Website Content Updates for General Contracting

From the CMS or sitemap, create a list of important pages: home, services, markets/sectors, project portfolio, about, team, locations, contact, careers, and any key landing pages. Include URLs in the list so they are easy to reference.

Add a column to categorize each page (e.g., “Service,” “Sector,” “Project,” “Corporate Info,” “Lead Gen,” “Careers”). This helps you think about what type of expertise is needed to keep each page accurate.

For each page or small group of related pages, assign a named owner (e.g., marketing manager, Business Development lead for healthcare, HR for careers). This person is responsible for reviewing and approving content, even if marketing does the hands-on editing.

Add columns for “Review Frequency” (e.g., quarterly, twice per year, annually) and “Last Reviewed.” Populate last review dates for pages you recently touched; leave others blank to be filled after first review.

Save the inventory in a shared folder (e.g., “Website – Content Inventory”) and share with marketing, Business Development, and relevant leaders. Make sure the file naming clearly indicates it is the active inventory.

Each time new pages are added or removed, or page URLs change, update the inventory so it stays accurate. Adjust ownership if roles change or certain people become overloaded.

Create a simple intake form or shared email inbox for website requests. At minimum, capture requester name, date, URL, requested change, reason for change, and urgency. Share the link/address with staff and include it in onboarding materials.

For each request, create an entry in a “Website Updates Log” with columns for page URL, description, impact area (e.g., services, project, team), requester, and status. Use consistent status values such as “New,” “Under Review,” “Planned,” “In Progress,” and “Complete.”

When a request is vague (e.g., “make this page better”), follow up with the requester to understand the business goal, target audience, and what’s currently wrong. Add clarifying notes to the log so you don’t have to chase context later.

On a regular cadence (weekly or biweekly), review new entries and rate them on impact (e.g., critical accuracy issue vs. nice-to-have improvement) and urgency (e.g., tied to active pursuit, upcoming event, or compliance). Capture these ratings in the log.

Based on impact and urgency, tag requests as “High,” “Medium,” or “Low” priority. Group high-priority fixes and improvements into the current sprint/weekly workload and schedule lower-priority items into future weeks or backlogs.

For each request, send a brief acknowledgement and, once triaged, a note with expected timing (“fixed this week,” “slated for next month,” or “backlog/parked”). Update status in the log as work progresses so anyone can see where their request stands.

Load the live page in a browser and open its row in the content inventory. Check who the content owner is and when it was last reviewed. Note any previous comments or constraints recorded for that page.

Read the page carefully and mark anything inaccurate or outdated (services you no longer offer, old project stats, staff who have left, old logos, etc.). Note missing content that would improve the page: newer projects, updated sectors, better calls-to-action, or clearer descriptions.

Look at how content is organized: headings, subheadings, paragraph length, and use of bullets. Consider whether a typical owner or architect could quickly understand what you do on this page. Note sections that are too dense, confusing, or redundant.

Confirm what this page is supposed to achieve (e.g., drive contact form submissions, educate owners about renovation capabilities, support recruits) and who will read it. If this isn’t clear, talk to the content owner or Business Development lead and add a short objective note to the inventory.

Create a short brief summarizing what needs to change: goals, audience, sections to rewrite, information to add/remove, and any design constraints (e.g., must keep a contact form above the fold). Attach or link this brief to the relevant row in the update log.

For more significant changes, share the brief with the page owner or relevant leader to confirm direction before you start writing. Adjust if they have additional needs or corrections.

Before writing, pull the approved positioning and key messages from your marketing strategy. Identify which messages are most relevant to this page’s audience (e.g., safety, schedule reliability, occupied renovation expertise). Keep these nearby as you draft.

Based on the brief, sketch an outline of sections and headings (e.g., Overview, Services We Provide, Typical Projects, How We Work, Case Examples, Call to Action). Make sure the outline flows logically for someone scanning the page for answers.

Draft copy in plain language, focusing on what the visitor cares about: problems you solve, types of projects you deliver, and how you manage risk, schedule, and coordination. Use headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points to keep things scannable.

Where possible, add concrete details: project types and sizes, notable clients, safety stats, repeat work percentages, or brief case callouts. Avoid generic claims without examples; owners and architects see those from every GC.

Read through the draft and trim repetition, jargon, and overly long sentences. Ensure tone is professional but approachable. Check that calls-to-action are clear (e.g., “Contact our healthcare team” with a link). Prepare the copy in a format that maps cleanly to the CMS fields (sections, headings, body).

From the outline and draft copy, list what visuals would help: hero image for the top, project photos, team shots, diagrams, or icons. Think about what a prospective client would want to see to believe your claims.

Browse the approved project photo library and brand assets for images that match the sector, project type, and quality level described on the page. Favor photos that show recognizable building types, clean sites, and finished spaces in use.

Ensure selected images are cleared for marketing use (no client restrictions, no sensitive tenants, no visible safety violations). If there is any doubt, check with the project manager or marketing lead before using.

Use basic image tools to crop, resize, and compress images to appropriate dimensions and file sizes for the CMS (e.g., hero images vs. thumbnails). Maintain aspect ratios to avoid stretched or distorted visuals.

Create concise, descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO (e.g., “Completed XYZ Medical Office lobby with reception desk and seating”). Add captions only where they add value and don’t clutter the layout.

Save prepared images in a structured folder with clear names including project and page context. Note which image goes where in the page copy or implementation notes so there’s no confusion during CMS entry.

Sign into the content management system and navigate to the page that needs updating. Confirm you are editing the correct version (e.g., not editing a template or duplicating a page unintentionally).

Using your drafted copy, update headings, body text, bullet lists, and calls-to-action in the appropriate fields or content blocks. Pay attention to formatting (e.g., heading levels, paragraph breaks) to keep the layout readable.

