How to Build a Content Plan for Your Website and Social Media

A content plan is a table that lists the topic, goal, format, channel, owner and publish date for every piece. For a website it is built from customer search queries; for social media, from audience questions and objections.

What does a content plan include?

The minimum set of fields:

• Topic and the main question the piece answers.
• Goal: search traffic, reach, a lead, nurturing before purchase.
• Format: article, post, carousel, Reels, Stories, YouTube video, newsletter.
• Channel: website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram channel, LinkedIn.
• Owner and approver.
• Dates: copy due, design due, publish date.
• Status: idea, in progress, in review, published.

Also useful: funnel stage (aware, comparing, ready to buy), target keyword for SEO and the service page the piece links to.

How do you build a content plan for a website?

1. Collect customer questions. Queries from Google Search Console, Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, and questions from your sales inbox.
2. Group them by topic and map each group to a service or category page.
3. Choose a format: how-to, comparison, common mistakes, a single-question answer.
4. Prioritise topics close to purchase and to your services.
5. Schedule updates. Old articles with impressions in Search Console often gain more than new ones.

Every article ends with a link to a service and a clear next step. That is how informational traffic turns into leads.

How do you build a content plan for social media?

A social plan is built around content pillars, for example tips, behind the scenes and team, cases and reviews, Q&A, and sales posts. Balance the pillars to the goal: a new brand needs more introduction and trust, a store needs more products and collections. Match format to platform: Reels and carousels on Instagram, short vertical video on TikTok, text with a photo on Telegram, expert posts on LinkedIn.

Content plan template

How often should you publish?

As often as your team can keep up for several months. For a small business website, 2–4 articles a month plus updates to older ones is realistic. For social media, 3–5 posts a week plus Stories. Consistency beats volume: ten strong posts a month bring more than thirty filler ones.

Which tools should you use?

• Google Sheets: free and fine for one or two people.
• Notion or Trello: calendar, task cards, files and comments in one place.
• Meta Business Suite: scheduled posts for Instagram and Facebook.

The tool matters less than discipline. A plan that is updated weekly works in any app.

How do you know the plan is working?

Check the plan against numbers once a month. For the website: clicks and impressions in Search Console, visits to service pages and leads in GA4. For social media: reach, saves, link clicks and direct messages. Expand topics that bring leads and replace those that get no response.

Common mistakes

• A plan with no goal: posting for the sake of posting.
• Topics the company finds interesting and customers ignore.
• No buffer in deadlines, so one delay shifts the whole month.
• Articles with no link to a service and no call to action.

A project from our portfolio

For Cookiddoo, cooking classes for kids in Ottawa, we built the marketing strategy, edited a series of ad videos for Facebook and Instagram and launched Meta ads. Classes now fill up well in advance.

See also: SEO copywriting, social media marketing, content marketing: a practical plan and SEO promotion.

FAQ

What is a content plan in simple terms?

A publishing schedule: what goes out, where, when and by whom, and what job each piece does.

What does a content plan include?

Topic, goal, format, channel, owner, dates and status. Websites add a target keyword and service page; social plans add a content pillar.

How far ahead should you plan?

Plan a month in detail and a quarter in broad themes. Adjust the plan monthly based on the numbers.

Do I need separate plans for the website and social media?

Keep one plan with separate tabs or a channel filter. That way one topic feeds both an article and several posts.

Can I order a content plan?

Yes. We gather topics from Search Console and customer questions, build the plan and can run the publishing for you.

Need a content plan for your website or social media that brings leads? Tell us about your business and we will suggest topics and a first-month plan.

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