Content Optimization News & Articles

“Content is king.”

It’s an oft-repeated expression in marketing departments. The recent explosion of content-based marketing campaigns and the constant pressure to create more content only serve to confirm the notion. But in all the hype surrounding the content itself, don’t forget that a related trend -- inbound marketing -- is on the rise, and with it the balance of power in B2B marketing departments has shifted yet again.

Last week we talked about InboundWriter’s social writing application and its impact on web content. This week, Inbound Writer gets plugged-in. The launch of a new WordPress plugin (made possible by with help from Eightfold Logic, an inbound marketing innovator) enables InboundWriter users to access real-time search intelligence within one of the most popular blogging software platforms.

 When it comes to content strategy, we tend to focus more on the strategy and less on the content. And while the content strategy community doesn’t lack for advice about employing the right content in the right places, there aren’t many tools that can help model effective content based on keywords and content goals. Thanks to a handy tool called Inbound Writer, writing content that’s both targeted and strategic is now possible.

Forrester (news, site) made an interesting forecast on how US marketers continue to effectively use one of the oldest engagement tools: Good ol' electronic mail. The good news is that no more cash is needed to keep the channel competitive with social media. The bad news, on the other hand, is that nobody seems to know what they're doing. We've got the tasty lowdown.

Trends, themes and predictions, oh my! It's that time again, and CMSWire would be remiss if we didn't get in on the fun.

Our adventures in content and website optimization continued this week thanks to both a handful of gracious experts and our own CMSWire staff writers. 

These days there seems to be as many Web Content Management (WCM) systems as there are programming languages. From Open Source systems to blogging platforms to wiki systems to big vendor Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and portal systems, we are swimming in WCM options. But whatever system you are using or considering there are some key strategies for optimizing your site and content that can spell the difference between a site that successfully drives desired behavior and one that simply exists on the web. 

(Note: This article was written with contribution from Fishbowl Solutions WCM experts Mariah Bailey and Steve Fahey.)

This month we put aside some time to discuss our favorite 'O' word: Optimization. In addition to advice from experts around the way, we've got some thoughts from a couple of our very own CMSWire kids.

There’s a term in scientific research called “social desirability bias”. It’s a term that’s used to describe the tendency of a respondent to answer a question in a way that will be viewed favorably by society. Its effect on research is usually an over-reporting of good behavior and/or an under-reporting of “bad” behavior. In short, if you ask people if they are willing donate their organs after death (as one organization did) 72% will say yes. Yet, only 38% actually do so.

There’s a similar trend in optimizing web content for conversions.

We’ve been exploring Web Engagement Management (WEM) perspectives lately. This time we look at the role that Digital Asset Management (DAM) plays in engagement. And based on my experiences, I'll put a stake in the ground and say that most organizations and DAM vendors are missing out on the potential DAM+WEM love.

Web Engagement Management (WEM) is a strategy for how an organization brings together its human and technology resources to optimize its digital presence. In the article What is Web Engagement Management (WEM)? we outlined 5 core WEM components. But we just skimmed the surface. Here's more on what we think is at the center of WEM.

In the wake of a very successful eDiscovery tool Insite Legal Hold, leveraged by the ever-popular Open Text, Recommind releases the newest version of another solution poised for ascendancy.

This time the product is MindServer Search, and the solution -- as you probably guessed -- has to do with search techniques. Version 6.0 is targeted toward the users of next-generation enterprise search. The enhancements that come with the updated tool all seem to (unsurprisingly) mirror another developing search-related topic recently covered here at CMSWire. Can you guess which?

The first release of Mozilla’s in-browser messaging/content aggregation client was--at best--a terribly executed extension backed by a good idea and a cool looking logo. 

Sears Roebuck was one of the very first large corporations. It was in the mail-order business. It used content to make the sale.

Government websites are organization-centric, complicated and confusing, according to a survey of government web professionals in the United States, New Zealand and Canada.