Taking the lead on developing, maintaining the company website, analyzing content performance and nailing tone and style – just another day in the life of a web content manager.
What Does a Web Content Manager Do?
Web content managers are the geniuses who fill website pages with content. They plan, write, edit and upload copy, data and imagery, then promote it via email, social media and other marketing channels. Of course, this isn’t a one-time job. Websites require constant updating and refreshing, which is the web content manager’s forte.
Planning
The process begins by working with creatives, social media and marketing to plan site content, including elements like tone, style and appearance. The result is a dynamite content strategy for attracting and engaging online readers.
Creating
With the plan in place, web content managers are free to work their magic. With company voice, corporate standards, copyright laws and search engine optimization in mind, they write, edit and refresh all of the content on the company’s website. Along with the words, web content managers will also upload imagery and videos. They often utilize editorial calendars to manage upcoming content, such as blog posts or seasonal promotions. Web content managers who work at small companies often also handle most of the content creation on their own. Others manage an editorial team of content producers.
Monitoring
Once they’ve created and uploaded the web content, web content managers are responsible for maintaining the website and monitoring its performance. This may include reporting technical issues to the IT team, developing and implementing ways to drive traffic to the website, performing quality assurance checks, managing the company’s online reputation and measuring content performance.
What Skills Should a Web Content Manager Have?
Essentials
Education: Most web content managers have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, marketing, communications or another related field. Many choose to continue their professional education throughout their career in order to keep abreast of technology advances.
Experience: Employers who are hiring we content managers are likely to ask for writing samples. How else could they determine fit? Writing experience with blogging, social media, marketing materials, newspapers or other websites is preferred. An online portfolio of your work is especially helpful. While web content designers aren’t experts in programming, they often have a solid understanding of how to utilize content management systems and upload web content. Knowledge of web design, desktop publishing and photo editing are attractive bonus qualities.
Soft Skills
Adaptability: Flexible website publication strategies are key for keeping up with the constant changes in the world of digital communications.
Excellent time management: The more organized the web content manager, the more effective and proactive they are with their time and ability to meet deadlines.
Eye for detail: Mistakes never look good. Web content managers are excellent proofreaders, catching errors before they go live.
Interview Questions for Web Content Manager Jobs
- How do you define good content?
- What’s your writing process?
- How would you capture our company’s voice?
- How do you make dry or technical subjects interesting without relying on jargon?
- What’s your management style?
Profiles Web Content Manager Recruitment
If your website is in need of a savvy web content manager, contact the creative technology recruiters at Profiles. We can connect you with the industry’s top talent.
