Services

Strategy — Giving your site definition, guidance, and direction.

A website depends on content, design, and functionality — strategic planning helps make sure all three work in concert.

Knowing what your customers want is not the same as putting it into action.

This is where the strategic content, architecture, and design process comes into play: turning site requirements — and user needs — into an action plan for engagement, editorial process, and organization.

The strategic process.

At Blend, we know there’s a wide spectrum — and with it, a balance — of granularity in regards to how a site is put together. Every “what” needs to include a “why,” and every feature must tie to actionable user goals.

This means developing a strategic web plan that takes into account:

  • Content strategy
  • Information architecture
  • Technical and integration planning
  • CMS selection
  • Governance guidance

What does strategy include?

The strategy phase of any project is focused on planning for design and development through iterative user-focused consultation. These are the steps we take to save time, energy, and money later on.

Content

  • Discovery and user research
  • Content strategy and design
  • Site message architecture
  • Web style guides and writing guidance

Architecture

  • Site mapping
  • Content and template modeling
  • Taxonomies and ontologies
  • Wireframes and visual models
  • Technical scoping

Consultation

  • Annual and quarterly roadmapping
  • Accessibility audits
  • Governance and operations analysis
  • Performance audits
  • Workshops

Related work.

We’ve done a lot of great things for a lot of great clients — including strategic planning, from interviews and user experience to roadmapping and staff planning. Check out more projects similar to this one.

Related articles.

We’ve been writing and creating things for — and about! — the web for over 20 years, including our thoughts about strategic web planning and information architecture. Check out more articles similar to this one.