No one working in or around new media over the last couple of years could have avoided being driven to distraction with all the clichés about content.

We hear that the web is all about content; that content is 'king'. Yet when it comes to understanding how content works within a website, and how it should be deployed as the most vital tool within a wider e-business strategy, there is a woeful lack of recognition.

In-house marketers in charge of developing web strategy want to drive people into their sites - but then spend thousands of pounds on Flash animation or banner ad promotion, with static copywriting culled from offline sources. Web agencies develop client strategies with ambitious claims for content streams and unique user rates - with scant attention to ongoing research, analysis or content fluidity.

Given the incredible tools we now have at our disposal - coupled with the low production cost and ease of market reach the web offers, this approach is like trying to ride a scooter to the moon when there's a rocket on hand, fuelled and ready for launch.

Web content, in truth, is the mother lode of e-business. Content is the bedrock of online communities - and community drives commerce. Do it well, and you have the world at your feet. It requires a scrupulously scientific approach but rigour will always, always bring rewards.

The mind-boggling plethora of information available on the net has created a very fussy audience base. They will not sit and read for reading's sake. They want material that is genuinely useful and interesting - which is something of a no-brainer in web publishing (though it did take time for copywriting agencies to digest this.)

Step one, then, is to provide compelling content - and anyone in the web industry who doesn't know this by now should be exiled to an Amish community. There are no shortcuts. Content has to be developed entirely around the user - what they want to know, not what we want to tell them.

Step two - how do we know it's compelling and that it's working? Because we keep an extremely close eye on what the users are doing. It's easy to analyse hit rates, user feedback and site-driven sales. This needs to be taken further, embracing audience capture time, click paths and return rates. To illustrate this: click path analysis of a B2C site with channels on gardening and interiors, shows that from gardening content 40% of users register to get product information while in interiors, only 5% do. Some content isn't delivering. It may be outdated. It may have graphics with prohibitive download. It may be poorly written. We change it, we monitor and keep changing it until we get it right. We analyse these site statistics constantly, we strip out anything dull and expand areas we know are popular. We change navigation options and site layers if the logs show it should be done. Content is reviewed constantly and refreshed regularly.

That's intra-site analysis. Extra-site analysis - site profile in the outside world - is just as critical. Where does the site rank on the major search engines and directories? Is it optimised for maximum profile on these vital 'yellow pages' used by 80% of web users? We don't advocate spamming search engines - there's no surer way to annoy both administrators and the users served irrelevant content.

Intelligent content development, using keywords and phrases that we know will get high ranking on the engines; grassroots marketing to gain profile in e-zines and newsgroups; utilising all listing services and reciprocal linking opportunities; is all essential. It's not enough to put up a good site. What achieves profile? It's that magic word again - content. And results from search engine optimisation research, together with user profile analysis, should both form the basis of the developing content plan. Web developers and commissioners persist on basing web strategy on hypothesis and assumption. It doesn't work.

When we talk content, it's not simply words or images on a web page. How is content presented, how functional is it? How many options does the user have to interrogate, manipulate and personalise their own content? Is it dynamic - is it devised with the user in mind and are we allowing them full access to the information they want, immediately? Is there maximum searchability and minimum download time? Does the site anticipate users' information requests and serve what we know they want?

Step three is VRM - visitor relationship management. There are so many interactive tools at our disposal to reach and serve our audience - the difference between sites that continue to serve static information only and those that are genuinely interactive, has created a palpable class division between website experiences.

The increase in dynamic publishing and user-customisation is down in large part to the availability of sophisticated content management and CRM tools. Many e-orientated companies have developed in-house content management systems that are database-driven, process input from users and are capable of delivering an intuitive, personalised experience to the end user.

There are now many different packages on the market with varying functionality: Vignette, Allair's Spectra and Mediasurface are a few examples. The Siteflash Enterprise package developed by US-based software company Adhesive, with whom we partner, combines a one-step content management system which allows content to be dynamically re-purposed across multiple sites - and its CRM capabilities include a mailing list manager, site tracker, forum manager, dynamic on-line surveys, personalisation and full e-commerce functionality. Any company serious about building a strong, reciprocal relationship with its site visitors - and potential customers - needs to understand and use these tools as part of its content strategy.

We've referred to the three prongs of effective content management as linear steps - but they're not. The process should be continuous and cyclical. These factors - strong content, intra- and extra-site analysis and VRM - should be employed, reviewed and adapted together, throughout the process.

The Internet revolution shows no signs of slowing down. With the advent of broad-band transmission, converging technologies and predicted take-up of WAP and PDAs, it's only getting faster. The future shape of our technological environment is far from clear. But content - and in particular, the way in which its delivered - is set to become even more important as delivery options expand in tandem with user choice. Content is indeed supreme - and long may it reign.

Tracey Shirtcliff is an expert in electronic marketing, prior to Content Generators, Tracey worked for Forte Hotels as Electronic Marketing Manager where she was responsible for Internet strategy across the group, electronic channel development of branded, customer-focused content and destination-driven platforms in all new media including digital TV and interactive kiosks. She also managed Forte Hotels’ online presence with onward partners.

Do you have comments or suggestions or other ideas in this field? Give us your feedback.