Web Content Manager

Although it’s digital instead of physical, a website is just like a book, newspaper, or magazine: Without words and pictures, it’s just an empty page.

As a Web Content Manager, you populate the Internet equivalent of a blank page. Because a Web Content Manager is the virtual version of a Magazine Editor or a Newspaper Editor, you do that by planning, writing, editing, and marketing website content — including articles, photos, and videos — with the goal of attracting and engaging online readers.

Not to be confused with a Web Designer or Web Developer, a Web Content Manager doesn’t create the website’s look or structure; just the words and pictures that populate it. It’s like a house: While Web Designers, Web Developers, and Programmers are the Architects and Builders, you’re the Interior Decorator, in charge of furnishings, fabrics, and décor.

Because you’re not a Web Designer, you don’t typically program pages with HTML. Instead, you upload content using a content management system (CMS), which allows you to easily publish text and images by copying, pasting, and clicking (instead of programming).

Of course, that’s just one step of many in the content management process. Before uploading content to the CMS, you’ve got to assess content needs, assign content to Writers (or write content yourself), and then edit content for spelling, grammar, and style. Meanwhile, after uploading content, you’ve got to promote it by contacting Bloggers, publishing email newsletters, and posting links to social media sites.

Websites are like hotels: Attracting new and repeat visitors requires constant updating and refreshing. It’s your job to do the updating.