Content Management: Web Publishing Needs Real Discipline

Too many organizations take an unprofessional approach to the content they publish on the Web. Many web managers still seem to believe that if they get the technology right the publishing will look after itself. Quality publishing requires skill and discipline. Unfortunately, discipline is something many web teams are lacking.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Content Management>Content Strategy

The Dangers of Publishing Your Website in Another Language

Publishing your website in another language is like managing a brand new website. It demands people who are expert in writing and editing in that language. The standard of English on the Web, for example, is often poor, even for those whose native language it is. It can be embarrassingly bad for websites publishing English as a foreign language.

McGovern, Gerry. WTB Language Group. Articles>Web Design>Localization

The Fundamentals of Quality Search

Explores how a web site can improve the way it allows its readers to search and provides nine guidelines for designing a search feature.

McGovern, Gerry. ClickZ (2001). Design>Web Design>Search

Key Steps in Creating Your Reader Persona

The Web is about self-service and self-service is about simplicity and convenience. You've got a small screen and every time you add something extra to that screen you make the world more complicated for your reader. You must make very difficult choices if you want your website to work. You can't serve everybody, and if you try to you will serve nobody.

McGovern, Gerry. uiGarden (2007). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>Personas

Time for Content to Become More Scientific

I'm all for formulaic writing. I love hierarchies and classification. I'm all for measuring content. There is a 'right' way to write content. Sure, it may not be the 'perfect' way, it may not be the way Shakespeare or Joyce would have written it, but it'll do. It'll get results and deliver value. A production line can be set up where this content can be mass produced, tested, and measured.

McGovern, Gerry. User Interface Engineering (2007). Articles>Content Management>Writing>Professionalism

Why Award-Winning Websites are So Awful

Practical and functional websites rarely win prizes for design but they do win sales and make profits.

McGovern, Gerry. Gerry McGovern (2007). Articles>Web Design>Usability>Blogs

How to Manage Out of Date Content

Organizations are in urgent need of professional review processes for their intranets and public websites. Out of date content is growing year by year, and there are many horror stories about out-of-date content waiting to happen. It’s time for management to get serious and professionally manage their websites.

McGovern, Gerry. CMSwire (2008). Articles>Content Management>Editing>Assessment

Knowledge Management: Maximizing Input, Minimizing Output

The number of hours worked by American couples has increased by more than 10 percent in the last 25 years," according to USA Today (December 17, 2003). Monster's 2003 Work/Life Balance Survey found that 83 percent of people are not satisfied with their job, while 80 percent are not happy with their work/life balance.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Knowledge Management

Graphic Design Plays a Minor Role on the Web

The best websites are highly functional. They are task-focused. Graphic design has an important, though limited role. Don’t try and force the Web to be what it’s not.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2005). Articles>Web Design>Graphic Design

What's Important to Measure on Your Website?

Websites are very measurable. However, reams of data can be time consuming and confusing. The knack is to know what is really important to measure. This includes the following: reader actions; reader numbers; most and least popular pages; subscribers; external links; search keywords; page size; broken links and malfunctioning processes.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Audience Analysis>Log Analysis

Are You Using the Wrong Web Metrics?

Do you base success on measuring the volume of visitors and page impressions? Such measures may in fact reflect the failure--rather than the success--of your website.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2006). Articles>Web Design>Audience Analysis>Log Analysis

Customer Focus: First Rule of Scientific Content Management

The science of content management begins with a deep understanding of your customer. The Web is more likely to push your customer away than to bring them closer.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2006). Articles>Content Management>Audience Analysis

Making the Customer CEO

The key revolution of the Web is customer empowerment and engagement. The Web empowers the customer more than it empowers the organization. The implications are enormous.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2006). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>User Experience

It's Time To Get Serious About Metadata

When it comes to the Web, there is nothing more misunderstood than metadata. Technical people search vainly for a way to automate its creation. Many editors and writers want nothing to do with it. And yet without quality metadata a website cannot properly achieve its objectives. It’s time to get serious about metadata.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2004). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>Metadata

Metadata is Essential Web Writing Skill: Part 1

Metadata is one of the most misunderstood aspects of content management and website design. Editors and writers tend to look at it as a technical issue. Technical people look for a software solution. Both are wrong. Metadata is a fundamental skill that web writers and editors must acquire.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Metadata

Metadata is Essential Web Writing Skill: Part 2

Creating great metadata for your content begins with understanding who your reader is. What is the metadata they look for when they read a page of your content? What are the type of words they use when they search for your content? When scanning your classification, what are the "trigger words" that will make them want to go deeper into your website?

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Metadata

Metadata: Seven Tips for Writing Better Keywords

The shift in how search engines treat keywords is significant. They tend to ignore the keyword metatag and rather look for keywords in the actual page content. This means that you need to figure out your keywords before you write any content. Then, you include them throughout your content, particularly in headings and summaries.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2004). Articles>Web Design>Metadata>Search Engine Optimization

Writing for the Web: Part 2

Writing for the Web requires careful planning. Your content needs to fit well within the context of your website. When a reader finds your content, they need to be able to scan it quickly. That's what metadata is about. In order for your website to be found, you need to write for how people search.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Intranet Communication vs. Traditional Communication

A way to measure return on investment (ROI) for your intranet is to answer two basic questions. How does the intranet increase the level and quality of communication? How does it replace traditional forms of communication? To develop such an ROI model, you need to be clear on the current level and type of communication within your organization.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2002). Articles>Web Design>Intranets>Assessment

Intranet Return on Investment Case Studies

An intranet can deliver return on investment (ROI) by either reducing the cost, or expanding the ability, to communicate. By shifting manual processes to the intranet, the cost of accessing and processing information is reduced. The intranet speedily delivers information to large numbers of people. This gives the organization a greater capacity to change.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2002). Articles>Web Design>Intranets>Case Studies

Intranets: Strategy First, Usability Second

More and more intranet teams are buying into the need for usability. However, usability is not a strategy, and without a clear strategy, usability can become a pointless, wasteful and counter-productive exercise.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2005). Articles>Web Design>Intranets>Usability

Is Communications Up to Job of Running Intranet?

The natural home of the intranet is in communications. However, intranet management requires particular skills that many traditional communications departments don’t have.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2005). Articles>Web Design>TC>Intranets

Key Benefits of a Single Intranet or Public Website

A single website is more connected and credible. It is more consistent and cost effective. It is easier to manage and measure. Multiple websites weaken the potential power of the overall organization on the Web.

McGovern, Gerry. Step Two (2005). Articles>Web Design>Intranets

Make Sure Your Intranet is Well-Perceived by Staff

Many intranets are only now beginning to show their true potential. However, many staff, having had unsatisfactory previous experiences of the intranet, may need quite some convincing that the intranet is now genuinely useful.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2005). Articles>Web Design>Intranets>Workplace

Putting Someone in Charge

Finally, organizations are getting serious about how they manage their intranets. The intranet is now moving out of an evolutionary, experimental phase into a more systematic, managed phase. It is being seen as an asset, a driver of productivity. However, return on investment measurement for the intranet still requires a lot of work.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Management>Intranets