We're going to take a break from programming and concentrate on another aspect of being a webmaster that we've mentioned once before in this series of articles and that's content. Content is going to be different for every site as each site contains different information as each site will deal with different main subjects. So the first thing I’d like to go over is how to determine the type of content we're going to use in our own sites.
First things first, we must fist decide what the site will be geared towards. Many webmasters make a common mistake; which sometimes isn't a mistake at all, but most webmasters tend to gear their sites toward more then one main topic or subject. In most cases a website is run by one webmaster and is normally a hobby or something they will do in their free time. So it's harder for most webmasters to keep a site updated the way it needs to be with more then one main topic or subject.
So if a site is ran by just one webmaster or a smaller group of webmasters, it's a good idea to keep the main topic for the site to just one thing and then branch out from that main topic. Many webmasters are unaware that a site dealing with specific information will tend to be more popular then a site dealing with a multitude of information and topics, these types of sites are also referred to as portals. For instance a site like MSN would be considered a portal and a very good portal at that. The only reason a site like MSN can pull a portal site off, is because they have the resources and man power to do it. Smaller sites can't even begin to keep up with a site of that magnitude.
Pick a Topic
Deciding what a site will be about is one of the most aggravating things for a webmaster to decide. Many times a site will need to be geared toward a main subject that can be added or branched out from. So it shouldn't be too specific, unless that is the type of site the webmaster would like to build. When deciding the main topic or subject a site there are few things the webmaster must take into consideration.
1. What are they good at and what type of information do they know a lot about?2. What types of information is easiest for them to teach others?3. Which would be fun for the webmaster producing the site?
These are just a few questions we must ask ourselves before we even begin to start a website or content for a website.
Once we have a good topic picked out that we will be able to build a site on, we can then start thinking about the type of content that we’ll fill the site with. A good rule of thumb is to pick a topic you know well so when it’s time to start writing content for the site it will not become a problem or be overly hard to do.
Build Content
Now that we know what we want to make a web site about, we now need to start determining the type of content we’re going to develop for the site. First we must decide the type of content we’ll be displaying on the site, and then we can start working on the content. So let’s take a look at a few different types of content we can put on the site.
Message Boards - Databases (Links, Downloads, Lists)
Message boards and databases are just a few examples of this form of content, which I like to call builder content. Builder content is the type of content that helps support the main content and builds it up; we’ll go over main content next. Any type of content that doesn’t take much time to do, or is a sort of add-on to existing content can be labeled as builder content and should never be used or considered main content.
Main Content
The main content to a web site would be the main focus of the site, for instance the articles on Webmaster Stop would be considered main content and the referrals or links to other resources similar would be considered builder content. Be sure to keep these two types of content in mind when building content for your own site.
We now know the different types of content and we’ve also decided what our site will be about, from this point we can actually start building content for the site. This part of building a web site can get confusing to some webmasters, as they like to get a site finished and then start adding content to it. This IS NOT the best route to take and will end up hurting the site in the long run.
Keep in mind that if we build content before any sort of design or management system is completed, we’ll be able to focus more on the content and build it to what it should be and then model the site around the content. This is always the best route to take with building any site and yes there are some sites that have exceptions but if the site is content driven then it is not an exception.
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