I was recently playing 20 Questions with my good friend John when it occurred to me that it has a lot in common with taxonomy—and, by extension, a solid content strategy.
The premise of the game is simple. One person, called the “answerer,” thinks of an object. The other player, the “questioner,” asks up to 20 yes-or-no questions to determine what object the answerer is thinking about. If the questioner guesses correctly within 20 questions, they win. If the questioner does not correctly guess the answer, then the answerer wins. The fewer questions asked, the more the questioner’s “win” is worth.
Through much practice, John and I have acquired decent skills in logically asking and following good questions. We discovered that asking good questions is the key to winning the game.
How is enterprise taxonomy like 20 Questions?
Nobody wants to play 20 Questions when they’re looking for a specific piece of information. They especially don’t want to ask a bunch of questions (or submit a bunch of search queries) when they’re really just trying to make a purchase decision, make the purchase itself, or use what they purchased.
However, the rules of 20 Questions provide important parameters that can help you develop a functional and successful taxonomy.
In large content repositories, it is in everyone’s best interest for the user to spend the least amount of time and effort getting what they need. One of the most effective ways to help your users quickly find what they need is to create a taxonomy to organize your content.
1. Categories must start broad and gradually become more specific
To start, users need broad categories of content that accurately represent what they contain. Starting with too many specific categories will result in overwhelming initial options.
Subcategories provide an increasing level of specificity. But you shouldn’t have 20 of them. The goal is to get users to the content they need as quickly as possible.
2. Categories have a sweet spot of specificity that creates maximum efficiency
If your categories are too broad, each one will contain more possibilities than a user can easily decide between, and they’ll be overwhelmed. If your categories are too narrow, a user will have to sift through more categories than necessary, wasting time.
There is a sweet spot that allows a user to easily find the content in the shortest amount of time. Finding the right balance is key.
3. Categories must be based on a common understanding
The structure of your taxonomy must be navigable with the user’s common knowledge. If your content is organized based on terms that the average user cannot understand, they will be unable to find the item they’re searching for.
This consideration is especially important when creating customer-facing content structures. While exclusively internal content structures can use categories based on company-specific knowledge, customer-facing structures must be based on a much more general understanding.
Why taxonomy matters in content strategy
Taxonomies exist to facilitate efficient and effective content search. And while your users might enjoy a recreational game of 20 Questions, they sure don’t want to be forced into it when they’re looking for your content.
A well-designed content strategy incorporates taxonomy as a fundamental element. By meticulously organizing your content, you create a seamless user experience that eliminates frustration and increases satisfaction. This organized structure not only aids in user navigation but also enhances your content strategy by making it easier to manage and update your content. A clear taxonomy ensures that content is accessible and discoverable, aligning with the broader goals of your content strategy.
Moreover, a robust taxonomy supports SEO efforts by providing a structured framework that search engines can easily understand. When your content is organized logically, search engines can index it more effectively, improving your site’s visibility and ranking. This means your audience can find your content more easily through search engines, driving more traffic to your site.
Taxonomy also plays a critical role in content personalization. By tagging and categorizing content accurately, you can deliver more relevant content to users based on their preferences and behaviors. This personalization enhances the user experience, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
An effective taxonomy reduces redundancy and ensures consistency across your content. By maintaining a standardized structure, you can avoid duplication of content, making it easier to manage and update your content repository. This efficiency saves time and ensures that users always access the most accurate and up-to-date information.
A unified taxonomy also enhances collaboration and coherence in large enterprises, where multiple teams create and manage content. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and follows the same organizational principles, leading to a more consistent and professional presentation of information.
A well-structured taxonomy is not just about organizing content—it’s about enhancing your overall content strategy. It ensures that your content is easily discoverable, supports SEO efforts, enables personalization, reduces redundancy, and fosters collaboration. All these benefits contribute to a more efficient and effective content management system that ultimately drives better user experiences and business outcomes.
Want to learn more? Download our FREE “What Is Structured Content” e-book now!
- Content Strategy and Taxonomy: Don’t Make Your Audience Play 20 Questions - August 6, 2024
- When in Doubt, Componentize - February 9, 2024
- When AI Goes Bad - September 27, 2021
