{
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    "title" : "An introduction to content |Digital.gov",
    "description": "An introduction to content",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-content/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"An introduction to content","deck" : "Understand why content matters to digital experience","summary" : "Best practices for creating clear, useful, digital content for federal websites and digital services.","date" : "2023-12-15T15:44:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "plain-language" : "Plain language",
            "usability" : "Usability"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"an-introduction-to-content.md",
      
      "filepath" :"resources/an-introduction-to-content.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/an-introduction-to-content.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/an-introduction-to-content.md","slug" : "an-introduction-to-content","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-content/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-content\"\u003eWhat is content?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContent is not just words; it’s everything that provides meaning to a webpage. Content includes blogs, images, videos, forms, social media posts, reels, data feeds, and more\u0026hellip; all the ways we communicate online. Content is only limited by our imagination, and new forms of content are evolving all the time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"why-does-content-matter\"\u003eWhy does content matter?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWords are the most common type of content on federal websites, so, simple, clear, audience-focused writing is essential. Clear communication through good content is how federal agencies meet their missions and serve customers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClear writing in \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/an-introduction-to-plain-language/\"\u003eplain language\u003c/a\u003e enables website visitors to find what they need, understand what they find, and use it to meet their needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth the quality and quantity of content can impact a user’s experience, particularly when content is not \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/search-engine-optimization/\"\u003eoptimized for search\u003c/a\u003e, is no longer current, or published in formats that are not accessible or mobile-friendly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-to-create-useful-and-relevant-digital-content\"\u003eHow to create useful and relevant digital content\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are six key ways to create useful and relevant digital content.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDefault to HTML\u003c/strong\u003e - Eliminate PDFs, publish content as web pages to improve usability and accessibility, and digitize forms and services.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWrite content in plain language\u003c/strong\u003e - Tailor content to audience needs, use a conversational tone, and avoid unnecessary complexity; test content with users to ensure it meets their needs. Follow the \u003ca href=\"https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/\"\u003efederal plain language guidelines\u003c/a\u003e, which were developed to help agencies write clearly.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOptimize for search\u003c/strong\u003e - Publish \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/an-introduction-to-structured-content/\"\u003estructured content\u003c/a\u003e that is optimized for findability via search engines. Search engines rely on structured content to inform how your content is indexed and presented in search results. Also be sure to include \u003ca href=\"https://www.search.gov/indexing/metadata.html\"\u003emetadata and tags in your website\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeep content curren\u003c/strong\u003et - Regularly review content for accuracy, indicate that content is up-to-date, ensure campaigns are strategic and time-bound, and remove outdated or rarely-accessed content as soon as possible. \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2023/09/12/a-conversation-about-content-audits/\"\u003eContent audits\u003c/a\u003e are a great tool for ensuring content is current.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDemonstrate authoritativeness\u003c/strong\u003e - Include all required content and links, and clearly label non-governmental content. Use the U.S. Web Design System’s \u003ca href=\"https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/identifier/\"\u003eidentifier component\u003c/a\u003e to display agency links required by federal laws and policies. Also, follow the Design System’s \u003ca href=\"https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/link/\"\u003elink guidance\u003c/a\u003e to ensure you clearly identify external links and provide notification for non-federal external links.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvide appropriate access\u003c/strong\u003e - Provide \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/introduction-to-translation-technology/\"\u003econtent in languages other than English\u003c/a\u003e based on audience need, and manually validate machine translations before publication.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-can-i-do-next\"\u003eWhat can I do next?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://methods.18f.gov/decide/content-audit/\"\u003eContent audits\u003c/a\u003e are important. They can help you identify who is responsible for content, how often it should be updated, and what role a particular piece of content plays for users. Best practices are to conduct content audits at least once a year. By performing regular content audits, you’ll gain valuable insight on how to keep your site more manageable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Department of Agriculture’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/digital-strategy\"\u003eDigital Strategy Playbook\u003c/a\u003e shares techniques to help others better understand their customer and content. Use their \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/digital-strategy/content/plays#content3\"\u003efour-step content audit process\u003c/a\u003e to get started:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSet goals for the audit.\u003c/strong\u003e Define what you are trying to learn or baseline by performing the audit.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstablish the scope of your audit.\u003c/strong\u003e Decide the area of the site and date range you’ll be examining. A full site audit might be impractical, impossible, or even unnecessary.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCreate a spreadsheet for capturing the data.\u003c/strong\u003e The goals and scope of your audit will help determine the data you’ll need to collect. Add spreadsheet columns for that data.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChoose a starting point and begin.\u003c/strong\u003e Don’t worry too much about content relationships until you have processed all the information.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can also download and use the USDA team’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/content-audit-template.xlsx\"\u003econtent audit template spreadsheet (XLSX, 19 KB)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are some free tools available that can help you gather all of the content on your site, or even make suggestions for how to conduct your audit. Ask what content audit tools are available via your organization or agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}