The Content Technologist is a resource for content professionals working in the age of algorithms. We support knowledge workers in the theory, practice, business and craft of publishing digital content.

You're most likely here because you learned about our weekly free content strategy newsletter. You can also check out our growing library of content strategy courses and access our full archive of content strategy resources on our homebase website.

Our subscribers are content professionals at all levels, from junior copywriters to directors at major brands and media companies. Whether you're an independent creator running your own shop or part of an enterprise content team, you'll find practical tips and big thinking in our library of content, now in its 6th year of growth.


The Content Technologist is also a content strategy consultancy founded in 2019 by Deborah Carver. We help businesses you've heard of with their audience research, information architecture, and website redesign strategy. 

We're an evolving solopreneurship, and our brand style guide declares we use "we," even when we are down to just me, Deborah.

Currently our business model is "building the plane while flying it, taking our own medicine, and mixing all the world's metaphors."

Pardon our mess in the meantime. If something is broken, kindly let us know. Remember that we are but one human assisted by a bevy of mediocre robots.

What we publish

The Content Technologist covers the business of digital publishing, with forays into brand strategy, user experience, information architecture, content analytics, audience development, content marketing, social media, and general digital culture from a business perspective.

Check out these playlists to get a sense of what you might read in each weekly newsletter.

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Who we publish

We are not currently publishing outside contributors.

AI: We have nuanced opinions

The Content Technologist has been covering AI-generated content since issue #3, so we're super familiar with its technical promise, limitations, and associated ethical quandaries. That said, we use AI for production and editorial support, and we contractually allow writers to have a small percentage of AI-generated language in their drafts.

Guest posts: No, thanks

We do not accept guest posts and feel that, well, posting for free on someone else's website for a link doesn't meet our bar for quality content. If you ask us to publish a guest post, we will assume you're interested in sponsoring our paid, expert-written content, and we will send you a link to the media kit.

We believe that we get what you pay for, so we pay writers rates in line with their professional expertise. By sponsoring our content, you directly support the work of high-quality writers and editors.

If you are interested in sponsoring our publication, website, or events, please request a media kit.

Generative AI: Content by computers

We live in the future now.

*Did you hear? All the writers' and artists' jobs will be taken by robots... or will they? We consider the role of generative artificial intelligence in content strategy and planning.
How to edit AI-generated content
How can we improve AI-generated writing? Let’s jump on the trend train and ask the machines.
DALL-E 2 won’t replace artists, but it’s still fun.
DALL-E 2 can generate multiple images in many styles on command. How can we learn to love this technology without replacing human ideas?
Is ChatGPT a good substitute for human writers?
ChatGPT is the coolest new AI toy on the market. But is the writing actually good?

Topic optimization & algorithms

SEO for the 2020s

*Topic optimization is the key to search dominance. Learn how search engines build entities and start optimizing your content for contemporary algorithms.
What is entity optimization in SEO content? | The Content Technologist
In SEO, entities are the “topic clouds” or holistic concepts that surround a keyword. Entity optimization is both extremely simple and maddeningly complex. Learn about entity optimization.

Public: open to all website visitors

How search algorithms work | The Content Technologist
You’re right to be skeptical of organic search algorithms. But it’s also helpful to have an awareness of their very human characteristics. Here’s how search and content algorithms work, broken down for the non-experts.

Public: open to all website visitors

A content intelligence conundrum | The Content Technologist
These search results taste stale. TL;DR you can’t optimize content without human originality.

Public: open to all website visitors

Language processing formulas | The Content Technologist
Language processing formulas break complex text down into component parts and assign meaning, identifying the statistical likelihood that one word or another will occur in relation to another.

Public: open to all website visitors

How to own the butt rock conversation | The Content Technologist
Or, how to break down a SERP and make authentic, impactful, visible long-tail content that ranks.

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Rethinking email and website norms

Are legacy best practices keeping up with 2020s audience behaviors?

*Best practices are always changing. Here's how we can build for shifting digital-first audiences.
Email content best practices in 2020 | The Content Technologist
Here’s what I tell clients and people who want to learn more about writing an email newsletter.

Public: open to all website visitors

Does your website actually need a blog? | The Content Technologist
Why are we still building websites with blogs tacked on at the end? Are blogs really good for SEO?

Public: open to all website visitors

Reevaluating in-line linking | The Content Technologist
Links are the building blocks of the web. Revisit your linking best practices in the context of 2020s digital behavior.

Public: open to all website visitors

5-step brand SEO guide | The Content Technologist
Show up when someone searches for your brand name with this five-step guide to building a better brand SERP.

Public: open to all website visitors

Types of website nav menus | The Content Technologist
What does it look like when we take a farm-to-table approach to menu and information architecture design?

Public: open to all website visitors

Tyranny of the landing page | The Content Technologist
“Drive traffic to the landing page” is the most time-worn of hastily considered digital marketing tactics. Here’s why you should think a little bigger.

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Data-informed content strategy

Gathering and using content analytics to create for contemporary audiences

*For content publishers with deep archives and more sophisticated operations, these posts can help you get more out of your data to create better content.
Content analytics KPIs vs. dashboards | The Content Technologist
KPIs are also fantastic when programming a computer or optimizing an advertising algorithm. For content analytics, however, single KPIs are a bad choice.

Public: open to all website visitors

Content pillars: The next evolution of impactful branded content strategy
If you’re looking to build audience, brand and a better case for digital content, you may want to adopt a strategy based on content pillars.
First-party audience data collection | The Content Technologist
What are the benefits of collecting first-party data from your audience? What are the best sources of audience intelligence? Dive deep into the first-party data party.

Public: open to all website visitors

Session duration and engaged time | The Content Technologist
Session duration and engaged time are crucial performance metrics for content-rich websites. Learn why they’re often misread.

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4 content engagement analytics patterns | The Content Technologist
Want to learn more about how your audience engages with your content? Here are 3 Google Analytics setups and one email metric to watch.

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