CSKT
A revamped content strategy for a Native American tribe in Montana.
Dates: September-October 2024
Scope: Content Strategy Proposal
The CSKT released a RFP for a new congtent strategy, with the goal of making content more effectively locatable on a new website for the tribe. The confederation also sought to increase engagement with both members and other audiences alike.
In response to the RFP, I created a content strategy proposal to address the issues the CSKT were facing. The proposal included a full audit of the sites existing content and SEO, along with a competitive analysis. Based on the research, the core strategy, messaging framework, content design, and style guide were developed, aligning with the overarching goals and user needs identified in a content alignment summary.
The Conferderated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation needed to improves their website’s user experience when it came to locating important pieces of content.
Content Alignment Summary
Based on the RFP, a Content Alignment Summary was created to summarize the overall goals, objectives, audiences, user needs, and opportunities/challenges. All of this information was outlined to ensure consistency in the content strategy proposal, ensuring that all tactics would contribute to and align with the established goals and needs.
AUDIT
The first part of creating this proposal was researching the current status of CSKT’s content. I found the existing website to be outdated, both visually and in terms of the content on the page. It appeared from the onset that the content was not kept up-to-date.
In reviewing the site, the structure and organization of content — including the existing information architecture — was also analyzed. Areas for improvement, particularly in content design, were identified.
Alongside a review of the website’s layout and organization, on-page SEO elements were also analyzed to discover what the website was doing well in this area, and any fixes that needed to be addressed. Using Screaming Frog SEO It was found that although a majority of pages had titles, the website continually lacked in headings and alt tags. The website was also found to perform below accessibility guidelines, with the absence of an accessibility menu.
Competitive Analysis
After auditing the CSKT website, a competitive analysis — concerned with the same SEO topics identified in the initial audit — were completed for three other Native American tribes. These included:
Cherokee Nation
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
Through this analysis, I found that all three websites faired better than CSKT in terms of the SEO and information architecture. This information served to inform areas where CSKT could perform better in order for the website to be on-par with that of its peers.
Core Stategy Statement
After completing the audit and competitive analysis, a core strategy statement - balancing all goals of the strategy - was created:
To allow our audience to better engage with government resources, we will provide helpful, informational, and educational content that makes it simple for members and non-members of our tribe alike to better understand CSKT’s processes, procedures, and operations.
Content Design
Based on the statement, goals, and research conducted, I then outlined a new content design for the CSKT website, focusing on prioritization, organization, and presentation.
User scenarios were created to identify the reasons users would visit the CSKT website, which then helped to identify the types of content need to respond to each scenario. An improved information architecture was also outlined to make the existing organization more effective. Wireframes of pages for a redesigned website were also drafted and proposed.
Writing
In order to keep all copy consistent on the new website, a writing style guideline - outlining the voice and tone of all copy - was created. The style guide identifies how and how not to write copy for CSKT, and the reasons why.
KPIS and Next Steps
To wrap up the proposal, KPIs were created in order to outline how the success of the content strategy would be measured. This section makes use of best practices in content strategy, including the use of heuristics.
A next steps section outlines the roles of responsibilities of different parties involved in CSKT’s content strategy work, and a process for how content should be created.
Proposal
After writing all of the information, I then compiled everything into one well-designed and ready-to-print proposal document.