How people find (and re-find) content
Where users see our content labels and descriptions and how to help them find what they are looking for.
To make content findable we must think beyond search. Web writers need to be aware of the bolded items in this table. Content elements you create are visible in all these places.
Findability – search and more
| Search | Info architecture | Referral | Browser tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public search engines |
Menu bars or columns |
Advertising (online, TV, print) |
Bookmarks or favourites |
| Site search |
Menu pages (home page, section index pages) |
Word of mouth |
History |
| Site map, A–Z index |
Social media |
Tabs |
|
| Links embedded in content |
RSS feeds |
Address bar |
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Over 200 factors affect search ranking. Web writers need to understand on-page ranking factors for SEO.
How users find content and what they see
To improve findability, we need to consider what users do and see when they’re trying to find or re-find content.
- Search: people search using their words, not yours. They scan-read search results looking for those words. They see the page title, address and meta description in search results.
- Social: people scan-read content on social channels. When links are shared, they’re labelled with the page title and sometimes the meta description. Usually the domain name is shown too.
- Browser tools: the page title is the key content element used to label browser tabs, bookmarks and entries in the browser history. Some browsers add the address or domain name in the history.
Our content labels and descriptions must be meaningful to users. These very short content elements (sometimes called ‘microcontent’) are all users can see until they click through to a page. If the microcontent isn’t clear, the clickthrough may not happen.