The Ultimate Super Duper Guide to Content Quality

The Ultimate Super Duper Guide To

CONTENT QUALITYCourtney Clark @circlish

Managing Director of UXKristina Bjoran @bjoran_identitySenior Creative Strategist

My name is Courtney.

I woke up like this.

My name is Kristina. Some kind of hybrid.

What iscontent?

QUALITY

for machinesand people

MATTERS

OUTDATED POORLY WRITTEN

UNMANAGEABLEOVERGROWN

TOO MANY COOKS

NO OVERSIGHT

NOT ON BRAND OR MESSAGE

Quality Probs

What isquality?

elements6of quality

StructureMACHINES & PEOPLE LOVE IT

1

How content is marked up.The code behind it.W

HAT

STRUCTUREWhen you correctly structure your content, both humans and machines can easily read it.

Ultimately, you’re improving accessibility and SEO.

Do this!

So that...

1

PresentationLOOKS MATTER

2

Look and feelLine length, colors, typographyW

HAT

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERSetophaga coronataFour closely related North American bird forms—the eastern myrtle warbler (ssp coronata), its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (ssp group auduboni), the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (ssp nigrifrons), and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (ssp goldmani)—are periodically lumped as the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).

PRESENTATIONWhen your content is clearly presented, it’s easier and more enjoyable to read.

Ultimately, you’re improving legibility and experience.

So that...

2

Do this!

ClarityDO YOU UNDERSTAND?

3

Ease of understandingReading level, relevant imageryW

HAT

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERSetophaga coronataFour closely related North American bird forms—the eastern myrtle warbler (ssp coronata), its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (ssp group auduboni), the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (ssp nigrifrons), and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (ssp goldmani)—are periodically lumped as the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).

Four closely related North American birds forms—the eastern myrtle warbler (ssp coronata), its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (ssp group auduboni), the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (ssp nigrifrons), and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (ssp goldmani)—are periodically sometimes lumped grouped as the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).

CLARITYWhen your content is clear and readable, people can actually understand it.

Ultimately, you’re improving comprehension.

So that...

3

Do this!

KeywordsUSE THE RIGHT TERMS, OFTEN.

4

Right words, right timeWhat visitors came forW

HAT

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERSetophaga coronataFour closely-related North American birds —the eastern myrtle warbler, its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler, the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler, and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler—are sometimes grouped as the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).

KEYWORDSWhen you consistently use smart and appropriate keywords, people find you more easily and get the message.

Ultimately, you’re improving SEO and brand messaging.

So that...

4

Do this!

VoiceMAKE IT YOUR OWN!

5

What makes it uniqueCharacter. Personality.W

HAT

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERSetophaga coronata

Flashing its trademark yellow rump patch as it flies away, calling check for confirmation, this is one of our best-known warblers. While most of its relatives migrate to the tropics in fall, the Yellow-rump, able to live on berries, commonly remains as far north as New England and Seattle; it is the main winter warbler in North America. Included in this species are two different-looking forms, the eastern "Myrtle" Warbler and western "Audubon's" Warbler.

Four closely-related North American birds —the eastern myrtle warbler, its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler, the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler, and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler—are sometimes grouped as the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).

VOICEWhen your content has a clear and consistent voice, Google values your perspective (and people do too).

Ultimately, you’re improving SEO and brand messaging.

So that...

5

Do this!

OrganizationTHE BIG PICTURE

6

Where it fitsFindabilityW

HAT

ORGANIZATIONWhen your content is smartly organized, people can find what they came for and more!

Ultimately, you’re improving usability and findability.

So that...

6

Do this!

Where it fits.Findability.

What makes it unique.Character. Personality.

Right words, right time.What visitors came for.

Ease of understanding.Reading level, relevant imagery.

Look and feel.Line length, colors, typography.

How content is marked up.The code behind it.

6 ELEMENTS of CONTENT QUALITY

Organization

Voice

Keywords

Clarity

Presentation

Structure

6 ELEMENTS of CONTENT QUALITY

WebAIM - Designing for Screenreader CompatibilityWebAIM - Testing Web Content for Accessibility

WebAIM - Text/Typographical LayoutThe Design School Guide to Visual Hierarchy

Readability ScoreWebAIM - Writing Clearly and Simply

Moz.comGoogleRankings.com

VoiceAndTone.comVoice, Tone, and Style

Information Architecture for the World Wide WebOrganization

Voice

Keywords

Clarity

Presentation

Structure

Higher than Wikipedia is a good thing.