Upload the optimized images to the media library and insert them into the correct locations on the page. Check alignment, cropping, and how the page looks as you add each image. Remove or hide outdated images that no longer fit the content.

Add or adjust internal links to related service pages, project case studies, or contact forms as appropriate. Ensure that existing links still point to valid pages and that there are no obvious dead ends in the user journey.

Update the page title and meta description in the CMS, using natural language that includes relevant keywords without stuffing. Confirm the URL slug still makes sense for the page content; change it only if necessary and plan a redirect if you do.

Do not publish immediately unless this is a minor fix. Save the updated page as a draft or in staging, depending on your setup, so you can run QA and get approvals before the changes go live.

Open the draft or staged page on a desktop browser and scroll from top to bottom. Check spacing, alignment, heading hierarchy, readability, and how images display. Look for odd breaks, repeated sections, or formatting that looks off.

View the same page on a phone or using your browser’s mobile preview. Confirm that text is readable without pinching, buttons are tappable, and images scale properly. Pay special attention to forms and menus on mobile.

Click all internal and external links to ensure they go to the correct destinations. Test any buttons and forms associated with the page (e.g., contact forms, “request info” links) to confirm submissions work and go to the right inbox or CRM.

Read through the updated copy once more on the page itself, not just in your draft document. Look for spelling errors, punctuation issues, incorrect names, or outdated references that slipped through earlier edits.

Double-check that the page title, meta description, and any structured elements (e.g., breadcrumbs, schema fields) look correct and aren’t duplicating other pages unnecessarily. Adjust if you see obvious issues.

Note any problems found during QA and fix them in the CMS. Refresh and re-check the page after each round of edits to confirm the issues are resolved before you mark the page ready for approval or publishing.

From the content inventory and brand policy, determine who needs to review this change: page content owner (e.g., sector lead), marketing/brand owner, and any required leadership approvals for sensitive content (e.g., major client names).

Email reviewers with a link to the draft/staged page and a short summary of what changed and why. Include any specific questions you have for them, such as “Is this project list accurate?” or “Does this language correctly describe your team’s capabilities?”

Give reviewers a specific timeframe to respond (e.g., 3–5 business days), noting any external deadlines tied to the update (upcoming pursuits, events). Ask them to respond by email with comments or approvals.

As comments come in, consolidate them into a single list. Resolve conflicting feedback by following established priorities (e.g., factual accuracy from a PM vs. tone from marketing). If needed, schedule a quick call to resolve disagreements.

Incorporate approved feedback into the page draft, then update the “Website Updates Log” with who approved the content and on what date. Keep email approvals or notes in a central folder in case there are questions later.

Once all required reviewers have signed off and changes are applied, change the status of the request in your log to “Approved for Publish.” The page is now cleared for go-live in the next publish window.

Choose a publish time that minimizes impact if unexpected issues arise (often outside peak business hours, unless timing is driven by an event or announcement). Confirm that any stakeholders expecting the update know roughly when it will go live.

Use the CMS publishing tools to push the updated page(s) live, or send a clear “OK to publish” notice to your web vendor if they handle deployment. Make sure all related assets (images, scripts) are included in the release.

Immediately after publishing, load the live page in a browser window (desktop and mobile) and confirm content, layout, and images match the approved draft. Hard-refresh or clear cache if needed to avoid seeing an older version.

Verify that key paths still work: navigation from the homepage, internal links from other pages to this one, and any forms or contact links. Confirm that submissions and notifications are functioning as expected.

Change the status in the Website Updates Log to “Complete” and note the publish date. Send a quick note to the original requester and any key stakeholders letting them know the update is live, with a link for their reference.

For significant updates, capture a screenshot or PDF of the updated page and save it in a “Website – Change History” folder. This gives you a quick visual record to refer to in future planning or if questions arise.

During updates or periodic reviews, note pages that are obsolete (e.g., old news, outdated service lines, legacy campaigns). Confirm with content owners that they should be archived or removed rather than updated.

For any page that gets traffic and will be removed or moved, choose an appropriate destination page for a redirect (e.g., a newer service page, sector overview, or relevant contact page). Avoid redirecting everything to the homepage unless there’s no better option.

Using the CMS’s redirect tools or your hosting configuration, create 301 redirects from old URLs to the chosen new destinations. Document each redirect in a simple “Redirect Log” with old URL, new URL, and date implemented.

Unpublish or archive outdated pages in the CMS so they are no longer visible in navigation or search. If content could be useful later (e.g., case studies), keep internal copies in your file system even if they’re off the live site.

After setting up redirects, test the old URLs in a browser to confirm they go to the correct new pages. Periodically run a 404 report or broken link scan to catch any missed URLs.

Search for internal links pointing to retired pages and update them to the new destinations. Adjust navigation menus if items were removed so the site structure remains logical and clean.

Pick a small set of key pages to watch (e.g., home, services, key sectors, project portfolio, contact). For each, decide which metrics matter most: page views, time on page, bounce rate, click-through to contact, or form submissions.

In your analytics tool, create saved reports or dashboards that show the chosen metrics by page over time. Include annotations for major updates or redesigns so changes in metrics can be interpreted correctly.

On a monthly or quarterly basis, review how key pages are performing. Look for trends: pages getting more or less traffic, improving or worsening engagement, or changes in conversion behavior.

For underperforming pages, jot down potential reasons (e.g., unclear headlines, weak proof, not enough call-to-action) and possible fixes. Capture these as ideas in a “Website Improvements Backlog” for future planning.

When building future website update plans or broader marketing plans, reference your performance findings and backlog. Prioritize improvements that are likely to move meaningful metrics, instead of choosing updates based solely on internal opinions.