Web Content Strategy: Planning, Producing and Managing Website Content

  • Online
  • $760

This course can be taken as part of the UBC Micro-certificate in Writing Skills for Digital Content: Website Strategy or as a standalone course.

Web content strategy focuses on the planning, creation, delivery, and governance of website content that aligns with user needs and an organization’s goals. The content part of any web project is often the most convoluted and problematic element—and the main reason for delays. Web projects big and small need people with knowledge of web content strategy best practices, processes and tools to create better websites.

This course offers practical, hands-on skills in content strategy — and the emerging area of content design — useful for websites of all sizes. You’ll come away with a repeatable process, and a suite of tools, templates and resources to plan, deliver and manage web content.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to plan content for a website, and understand content strategy deliverables, with experience in creating or working with various key documents and processes:

  • Content strategy vision statement
  • Content strategy document
  • Basic user personas and journeys
  • Content inventory and matrix
  • Basic information architecture using a card sort
  • Page templates for content design
  • Basic content creation process
  • Style guide and content management process

If you’re a web writer, content writer, web designer or developer, UX professional, or digital project manager, this course is ideal. Freelancers and print and digital journalists might also find this course useful as a way to land web content work.

There is no required textbook for this course. Recommended text: Content Strategy for the Web (Pearson Education; 2nd edition, Feb. 10, 2012), Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach.

Course outline

Week 1: Introduction to Content Strategy

Week 2: Content Strategy Steps and Deliverables

Week 3: Knowing Your Users

Week 4: Content Audits and Reviews

Week 5: Information Architecture (IA)

Week 6: Page Planning and Content Design

Week 7: Content Creation and Governance

Week 8: Building Your Career In Web Content

How am I assessed?

This course is marked complete/incomplete, and is based on your attendance and participation. Your instructor provides you personalized feedback on the assignments you hand in.

Record of completion

A record of completion will be emailed to students who participate and satisfy the course requirements within two weeks of the course end date. Course completion means 80% attendance and/or 80% completion of mandatory assignments.

Expected effort

Expect to spend 3–4 hours per week completing readings, exercises and assignments, and participating in online forum discussions.

Technology requirements

To take this course, and for the best experience, we recommend you have access to:

  • an email account
  • a computer, laptop or tablet under five years old and using Windows or macOS
  • the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
  • a reliable internet connection.

One day before the start of your course, we’ll email you step-by-step instructions for accessing your course.

Course format

This course is 100% online and instructor supported. Course work is done independently and at your own pace within deadlines set by your instructor. A new module is released each week. Log in anytime to your course to access the lessons as they become available.

Online materials will be available in Canvas for three weeks after the course ends, after which time you will no longer be able to access the course.

Available sessions

Available course sessions
Start date Sessions Days Time Format Tuition Description
8 sessions - - Online $760

Related courses

How can we help?

We’re here to answer your questions, discuss learning options and provide insights, recommendations and referrals.  

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