Content Analysis, Testing, + Strategy · Content Analysis, Testing, + Strategy: CDC Reimagines Health Content to Better Advise International Travelers 5 Content Audit + Gap Analysis

Client: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Industries: Health, Travel, Government

Content Analysis, Testing, + StrategyCDC Reimagines Health Content to

Better Advise International Travelers

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Content Analysis, Testing, + Strategy:CDC Reimagines Health Content to Better Advise International Travelers

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The Client

As a U.S. government agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects the

health of America in ways such as

• Responding to emergencies such as bioterrorism outbreaks.

• Conducting scientific research and informing clinicians as well as policymakers.

• Educating the public about research-proven public health interventions, such as getting vaccinations.

In doing this work, CDC has become one of the most trusted government agencies in America,

as a 2009 Gallup poll shows. And, one of the most important ways CDC does its work is through

web content. The CDC website contains content ranging from emergency updates to clinical

guidance to education about health interventions, and the site receives more than 500 million

page views each year.

In this case study, learn why the Travelers’ Health Branch at CDC turned to us for guidance, how we arrived at a solution, and the results.


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The SituationThe Travelers’ Health Branch at CDC is responsible for one of the most highly visited subsites on

CDC.gov, which is aptly named Travelers’ Health. Kelly Holton, the branch’s Health Education

and Communication Team Lead, noticed that their call center was getting many calls about

questions that the Travelers’ Health site should answer easily. As Holton notes,

With such rich content on our site, I was concerned about the number

of people who were calling because they couldn’t find travel vaccine

information. I knew it was time to do something different to help drive our

content strategy.

Our SolutionOur consulting engagement began by talking extensively with Holton, who already had plans to

test the site’s content in usability-style sessions. We mutually agreed to consult on the testing

sessions and conduct analysis of the content itself. As Holton notes,

Working with Content Science was nice because we knew the content

on our site was very important. We needed people to understand it so

they would make the right decisions about their health. In that way, we

found a kindred spirit with Content Science.

Our main goal was to understand why the content was not answering the basic question

travelers had, “Do I need a vaccination before my trip?” and then guiding them to act on

the answer.


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Our Solution continued

Content Testing Consulting The Travelers’ Health Branch conducted qualitative testing with more than 30 people to better

understand why the content did not answer common questions. We advised on the testing protocol

to ensure the sessions focused on content, not usability alone. In particular, we helped ensure the

sessions would answer these important questions:

• Can website visitors find and use the right content?

• Do website visitors understand the content?

• Can and will website visitors act on the content?

CDC’s testing found that the participants had difficulty

• Finding the content because there was so much content on the subsite.

• Understanding the content because it used technical medical terms and was hard to read.

• Acting on the content because it seemed too general and did not flow into a clear next step.

Current Travelers’ Health Destination Page


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Content Audit + Gap Analysis At the same time, we took a close look at content on the Travelers’ Health site to understand

• Whether it followed web writing best practices.

• What topics the content covered.

• Whether the topics were relevant to the questions travelers had.

• Whether the content was updated.

• Whether the content was redundant with other content on the site.


Analysis Report


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We found that the content was certainly credible because it referenced scientific data. However,

we also discovered opportunities to improve. For example, we found that the content was

organized and written more for medical researchers than for travelers, even though a separate

area of the Travelers’ Health site was already devoted to medical researchers. These discoveries

helped us better understand why travelers had difficulty with the content.

Recommendations + ConceptAfter closely considering the content testing results and our analysis findings, we offered

recommendations. We took time to consider different possibilities, develop recommendations,

and think through the impact of each recommendation on the others. The result was a set of

recommendations that complemented each other. Our recommendations turned the content

challenges that the Travelers’ Health Branch faced into actionable opportunities.

To help give Holton and the Travelers’ Health Branch a vision for what following the

recommendations could look like, we created a concept. The concept suggested a different way

of organizing the content, applied web writing best practices, emphasized a key message and a

next step, and more.

Holton explains why the recommendations and the concept were useful,

We were able to see the possibilities of what the site could be. This was

a real benefit because we weren’t just reorganizing the site, we were

reimagining it.



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Travelers’ Health Concept wireframe


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We presented our analysis and recommendations to the entire Travelers’ Health Branch—

including subject matter experts (SMEs) and executive leadership. This meeting aligned the

branch around taking a new direction with the site. Holton explains,

Colleen [principal of Content Science] presented to our entire branch

about some of the work we’d done when we first started testing the old

site. It helped people understand what we were doing, and why we were

doing it. Content Science gave legitimacy to the undertaking.

Our recommendations also showed why changing the content direction could not happen

overnight or without appropriate resources. Holton notes,

People then had the expectation that the change would be a long process,

and that it was worth it.

Finally, our deliverables helped the branch keep their momentum to reimagine the site moving

forward. As Holton comments,

We were starting from scratch. The deliverables really gave us a roadmap

to make that reimagining come to life.

The Travelers’ Health Branch expects to launch the reimagined site in the spring of 2012.

The Results


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If you’re experiencing problems with your website and think content might be the cause, we can help

you find out for sure, then advise you on how to solve those problems.

When you partner with us, you could gain benefits such as

Getting the most value out of your website testing.

Better communication on your team and among stakeholders about content.

A clear understanding of your current content situation, including the challenges, opportunities, and possibilities.

A strategy and actionable recommendations that keep your effort moving forward.

Why Partner With Us


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About Content Science

Sample Clients

We’re an award-winning content intelligence and strategy firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

We have advised the world’s leading brands, nonprofits, startups, and government agencies on making content make a difference to their goals.

Why Content Science? Because content is, indeed, a science. We study what works well—and what doesn’t—so you can make informed decisions about your content.

Our services include consulting, research, and training. Our focus areas include content analysis, content strategy, content marketing, user experience, and content systems.

Our subscription products include the innovative software ContentWRX, which takes the hassle out of understanding whether your content is effective. We also created the online magazine and training platform Content Science Review to empower you and your team with research, tools, and insights.

Our CEO is Colleen Jones, author of the popular content book Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content and frequent speaker.

Want to make your content work for your organization? We can help. Contact us to find out how. content-science.com/about/contact-us

Content Analysis, Testing, + Strategy · Content Analysis, Testing, + Strategy: CDC Reimagines Health Content to Better Advise International Travelers 5 Content Audit + Gap Analysis

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