A step-by-step process for content development

November 14, 2022
Ellie Watts
Visit author profile

Keen to improve your content? Regardless of whether you’re just getting started with content development or have been creating content for years but want to refine your process, discover the complete step-by-step content development process below from the SEO and content creation experts at award-wining digital marketing agency, Aqueous Digital.

What is content development?

Content development simply refers to the process of creating a piece of content that is designed to be published. You could use content development to support in the writing of a book, dissertation or report, or to create content for your own website or a client. This content development process can be applied to content that’s published both online and in print.

Five steps for content development

To ensure that your content flows naturally and logically, is backed up by important data and facts, and is free from spelling mistakes and grammar issues, following the five content development steps is essential. Each stage plays in vital role in the creation of content and can make all the difference when it comes to capturing the interest of your target audience and publishing a credible and useful piece of content.

Researching

Practically every project begins with research, and content development is no exception. This first stage of the process often involves researching the demographics and preferences of the target audience, allowing you to adjust the tone of voice of the piece of proposed content accordingly. You should also use SEO tools to conduct competitor research and uncover relevant keywords, questions and headings to include in the content.

Gathering

This gathering stage also provides you with an opportunity to pinpoint and extract the key snippets of research and certain facts around the topic of the content in order to determine the best approach. These keywords, statistics and topics should be taken from your greater collection of research as not every piece of research will be relevant or useful when it comes to writing the piece of content.

Organising

The aim of gathering the relevant research is to help inform how the overall structure and content of the piece of writing is organised. For example, you may initially intend to write a large piece of online content on ‘The best places to holiday in UK’, but part of your research might suggest creating a short and snappy listicle based on the top-ranking pieces of content.

Organisation of content also involves deciding which headings to use and where. Typically, you’ll want to take the reader on a journey, filling in their gaps of knowledge as the piece of content develops. Start with explaining definitions and technical terminology, then move onto the greater body of content.

Writing

As the name of this stage suggests, the writing part of the process simply refers to putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard). Any written components should be informed by the research stage. For example, the relevant keywords and headings should be featured in the piece of content, but the writing should also show plenty of originality and no plagiarism.

Editing

Editing is about more than simply spotting spelling mistakes and moving around punctuation marks. The editing process should check that all backlinks are both reliable and working, while also ensuring that the entire piece of content is on-brand and has adopted the right tone of voice. Each section of content should flow naturally into the other to help retain the reader’s interest for as long as possible.

Why content development is important for your business

Content development aids the creation of great content, and great content has countless benefits for both online and physical businesses. For online companies, good content can boost conversions, increase domain authority (DA), and even bolster your online visibility. Businesses creating print content could also stand to benefit from greater audience trust, a more developed brand personality, and more enquiries. Ultimately, there are a wide and varied range of advantages that come with good content for businesses.

SEO and content support at Aqueous Digital

Here at Aqueous Digital, we have years of invaluable experience supporting countless clients with high-quality and effective content optimisation, content strategies and SEO support. Regardless of whether you want to receive more enquires, sell more products or simply improve your online brand presence, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.

To speak to knowledgeable member of our Liverpool or Cheshire team, you can either give us a call on 0800 285 1424, send us an email to agency@aqueous-digital.co.uk or simply fill in our convenient online contact form. Once we receive your enquiry, we’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your requirements, conduct a free website health check and provide a no-obligation consultation, if desired.