LEARNING OBJECTIVE
This guide, along with the Content Modeling Best Practices tutorial, will teach you best practices for building scalable, flexible and future-proof content models.
PRE-REQUISITES
You should already be familiar with content modeling. We highly recommend you also watch the tutorial that complements this guide.
LET'S BEGIN!
[1]
Let's define some keywords we'll be using!
Content Model
A structured framework that defines the types of content, their relationships, and attributes to organize and deliver content effectively.
Single Source of Truth (SSoT)
A central repository that ensures all content is consistent, accurate, and accessible for reuse across different platforms and teams.
Scalability
The ability of the content model to grow and adapt to increasing amounts or new types of content without major redesign.
Reusability
The ability to use content components in multiple contexts or platforms without modification.
Separation of Concerns
Separating domain content from structure and presentation to ensure flexibility and future-proofing.
Omni-Channel Delivery
Distributing content consistently across multiple platforms and devices.
Localization
Adapting content to suit the language, cultural, and regional preferences of a target audience.
Translation
The process of converting content from one language to another to make it accessible to different audiences.
Cultural Relevance
Adapting content to fit the values, beliefs, and norms of a specific culture.
Content Governance
The rules and processes for ensuring content quality, consistency, and compliance.
[2]
Let's define the categories we'll need to organize the best practices under.
Foundational Importance (FI)
These best practices help lay the foundation for a scalable and consistent content model. Establishing a solid foundation is crucial for ensuring a successful implementation that will stand the test of time.
Collaborative Input (CI)
Collaboration is key to content modeling. These best practices will ensure stakeholder engagement early on so that the model addresses both business and technical needs while being easy to use and adopt.
Separation of Concerns (SoC)
These best practices emphasize separating content from its presentation, ensuring flexibility, adaptability, and future-proofing of the content model.
Scalability and Reusability (SaR)
To adapt to future needs and cross-channel delivery, these best practices focus on designing for scalability and maximizing reusability from the outset.
Global Considerations (G)
To support global audiences and maximize model efficiency, these best practices address localization, translation, and cultural relevance.
Content Governance (CG)
Establishing governance practices ensures that content quality, consistency, and compliance are maintained. These best practices create a framework that helps manage content effectively and ensure governance practices are integrated into daily workflows.
Content Model Maintenance (CMM)
These best practices focus on the ongoing maintenance of the content model, including regular updates, content audits, and improvements to ensure it stays relevant and effective over time.
Performance and Feedback (PaF)
These best practices focus on gathering feedback and monitoring performance to ensure continuous improvement once the model is in use.
[3]
Let's list all of the best practices, organized by category.
Foundational Importance (FI)
Design First, Develop Later
Emphasize a Single Source of Truth
Collaborative Input (CI)
Involve a Diverse Team
Make It Developer-Friendly
Make It Author-Friendly
Separation of Concerns (SoC)
Use Design as a Guide
Separate Content from Presentation
Focus on Intent, Not Appearance
Optimize for Omni-Channel Delivery
Scalability and Reusability (SaR)
Ensure Scalability and Future-Proofing
Use Components for Structure and Reusability
Avoid Redundancy in Content Types
Limit the Number of Content Types
Global Considerations (G)
Address Localization and Translation Needs
Address Cultural Relevance
Content Governance (CG)
Implement Content Governance
Design Authoring Workflows
Consider Outdated Content Discovery
Content Model Maintenance (CMM)
Keep the Model Updated
Document Thoroughly
Performance and Feedback (PaF)
Monitor Performance
Gather Stakeholder Feedback
Authors
Developers
End-Users
RECAP
In this guide, you learned what content modeling best practices to follow to help you create a scalable and future-proof content model.
NEXT STEPS
If you are interested in learning watch the Content Modeling Best Practice tutorial.
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