Web content editor

Web content editor roles are open to graduates of most subjects as long as you have an excellent standard of written English and good IT skills.

You might have an advantage if you study:

• digital media
• English
• journalism
• marketing
• digital communications

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could take a college course to get some of the skills you'll need as a web content editor.

Courses include:

• English
• creative digital media
• digital marketing

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

• Content Creator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Publishing Professional Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

These usually take up to 2 years to complete.

If you're aiming to become a web content manager, you could apply to do a Digital Product Owner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship which takes 2 years.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

You might be able to train on the job in a digital editorial assistant role. You could move on to become a web content editor, then web content manager as you get more experience.

You'll usually need experience in:

• writing to brand and style guidelines, including use of plain English
• content management systems (CMS)
• search engine optimisation (SEO)

Career Tips

When applying for jobs, you might find it useful to have examples of your work, like online articles or blogs. This could be from an internship or voluntary work, such as writing content for a charity website.

Employers might also want you to have an understanding of their target audience and experience in the subject that the website covers.

Further Information

You can get more advice on working with online content from:

• techskills
• Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading

As a web content editor you could:

• find out and test what users and clients need from the website
• research, write, edit and proofread content, following style and accessibility guidelines
• commission content from outside agencies
• use a content management system (CMS)
• develop strategies to improve your site and increase its audience
• analyse feedback and data to plan work, create reports and fix problems

In a larger organisation, you might work closely with web professionals, like a user researcher and user experience (UX) designer to create new web pages, content and online tools.

You could work in an office, at a client's business or from home.