Web content managers ensure that the content of a website is well-structured and easy to find and that it meets the needs of its users by covering all necessary topics and being up to date and accurate. The content you'll manage can include web pages, images, videos, blog posts, guest articles, reviews and occasionally social media and marketing copy.
You'll sometimes produce copy and edit the site yourself, but on larger sites you'll normally act as a coordinator, commissioner and project manager, overseeing the work of other writers and editors. You'll produce content schedules and audits, which writers and editors use to keep copy up to date and to create new content at appropriate times.
You'll be an expert in your organisation's content management system (CMS) and will produce user guides and deliver training, as well as work with the CMS developers and internal IT staff to ensure the system has been configured to meet the needs of the organisation.
Web content managers also organise user testing and market research projects to ensure that the website's content is suitable for the audience.
Responsibilities
As a web content manager, you'll need to:
manage your company CMS, working with developers and editors to ensure it's meeting the needs of your organisation
conduct content audits to identify gaps and redundancies in the site content
create and implement content schedules for people to produce or update content
produce maps and visualisations of the site to help staff understand the structure and function of the website
write and edit web copy
source, commission and sometimes edit images and videos
develop policies relating to your organisation's web content, such as a house style
analyse analytics data to learn how users interact with your site
survey users and hold focus groups to learn about how they view your site
train staff in writing and producing content for the web
occasionally update HTML, CSS and JavaScript on your site
stay knowledgeable about your site's subject area.
Skills
You'll need to be:
highly organised, with the ability to work on multiple projects at once
experienced with one or more CMS
strategic, and able to oversee large projects and coordinate the work of others
an excellent writer and editor, with good spelling and grammar and the ability to adapt to house styles
able to research, collate and summarise information from different sources
logical and analytical, with an ability to spot patterns, gaps and repetitions in web content
able to communicate confidently and clearly with a variety of stakeholders
technically minded, with an understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other web technologies
knowledgeable about the website's users and industry
willing to stay up to date with developments in your subject area and in developments in the digital world.
