If customers can’t find information quickly, this could lead to frustration and possibly a loss in sales. How can you prevent this and ensure quality information retrieval? Here are some key elements for achieving this goal through content tagging:

• All of your web pages or intranet pages must contain keywords. This is a form of metadata which is a great aid in information retrieval.

• Keyword tags must be applied consistently for all pages. Synonymous terms must be entered by whoever inputs the keywords. This allows users to search for an item or concept using different terms or phrases that mean the same thing as the terms or phrases used in the text of the web or intranet pages.

• Keywords must also include broader terms for the word. An example of this (for a medical web site) would be the phrase “root canal.” If the page was only tagged with the term “root canal” and a user typed the term “dentistry” into the site search box, the page would not be retrieved, even though it most certainly is about dentistry.

• Keywords must include narrower terms for the word. Let’s flip the situation we just mentioned around. If a page was only tagged with the term “dentistry” because that is the main topic of the page, but several paragraphs discussed root canals, and a user typed in the term “root canal” into the site search box, the page would not be retrieved, even though there is some information on it about root canals.

• It would also be helpful for users to be guided to related information, by means of “See also” references.

So how can all of this vocabulary be controlled? By creating a taxonomy or a knowledge organization system which clearly defines synonymous terms, broader terms, narrow terms and even relationships between terms. The taxonomy is then used as a guide in tagging content for your site.

The result is users find all of the information that they are looking for, without having to wade through hundreds (or even thousands) of irrelevant documents. Click below to request information on how our content tagging services may help you your company!