A content taxonomy is a system for categorizing or organizing content so that online searchers can quickly find it. To make it simple for someone to find content or information, the process involves creating rules and structures for naming and organizing content.

Here are a few reasons for creating a content taxonomy:

• Enhance the user experience: According to studies, 88 percent of online searchers today will not return to a site if they have a negative experience.
• Discover material quickly: This increases brand reach and communicates the value of the brand to the audience.
• Avoid duplicating content: It ensures that your content is unique always, reducing excess effort in creating content.
• Provide dynamic material: Provides your viewers with the most updated content. 
• Filter content: You can ensure that visitors only see what they need, making your marketing efforts more targeted.

Content taxonomy is thus concerned with ensuring that your website is appropriately organized so that everyone visits it, quickly understands it, gets what they are searching for, and finally converts. As a result, when developing an effective content taxonomy, there are several variables to consider.

‍

Understand why you need content taxonomy

Even if a content taxonomy is all about ordering, rearranging, organizing, and distributing content, a goal must be established.

Your goal could be to improve SEO, increase search prominence, or improve UX. Whatever your aim is, that is where you will focus your efforts to avoid falling victim to the shiny object syndrome.

Around 63 percent of consumers and 76 percent of B2B customers expect brands to anticipate their requirements and provide value long beyond the first transaction. That is, no online or content marketing strategy will be effective unless your users' demands and requirements are met.

So, after developing your mission, delve into your audience's demands by learning who they are, what they like, why they frequent your site, and so on.

This information will assist you in properly structuring your material. Creating buyer profiles, conducting surveys for cash, audience segmentation, knowing your consumers personally, or tracking their comments and conversations are all ways to better understand your audience.

Here are some examples of what the purpose of taxonomy could be.

• Rebranding: A brand that’s trying to refresh its branding will also need to redo its website. Using taxonomy, they can easily design their website architecture. With proper taxonomy, their website will have a positive SEO impact and it will also be easier to find content on their website.
• Large-scale design projects: Design agencies can struggle to keep track of assets that are for multiple clients. Often different clients can have shared assets. However, some clients have their own private digital assets. Using taxonomy, these can be categorized by role or use cases.
• Artwork management: Brands with online stores often have tons of product photographs. With taxonomy, it is much easier to find a single photograph, or a certain category of photograph and then use it in advertisements, or marketing campaigns. 

How to create a content taxonomy

#1. Gather keywords and related information.

Once you've determined your major goal and what your target audience requires, you may come up with keywords that people look for and rank high in search results.

Because 92.42 percent of keywords receive 10 or fewer monthly searches, it is prudent to conduct keyword research with an understanding of who your visitors are and what they truly desire.

Consider employing long-tail keywords, conducting competitor research, and selecting several keywords that can be used in additional categories on your site. To find keywords, use programs such as Keyword Explorer and Ahrefs.

Alternatively, go refer to public content for keyword recommendations. It is important to note that there must be a direct link between your keywords and the information that people will find on the sites they visit.

‍

#2. Decide on a simple taxonomy structure.

You must use your development and design abilities to work by selecting a taxonomy structure. A straightforward taxonomy should be your priority here. Let’s take an example of a website to explain these taxonomy structures. 

Flat taxonomy

The flat taxonomy will come in handy for smaller websites with less material. It necessitates a few classifications. It usually contains a single main page or home page with a list of all the content. Furthermore, because all categories bear the same weight, there may be no need to construct subcategories.

Hierarchical taxonomy

If you have a larger website with a lot of material to display, you should organize it in order of priority. That is possible with a hierarchical taxonomy. Subcategories within categories may be required.

The top-level categories are normally broad, but as you proceed down the hierarchical structure, they get increasingly specialized.

This layout has the advantage of ensuring that users can readily identify the material as they move between sections and categories and understand the links between content. As a result, it is best to keep the number of hierarchical levels as minimal as possible so that search engines and consumers can readily grasp them.

Network taxonomy

Association is used to connect categories in network taxonomy. It is suitable for a huge corporate website. Users must find the information and categories useful.

One method is to guarantee that navigation is dependent on how readers relate to or think about the information. Furthermore, if you want the most recent or popular information to stand out, give it leverage or its own area apart from the rest of the content.

Facet taxonomy

Facet taxonomy is designed in the shape of a spider web. The key phrase is at the heart of the structure, from which several categories or linkages to additional content pieces are allocated. As a result, a user or site visitor can get what they're looking for by utilizing a different property or by browsing through numerous categories.

‍

#3. Test the structure.

How would you know if the taxonomy structure you create is based on your aims or purpose, considers the demands of your audience, or is biased? It is via testing. Consider if users can discover information easily and quickly in your test.

Is the distinction between categories and subcategories clear? Will consumers be able to readily locate the products or commodities they are looking for? If you have checked off all these boxes, you are on the correct track; otherwise, consider making the required changes until you are pleased with the end or outcomes.

‍

#4. Improve through an iterative feedback process.

Once you've decided on a taxonomy structure, it's a good idea to listen to what your consumers have to say. At the end of the day, it is the client who will engage with the material; thus, their opinions or complaints are quite important.

Surveys and online questionnaires are the most frequent methods for gathering input. For a greater response rate, send them to people on your email list who already interact with your content. However, social media may also be used to collect feedback and client complaints. Unlike other platforms, studies reveal that 47 percent of consumers utilize social media to raise issues about a product or service. As a result, it makes sense to maintain a presence and monitor comments.

‍

#5. Leave room for changes. 

Whatever structure you choose, it should not be the last. After all, you may need to develop new material, update existing information, or make changes because of a content audit.

To guarantee that everything is related, you may need to reorganize categories and establish new ones for fresh material. Some categories may also not function as desired or as per user input. As a result, allowing for change and recognizing what works and what doesn't is critical.

‍

Simplify content taxonomy with automated artwork management

We no longer use paper organizers to keep track of upcoming activities. It's also difficult to envision photo editing without Photoshop. When it comes to content taxonomy, it just makes sense to use current solutions meant to aid in the categorization, sharing, and manipulation of digital assets.

Unlike cloud storage, which is designed to be a file dump with few taxonomic characteristics, an automated brand asset management solution comes with an intelligent digital asset library. It extracts metadata from digital assets and makes it easy to find them, no matter how varied and large they may be.

‍