CSKT Content Strategy Proposal

Designed a mock website and content strategy for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to improve user experience, streamline information access, and create a unified digital presence that honors the Tribe’s culture and communication goals.

Year
2024

Client
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

Overview

I was tasked with redesigning and organizing the Salish Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) web presence. CSKT had 17 separate websites that were confusing for users and hard to manage. The goal was to make everything easier to find, improve the design, and create a strong, consistent online identity. My job was to build a clear plan to fix the current problems and help the Tribe communicate better online.

The Idea

The big idea behind this project was consolidation and modernization. Instead of 17 scattered websites, I suggested creating a few well-organized ones. I wanted to focus on improving navigation, clearer content, stronger branding, and making sure the site was fully accessible to all users. Most importantly, I wanted to not only  strengthen CSKT’s cultural presence online, but future proof their digital communications.

The Proposal

My proposal had several key points:

  • New Platform: Move to a modern CMS that departments could easily update themselves.

  • Content Improvements: Rewrite all page titles, headers, and meta descriptions to improve SEO and user experience. Clean up duplicate or confusing content.

  • Accessibility Upgrades: Add missing alt text for images and meet strong color contrast standards to make the site easy to use for everyone.

  • Unified Visual Identity: Create a style guide covering fonts, colors, tone of voice, and images, so everything felt consistent and on-brand.

  • Competitor Research: Study websites like the Blackfeet Nation and Northern Cheyenne Tribe to learn what worked—and what CSKT could do even better.

  • Performance Tracking: Set measurable goals like engagement rates, SEO traffic growth, event registrations, and user satisfaction surveys.

 

The Plan

My step-by-step plan focused on building a stronger foundation that could grow overtime:

  1. Content Organization: Prioritize content that users needed most—services, resources, government information, and cultural storytelling.

  2. Wireframes: Design simple layouts for important pages like the homepage, About page, and News and Events page to make them easy to navigate.

  3. Launch a Blog: Share regular posts about tribal news, events, and cultural stories to keep the site fresh and engaging.

  4. Expand Social Media: Grow CSKT’s presence beyond Facebook and YouTube by adding Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

  5. Team Recommendations: Encourage hiring full-time writers, designers, and developers (or partnering with outside agencies) to keep content flowing.

  6. Content Lifecycle Strategy: Build a plan for planning, creating, maintaining, auditing, and improving content year after year.

 

Final Thoughts

The goal of this strategy is to build a strong, future-ready communication platform. By improving navigation, strengthening their brand, and creating a clear sustainable plan, I helped give CSKT the tools to better serve their community, celebrate their culture, and grow their digital presence for years to come.

View the full proposal here: