Photo by Tianyi Ma on Unsplash.

Now that all of us write web-based content and can’t even SEE print matter in the rearview mirror, we’ve adapted (or started to adapt) to a whole different set of challenges. I used to organize documentation for release in a binder, so I had to think about tab structures and indeces and a list of other layout technicalities that would make my precious topics finable.

Today, though, I must lean in to Content Optimization. Sounds catchy, doesn’t it? Slick. Advertorial. In some ways, it is. But mostly it’s about the same thing: how to find the gorgeous stuff I’ve written, and essentially how to make that the best end-user experience it can be.

Why should we optimize in the first place? Half of us don’t know for sure what that word means, even. Let’s set some parameters:

Optimized content is written at the right reading level and tone. It is translatable if needed. It is consistent and reliable, not working too hard to say the same thing in two or three ways. It is balanced – between grammatical correctness and ease of reading. That’s pretty much it!

The fun thing about writing technical documentation is that we can optimize before, during, or after composing our prose. As we create new doc, we can roll along just writing stuff the way we want – so long as we go back later to clean it up! Or, we can vigorously adopt optimization principles step by step so that when it’s time to edit, we’ve got a pretty good draft already.

I would venture to say that the primary goal of content optimization is seeing to it that your documentation reaches the largest possible audience within your target. Nobody cares if I write an article all about fashion and the only people who see it are auto mechanics who wear uniforms. See what I mean?

I would also say that making sure your content is visible, especially to web-crawlers, is an important aspect of optimization. Consider the beautiful website that never shows up in Google Search – that writer and designer worked hard on content, but can’t get it off the ground! What a shame.

We know that great content attracts readers no matter what, but what IS “great content?”

For starters, write clearly and relatably with your reader in mind. That is step one no matter when or what you are writing. When my oldest son started college, I reminded him often that the most important factor in his college papers was that his professors were the audience. They were the ones to please, and no one else. Know your audience should be a phrase posted by every content creators desk.

Keep writing NEW content. If things get stale, you have missed the point of optimization altogether. Even if none of the information has changed, good writer-editors will revise again and again over time. It’s just good practice.

Organize content, not unlike the “olden days” when we organized a TOC and an index. Thoughtfully preparing well-organized content is at the heart of a pleasant experience for end users.

Don’t forget images! When we incorporate images and other media into our online content but do not optimize those elements, we’ve lost an important tool. Using title tags, descriptions, alt text, and more can make sure that the images you’ve worked to capture are useful and visible.

Don’t just write for search. All too often, in the pursuit of clicks, writers think too much about SEO and they lose the natural, organic flow of writing and reading. Consumers are more savvy than ever, especially with web-based content, and they catch on quickly if your goal is just to be at the top of the search engine, while you overlook the enjoyment of finding content you need!

Optimization is all about making the experience easy and smooth for all who use the content you create. If we go at it from that point of view, it actually IS fun…like they said.