization.

Example Page-Level Strategy for Visit Pages on www.tamu.edu

Page Title	Path	Content Notes	Primary CTAs
Visit Texas A&M University	/visit/index.html	Index page; make sure to clearly link to all other pages in this section Overview of ways to visit — in person and online Clearly provide info for College Station campus, but link to info for other locations	Register for a Visit
Parking and Directions	/visit/parking-directions.html	How do I get to Texas A&M University? Is there visitor parking? Does it cost money? How can I get to campus if I don’t drive?	View Texas A&M University on Google Maps
Explore Aggieland	/visit/explore-aggieland.html	How can I tour Texas A&M? Can I do it on my own? Where can I stay in College Station while I visit? What are the dining options?	Explore Our Campus Map Get Directions
Plan Your Visit	/visit/plan-your-visit.html	Information about the Visitor Center Tour Options – Individual, Group Tips for campus visit	Sign Up for an In-Person Visit Sign Up for a Group Tour