Does managing your website, social media, newsletter, and blog make you feel like you’re the captain of a rudderless ship?
When you don’t have a clear content strategy, inconsistent messaging creeps in, you spend hours creating content that never converts, and you optimize for keywords no one searches for.
A good content strategy is a shared plan that keeps your messaging aligned with your business goals and audience needs. It complements your SEO, builds trust, and saves time (and money) spent on tactics that don’t work.
If your content is losing ground to AI overviews or feels unmanageable, I can help.
What does a small business website content strategy look like?
Good content strategy isn’t about clever marketing techniques or stuffing keywords on your pages.
- Understand who your customers are
- Use the words your customers search for
- Write clear, helpful content that answers real questions
- Organize information so people can find what they need, when they need it
- Create content that’s accessible to everyone
- Maintain and improve content over time
Having a plan for what to write and how to write it ensures every word supports your business goals and builds trust. It makes content creation easier, more sustainable, and gives you results you can measure.
From content inventories to post-launch optimization, 20 years of experience has honed my ability to unravel complexity and refocus your content on what matters most to your audience.
Emily has helped us make a comprehensive and cohesive website … She’s helped empower our team with the tools to make updates when needed but is also so responsive and helpful in situations where we need her support. You should hire her!
Catherine Sharp, Chief of Staff, 40th Ward, Chicago, IL
My approach: a love of language, UX writing, and SEO
User Experience (UX) writing makes content clear and helpful for people. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps the right customers find you in search results. Together they help turn impressions into clicks — and clicks into customers.
Content strategy is a collaborative process and you’re an integral part of it. That means regular communication through email and scheduled Zoom calls.
There will be spreadsheets.
Human-centered content for digital platforms
Establishing content priority, removing distractions, and good ‘ol semantic page structure helps people find the information they need and take action.
Building trust and topical authority
Strategic content shows your expertise, answers real questions, provides contextual help, and builds trust for your business.
Copy that is easy to read and understand
Using plain language and conforming to accessibility guidelines keeps content easy to understand for everyone, including search engines.
Not sure where to start? Let’s take a look at your website.
Tired of guessing what content to create or wondering if your website is working for you? Request a consult call – it’s free.
How content strategy works in practice
Discovery
I learn about your business, goals, customers, and challenges through content review, competitor analysis, and keyword research. And yes, this is where I break out the spreadsheets with a detailed content inventory and assessment.
Write and review
I provide professional copywriting across your entire website — page content, blog posts, calls-to-action, and even helpful error messages. We’ll also develop tools you can use going forward: a voice and tone guide, customer empathy maps, and guidance for accessible content.
Build it
I build out page content and blog posts directly in your CMS, or provide training to your in-house team to make sure everything is properly implemented.
User behavior and analysis
After launch, professional analytics and user testing show me where visitors drop off, get stuck, or rage click. This data helps us make small changes that improve how your content performs.
Why choose Always Open Design?
Based in Chautauqua County, NY, I serve small businesses throughout the United States. Looking for a local website designer in Chautauqua County or need content strategy from another part of the country? I bring the same dedicated and personalized approach to every project.
Practical guidance
I provide supportive strategies that fit your reality and capacity, not cookie-cutter formulas designed for teams with unlimited resources.
Responsive communication
You’ll work directly with me. I respond quickly, explain things in plain language, and treat your business goals as my own. More about me.
Iterative process
I focus on measurable outcomes like more customers finding you in search results and successfully taking action on your website. Decisions are backed by real data.
Recent articles: SEO
Content strategy FAQs
What is a content strategy for small businesses?
Content strategy is a plan for creating, organizing, and managing content that serves both your business goals and your customers’ needs.
It’s informed by research — a content audit of what you already have, competitor analysis of what’s working in your industry, and keyword research that reveals what your customers are searching for.
That research answers the essential questions: What content do you need? Who is it for? How should it be organized? What tone should you use? How will you measure success?
How can writing improve small business websites?
Strip away the design and what’s left is your content. If it doesn’t convey your expertise and build trust, your website won’t convert visitors — or rank in search results.
UX writing makes websites easier to use and understand. Clear headings, helpful button labels, simple form instructions, and well-organized content help visitors find what they need and take action. Making time to craft these details also reduces the support questions you field when information is hard to find.
What does a content audit include for a small business website?
A content audit for a small business website includes a complete inventory of all your existing pages, an assessment of content quality and accuracy, performance analysis showing which pages get traffic and conversions, and identification of gaps where you’re missing important content.
I also evaluate SEO elements like title tags and meta descriptions, check for outdated or duplicate content, and review accessibility and readability. The audit results in prioritized recommendations for what to keep, update, consolidate, or create new.
Can content strategy help my business rank higher in search results?
Yes, content strategy directly impacts search rankings. Strategic content targets the right keywords, uses proper heading structure, includes internal links, and provides comprehensive information that answers searcher questions. Search engines favor websites with well-organized, regularly updated, high-quality content.
A content strategy ensures you’re creating content that both users and search engines value, which improves your rankings over time. However, SEO results take time, typically several months, to see significant movement.
How does making my content accessible benefit my website and customers?
Creating accessible content includes a range of techniques from using semantic headings so that content is easier to scan, writing in plain language, using good color contrast and larger font sizes to improve the reader experience on any device … and more.
Making your content accessible expands your potential customer base and demonstrates that your business values inclusivity. Plus, accessibility is increasingly required by law for many businesses.
Have a question you don’t see here? Reach out – I’d be happy to schedule a call with you.
Integrated digital services for small businesses, organizations, and agencies.
Let me put 20 years of web development experience to work for you.