This guide is designed to help UW web content creators—especially those new to content strategy—develop thoughtful, user-centered content for new or existing websites. It draws on the University’s editorial and equitable language standards and reflects the practices of the Web Strategy team.
At the heart of UW’s content strategy is a commitment to understanding and serving diverse audiences that considers the full spectrum of UW’s audiences: prospective students, undergraduate students, graduate students, professional students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, patients, and community partners.
What is content strategy?
Content strategy is the planning, creation, delivery, and governance of content—text, images, video, audio, and more—across digital platforms. It ensures that every piece of content serves a clear purpose, aligns with business goals, and meets the needs of your audience.
At its core, content strategy answers:
- What content should be created?
- Why are we creating it?
- Who is it for?
- Where and how will it be delivered?
- How will we measure its success?
A strong content strategy integrates brand voice, user experience, search engine optimization (SEO), and analytics to create a cohesive and effective digital presence.
Key components
- Audience research: Understand who your users are, what they need, and how they consume content.
- Content audit: Evaluate existing content to identify gaps, redundancies, and opportunities.
- Messaging framework: Define tone, voice, and key messages that reflect your brand.
- Content governance: Establish workflows, roles, and responsibilities for content creation and maintenance.
- Editorial calendar: Plan when and where content will be published.
- Measure and optimize: Use analytics to assess performance and refine strategy.
Best practices
- Start with strategy, not tactics: Avoid jumping straight into content creation. Define your goals, audience, and success metrics first.
- Create modular, reusable content: Design content that can be repurposed across platforms—e.g., a research story can become a blog post, social snippet, and newsletter feature.
- Use style guides and voice charts: Tools like style guides and voice charts help maintain consistency across teams.
- Collaborate cross-functionally: Content strategy thrives when marketing, UX, design, and development teams work together.
- Measure what matters: Track engagement, conversions, and user feedback—not just page views. Use these insights to iterate.
Core principles of UW’s content strategy
User-centered design
The Web Strategy team recommends units use a research-driven approach:
- Conduct usability studies and user interviews
- Analyze behavior data (e.g., site analytics)
- Validate content with real users before and after launch
Strategic planning
Likewise, the team recommends a phased, or iterative, process:
- Discovery: Understand your audience and goals
- Planning: Define content types, tone, and structure
- Creation: Write and design with accessibility and equity in mind
- Governance: Establish workflows for review, updates, and ownership
Guidelines and standards
Follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards in all content creation. Use UW’s Editorial Guide to maintain consistency in tone, grammar, and style, and use UW’s Equitable Language Guide to ensure your content is inclusive and respectful of all audiences. Review the Web Strategy team’s best practices for Writing for the Web.
Key tips
- Write in plain language
- Use active voice
- Avoid jargon
- Prioritize clarity and empathy
SEO and discoverability
Proper content creation, and standard coding practices, help create content that is easier to find and navigation. For more in-depth guidance on SEO, check out our SEO slug & title guide.
Key tips
- Use structured markup and sitemaps to improve search engine visibility
- Monitor brand visibility in AI-generated summaries and search overviews
- Optimize internal search experiences with tagging and metadata
Continuous improvement
Content strategy is never “done.” Use analytics, feedback, and testing to:
- Identify content gaps
- Improve navigation and readability
- Refine messaging over time
UW Web Checklist
The UW Web Checklist was developed by UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS) in collaboration with University Marketing & Communications (UMAC). It includes 57 specific checkpoints for evaluating websites or web applications for accessibility, UW branding, and style. Everything noted above can be evaluated with the checklist and help you to build better content. Consider making the UW Web Checklist a part of your content strategy.