What is a web content strategist?

While the definition can be flexible based on context, a web content strategist is the person responsible for overseeing all content for any given project. Since the web content strategist is a new position for University Libraries, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a general overview of the role. The web content strategist will:

  • serve as an advocate for content development throughout the course of a project
  • act as a liaison and collaborate with key stakeholders, product owners, subject matter experts, as well as with developers, information architects, user experience experts, and SEO experts
  • develop recommendations based on business objectives for the Libraries and user needs
  • write and edit content to follow standards for writing for the web
  • ensure editorial guidelines and standards align with Penn State’s editorial standards, including standards for voice and tone as well as accessibility and usability
  • work with authors and content creators to develop content best-practices
  • provide content inventories and audits in alignment with requirements develop a plan and process (content strategy) for handling all of the above—creating, updating, archiving, and in some cases, deleting content.

Given the enormity of most academic library websites, more and more content strategists are being added to library web teams. Our recent migration sets the stage for moving forward with a content strategy that will ensure that University Libraries’ website is useful, usable, and discoverable – now and in the future.

Importantly, creating a strong web content strategy is all about building
good relationships and collaboration with our University Library colleagues.
Thank you again for making our migration a smooth one, and we look forward to
continuing our work with you. Likewise, please continue to submit feedback
at:  https://libraries.psu.edu/website-feedback/. Feedback and requests will
be reviewed and prioritized, and help guide us in planning the next steps for
the site.

–submitted by Karen Hackett, web content strategist, I-Tech