The St. Charles Public Library District (SCPL) has served its community for more than 125 years and has become more than just a repository for books. Its website was launched in 1996, which opened a world of new information to patrons.
In an effort to continue evolving and adapting to current trends, as well as providing services of interest to its diverse community, the Library released a Request For Proposal (RFP) for website redevelopment. An RFP is a document that announces a project, describes it and then requests for bids from qualified contractors to complete it. The following content strategy report details strategic alignment efforts for the redevelopment of SCPL’s website.
I’ve learned a lot these last seven weeks about the importance of a content strategy. A content strategy proposal establishes transparency with all involved by providing relevant data and detail as it pertains to relevant qualitative and quantitative goals and objectives.
This proposal begins with an SEO Analysis that details the website’s current content, architecture, writing and accessibility. It’ll then dive into a competitive analysis, followed by how the content will be designed. This content strategy will streamline writing style guidelines, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that will determine success, and conclude with attainable next steps that will illustrate the importance of a Content Lifecycle.
This proposal fits into the specifics of the RFP as it lays out the plan for the Library’s website needs while also following their requirements and guidelines. As part of their goals, they are looking for a clean, modern website that is easy to navigate, fully meets accessibility standards, provides a unique and engaging experience that makes online library services and materials easily available to remote and mobile users, as well as an easy-to-use interface that allows staff to update information.
When creating this proposal, it was important to keep in mind what the St. Charles Public Library District was looking for. I made sure to keep their color/theme, as per their request and worked to ensure that their wide range of online and in-house services were mentioned as often as possible.SCPLD’s primary website audience includes current and prospective library users of all ages and staff, which is why I wanted to include as many of the services they offered throughout the proposal.