QUALITY

for machinesand people

MATTERS

Content quality has

consequences!

How to Assess QualityFinally the juicy bits

FIRST, LET’S SET EXPECTATIONS.

Content Assessment1

2

3

4

5

JOURNEY

Take Stock

Plan

Assess

Prioritize

Execute

step5approach

Take StockSEE WHATCHA GOT!

1

Know what’s thereSetting stage for auditW

HY

TAKE STOCK1 Choose a

METHODAutomated or Manual

2 Get URLs Automated - from a tool / crawl Manual - just you and the spreadsheet

3 Organize into SECTIONS

Group by content type (events, news, reports)OR section (About, People, Resources, etc)

4 YAY! Celebrate and pretend nothing else needs to happen

How to

Types of InventoriesSpoiler: they’re all a pain in the ass.

BIRD LAWKelly School for

13,290 pages

2 person team + 1 student employee

30 content authors

Not governed by reason

Site Size

Owners

Authors

Reason

BIRD LAWKelly School for

Specific ContentTop 50 most trafficked pagesLanding pages for all sections

All ContentAll the things!

VS

ProtipIf you auto-generate a list, you will have a lot of cleanin’ to do.

PlanARMED WITH KNOWLEDGE

2

Determine level of effortSetting stage for auditW

HY

PLAN1 CHOOSE

ELEMENTSWe will assess content for clarity, structure, and tone.

2 DEFINITIONS Our team agrees that tone means … Here’s an example.

3 SET SCOPEWe will assess the 50 most visited pages. We will assess 20 pages within each primary nav section.

4 ESTABLISH BASELINE

Generate a definitive analytics snapshot before auditing to track performance improvement.

How to

BIRD LAWKelly School for

1-2 ElementsCheck only for 1 or 2 elements of quality (e.g. proper <h> tag usage, missing images, can we delete this

page?)

All ElementsAssess for ALL THE THINGS! (e.g. page structure, tone / voice, design, keyword usage, broken elements...and so much

more!)

VS

ProtipAdd conditional logic that turns “Toss” content bright red.

AssessOUT WITH THE OLD...

3

Judge your contentFind the problemsW

HY

ASSESS1 JUST DO IT

There’s no other way to put it; get clicking, get auditing.

2 ADJUST ORGANIZATION

You may see different patterns in the organization of your content - adjust audit as needed.

3 PATTERN SPOTTING

Note any patterns, and clearly mark content that needs to be trashed.

How to

BIRD LAWKelly School for

Low Effort High EffortVS

ProtipSplit the work, if possible. Also, think about content in groups when applicable.

PrioritizeCOMING UP FOR AIR

4

Can’t fix everything nowSome content is more importantW

HY

PRIORITIZE1 A GOOD BACK

PATGood job. You deserve a treat.

2 BRAIN DUMP Summarize your high-level discoveries.

3 IDENTIFYWhat’s most urgent? What’s the best ROI? What can you realistically do and when?

How to

BIRD LAWKelly School for

One IssuePlan to tackle only one discovered

issue, and document other issues for a later time.

All IssuesPrepare detailed plan to tackle all

issues, with a timeline and detailed approach

VS

ProtipBe cutthroat, and involve as few people as possible.

ExecuteMAKE IT SO!

5

Because you made it this far!The end is in sight!W

HY

[INSERT IMAGE]

EXECUTE1 OUTLINE &

ASSIGN TASKSIf you’re working with a team, be sure they know what to do.

2 SET DEADLINES Deadlines keep the ball rolling.

3 REVIEW & PUBLISH

Ultimate content owner should review changes, or empower others to publish. Mark complete when done.

4 CELEBRATE! What comes before part B? PARTAY!

How to

BIRD LAWKelly School for

Low Effort High EffortVS

Protip:If you divide the work, set clear deadlines and guidelines.

Give It a Try!Pick 3 pages.Do a quick review.Apply to bigger picture.

QUALITY

for machinesand people

MATTERS

Google Analytics & Sheets

Moz

Screaming Frog - SEO Spider Tool

Content Insights (CAT)

NPR’s Writing Guidelines

Readability Score

Content Audits and Inventories

Content Strategy in 652 Steps

Accessible Design is Good Design

Inventory Tools Content Quality

Questions & (Hopefully) Answers

Thank You!

Courtney Clark @circlishManaging Director of UX

Kristina Bjoran @bjoran_identitySenior Creative Strategist