Why do I need content strategy?

I already have a website. Why do I need content strategy?

You hired someone to design and develop your website, right? Did they tell you it was “done”? If so, they were wrong. A website is never done.

Your website is a living representation of your business to the world. It’s the point of entry — the first impression — for many (if not most) of your prospects. It should represent the current state of your operation, not just what it looked like on the day your designer handed your site over to you. Like a garden, it should be regularly tended and curated.

Maybe you read that paragraph and thought, “Yeah, I know. But I’m too busy running my business to worry about my website, and I can’t afford to hire someone.” Content strategy is a continuous part of maintaining your site, whether you hire someone in-house or you opt for outside help.

But perhaps you read that paragraph and thought, “My website is still up to date. I don’t need to change it all the time.” In that case, you may have the artificial flowers of websites. They look pretty enough and don’t wilt, but they’re still getting a bit dusty. It’s not enough just to have a website anymore. Fresh, regularly updated content on your website is, at a minimum, proof of life for your potential customers. There’s a graveyard of abandoned websites for shuttered companies out there on the web, and the last thought you want a prospect to have is “…but are they still in business?”