Virtual Classroom

Building a Successful Online Content Strategy

A practical course that will ensure that the content on your website works effectively and efficiently.
DATE

16 & 23 Sep. 2026

TIME

9.00am–12.30pm

FORMAT

Virtual classroom via Zoom

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • Completion certificate
  • CIEP upgrade points

PRICE

£375 + VAT

Why should I take this course?

Are you responsible for your company or organisation’s website? Do you want to ensure you meet your users’ expectations and increase their return visits? Does your site reflect and achieve your company’s goals?
Building a Successful Online Content Strategy will show you how to develop, structure and design your website content so that it delivers real value for your organisation and meaningful experiences for your website visitors. The course will take you back to basics, thinking about who the website is for and what users want to achieve when visiting.

Equally useful whether you are building a new website, relaunching, combining sites, or tackling an existing, messy site, you’ll gain the tools you need to undertake a content audit, create and maintain relevant content and establish a website that will work for months and years ahead.
Benefits

Control how you learn & progress

Who is it for?

Anyone who produces or manages online content, including:
  • content designers
  • content strategists
  • digital marketers
  • digital product managers
  • editors
  • marketers
  • PR and media professionals
  • publicists
  • UX designers
  • web editors
  • web managers
  • writers.

Learning outcomes

On completing this course you will:
  • prioritise, plan and design content to fulfil your organisation’s goals
  • use and reuse content efficiently
  • delegate content creation and maintenance with confidence
  • prevent your website from becoming chaotic and confusing
  • develop tools to help you assess, create, publish and direct content.

Programme

Day 1 

  • What online content strategy is and why it's vital
  • The elements of content strategy: content design and systems design
  • Content goals: discovering your user needs and business needs
  • Content creation and publishing
  • Auditing, measuring and analysing techniques to understand content effectiveness

Day 2 

  • Creating efficient and effective workflows
  • Agile content management
  • Modelling and structuring content: meta data, reuse and findability
  • Your content strategy
Details

What you need to know

Delivery

The course consists of 6 x 1-hour sessions, each a mixture of delivery and interaction using Zoom breakout rooms and other online tools. There will be 15-minute breaks between each session with the opportunity to do exercises and take a break. The course will run on the same day across 2 weeks, split into 2 x ½-day sessions in the morning from 9am to 12.30pm. The course includes homework set between the 2 sessions, with tutor feedback. Any information to be completed beforehand will be sent via email.

Zoom

To join the course, you will need access to a computer, tablet or laptop with a camera and microphone. The course will be delivered via Zoom Pro with attendant security levels. You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes 2 minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.

CIEP points

Completing this course is worth 3 points towards upgrading your CIEP membership.

Certificate

Upon completing the course you will receive a completion certificate from the Institute of Publishing.

Accessibility

Please contact us with any accessibility or special requirements, for example having in-session captions or the learning materials sent to you in advance.

In-company

This course is available for in-company training, either virtually or in person at your office. Course content is tailored to suit your requirements. Group sizes range from 5 to 12 attendees. To find out more, email us or call +44 (0)20 8874 2718.

What our students say about us

The course was excellent, really informative and practical, with bespoke attention to our specific concerns. I’ve learned what a clear content strategy looks like and how to work towards it within my team.

- Educake delegate

Sue was a great instructor who provided clear information and very helpful exercises. She was very encouraging throughout and help me understand the topic much better. I have gained an understanding of best practices for creating and managing content.

- Difference Engine delegate

What our students say about us

The course was brilliant. I’ve gained confidence in applying both my existing knowledge of content and systems and new skills gained from the course within my organisation, and advocating these to colleagues.

- Parliamentary Digital Service delegate

The course leader is amazing with loads of experience and is easy to talk too. I learned a lot about planning in tasks and systems, ensuring that you can quantify that you have been successful in your tasks, and mapping workflow.

- NHS National Services Scotland delegate

What our students say about us

Sue was very engaging and it was great to do group exercises virtually to practise the concepts that were being explained. I have a greater understanding of how to structure our website content to be tailored to users’ needs and the organisation’s goals.

- Delegate from the Printing Charity

The course was excellent. I’ve gained practical ways to revise parts of our website and identify pain points.

- Books Marketing Manager, Liverpool University Press

About the trainer

Sue Davis

Trainer
ABOUT SUE DAVIS
Sue Davis has designed, produced and edited hundreds of websites for clients ranging from small charities and businesses to large NGOs such as UNICEF and global enterprises. She designed one of the first live blogs at Channel 4, for Time Team – blogging while the archaeologists found new treasures.

She has also presented TV series for the BBC (Computers Don’t Bite) and Sky TV (Download). She currently helps clients with website metrics and analytics, performs expert usability reviews, conducts competitive reviews, advises on enterprise blogging, and designs and structures websites.