What's really important to measure for your Web site?

First, you need to measure how successful you are at creating, editing and publishing content. These are your Web content management processes.

Second, you need to measure reader behavior. There will also be some core Web site performance issues to measure. Here, I'll examine key Web content management “measurables.”

These are questions you need to answer:

• Is the Right Content Being Published for the Right Reader?

Have you identified the right readers for your content, and are you publishing the right content for them? How effective are you in reaching these target readers?

• How Quickly Is Content Getting Published on the Web Site?

Time-to-market is a major measure of the efficient industrial organization. Time-to-publish is a key measure of the information organization. Is the right content getting published as fast as possible?

• How Well Is Content Being Edited?

Publishing quickly does not mean publishing sloppily. How well is content being edited? How well does published content reflect the style and tone of your organization? (You cannot even begin to answer this question if you don't have a Web style guide.)

• Is the Publishing Schedule Being Adhered to?

Professional publishers have a publishing schedule—and they stick to it. Just as in entertainment (where the show must go on!), in publishing the publication must get published on time, every time. If you agree to update your Web site at 10 AM. every Monday, that must happen. Not a minute later.

• Is Out-of-Date Content Being Removed Quickly?

One of the most important lessons of the Web is to publish the content you can manage. The lifecycle of content does not end at publication. It ends when the content is removed from publication. How quickly is out-of-date content being removed from your Web site?

• How Are Authors and Editors Managed?

Authors and editors must be motivated to write and edit quality content. They must know that if they publish quality content, they will be rewarded. They must also know that if they publish poor-quality content, there will be a price to pay.

• Is the Metadata of a Sufficient Quality?

Metadata is the ugly duckling of Web publishing. Writers and editors think that metadata is something the IT department should look after. IT thinks it's something you can automate using software. Wrong on both counts. Metadata is a fundamental writing-for-the-Web skill. Poor quality metadata is poor quality Web content.

• How Is Reader Feedback Managed?

If you're in charge of a Web site, then one of your most important duties is to talk to your readers. Every week you should communicate with a minimum of one reader. What do they like about your Web site? What do they not like? Also, when readers get in touch, how fast are you getting back to them?