Content modelling 101

Understanding content modelling is helpful for anyone involved in content strategy, user experience, or development. Content modelling is the foundation for building content architecture and effective content management systems. It provides a clear framework for designing, organising, and managing digital information so your carefully crafted content connects seamlessly with your audience and business goals.

Over the years, the Zengenti team and I have worked on many complicated content modelling projects. In this article, I will give you a crash course in content modelling and explain some of the common issues I see teams encounter when they’re going through the process.

Content modelling is the process of defining the structure and relationships of content types within a digital ecosystem. It answers questions like:

• What types of content do we need?
• How should this content be structured?
• What metadata and taxonomy are required to organise and classify the content?
• How do different pieces of content relate to one another?

At its core, content modelling involves creating a blueprint for how content will be stored, retrieved, and displayed in a CMS. This structure underpins scalable and efficient content management while enhancing user experience.

The high-level model shown above represents common content types for a book website and how they connect. Reviews would link to pages about the corresponding books, authors, and genres. The book, author, and genre pages would also link, enabling users to explore related content. This simple model can help to validate the modelling concept with stakeholders and help information architects and designers consider the implications for the site's navigation and user flow.

Content modelling bridges the gap between content strategy and technical implementation. It means that your content is:

• Structured for scalability: As the amount of content grows, the model provides a system to accommodate it without becoming unwieldy.
• Findable: Metadata and taxonomy allow users to locate what they need through search or navigation.
• Reusable: Content designed modularly can be repurposed across multiple channels and contexts.
• Adaptable: A well-thought-out model supports personalisation and future technological advancements, such as voice and AI-assisted search.

To create a robust content model, it's essential to define several core components:

Content types represent distinct categories of content, each with specific attributes and structures.

For instance:

• Articles might include author, publication date, and subject area tags.
• Events may have fields for location, time, participants and speakers.

Metadata is data about data. It describes the content, makes it discoverable for search engines, and gives developers the building blocks to develop rich digital experiences. Examples of metadata include titles, descriptions, authors, dates, and tags. You might have images in your metadata for social media and SERPs and descriptions of your content specifically for platforms such as X, Instagram, or Facebook.

Taxonomy, or categorisation, is a structured system for organising information using a standardised vocabulary. Standardising terms promotes consistency across content, making navigation more intuitive, searches more effective, and related content suggestions more accurate.

Think of it as the backbone of a well-organised content library. For example, at a university, courses might be classified by attributes such as award level, duration, or subject area. This approach helps students find necessary information, whether exploring undergraduate degrees, short courses, or fields like engineering or art history.

A well-thought-out taxonomy enhances user experience by making content more accessible and easier to discover.

Relationships describe how different types of content or domains connect and interact with each other, creating meaningful links that enrich the user experience.

For instance, imagine an event page on a university website. It could be connected to a related article discussing the event's theme, a campus location where the event is happening, or even a list of key speakers. Similarly, a product on an e-commerce site might link to a detailed case study showing its real-world applications or a manufacturer's profile offering more background on its origins.

These connections don't just guide users through a seamless journey – they also unlock opportunities for content reuse. By linking related pieces, you can surface relevant information dynamically, making it easier for users to explore and engage without feeling lost.

Fields are the individual elements that make up a content type. They act as the foundation for organising and structuring information. They define the key areas that editors populate when creating or managing content.

Take a blog post, for example. Its fields might include a headline to grab attention, a body for the main content, a summary to provide a quick overview, and tags to help categorise and connect it with related topics.

Breaking content into clear, defined fields makes the editing process straightforward and efficient. It gives editors the tools to create high-quality content while maintaining a consistent structure across your site.

I’ve found that content modelling is an iterative process. You probably aren’t going to get the model right the first time around, and with every iteration, you need to ask questions and test your assumptions with actual content. Here’s how I would go about creating a model, step by step:

1. Discovery and analysis
   • Audit existing content.
   • Identify user and business needs.
   • Understand the CMS capabilities.
2. Define content types and relationships
   • Create a list of all necessary content types.
   • Map out how these types relate to one another.
3. Define metadata and taxonomy
   • Create a metadata schema. (We have a standard set of metadata fields which we use on all models)
   • 1. Subject Area: Terms like "Computer Science," "History," or "Biology" match your internal course naming conventions.
     2. Award Level: A predefined set of values such as "Undergraduate," "Postgraduate," or "Vocational" avoids confusion with varied terminology (e.g., "Master's" vs. "Postgraduate").
     3. Delivery Mode: Options like "On-Campus," "Online," or "Hybrid" make it clear how the course is taught.
     4. Tags: Keywords like "STEM," "Part-time," or "Research-focused" enhance content discoverability and help users find related items. These should be based on user research or SEO information.
     Develop or implement standardised language and tagging systems. For instance, in a university course catalog, you would employ your institution's language in the following fields:
4. Iterate and test
   • Review the model with stakeholders.
   • Validate through real-world testing with real content.
   • Adjust based on feedback.

Content modelling brings order and purpose to information structure, making it easier for teams to create and manage content while improving users' experience. For example, a council might use a content model to organise services like waste collection, planning applications, and council tax. This structure enables staff to update information efficiently and allows residents to find what they need quickly.

• Improved workflow: Editors and strategists can create, organise, and manage content more efficiently, saving time and reducing frustration. Discrete sections in a model can increase accountability, and a straightforward workflow enhances consistency.
• Intuitive user experience: Thanks to a logical and consistent structure, users can find and interact with content in ways that make sense to them.
• Reduced development effort: Clear and structured content models simplify implementation, giving developers a straightforward framework to work with.
• Future-proofing: A strong content model adapts quickly to new technologies, platforms, and changing business needs. Stakeholders like to hear that things can be “scaled” and a quality content model has scaling built in as standard.

We've covered the theory. Let's discuss how content models are used in the real world.

• E-commerce sites: Content models define product details (e.g., name, price, description, specifications), categories, and product relationships. For instance, a laptop might belong to multiple categories like "Electronics" and "Work from Home" and be related to accessories such as laptop bags or external monitors. This structure allows customers to browse and discover related products without unnecessarily clicking through to different sections.
• Higher education websites: Universities use content models to organise vast amounts of information. For example, course details like award level, subject area, and entry requirements are structured into fields, making it easier for prospective students to compare programmes. Faculty profiles are standardised with fields such as expertise, qualifications, and contact information, providing a consistent look across the site. Additionally, events are categorised by audience (prospective students or staff, for example) and date, meaning relevant information is easy to find.
• Government portals: Local and national government websites rely on content models to make services and resources easily accessible. For instance, a waste management model might include fields for collection schedules, recycling guidelines, and service alerts. Regulatory information can be categorised by topic, such as housing, transportation, or business licensing, making it simple for citizens to locate what they need. Relationships between content – such as linking a planning application guide to an online submission form – create a cohesive and user-friendly experience.

• Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets: Useful for initial content audits and planning. Being able to collaborate with other editors/subject matter experts is pretty much essential at this stage of the process.
• Content management systems: Platforms like Contensis are where your content model will live and ultimately deliver content to users. CMS platforms come in different forms, but a headless one like Contensis allows you to create content models which are separate from front-end delivery.
• Wireframing tools: Tools like Axure and Miro help visualise content structure.
• Good old pen and paper: I often begin the content modelling process by drawing out domains and entities on paper or a whiteboard. I then start linking them with arrows and I will quickly see how the model will take shape.
• Testing tools: Optimal Workshop is a great digital tool for testing taxonomies and structures with real users.

Content modelling is an essential step you can’t afford to skip. It provides a structured foundation for your content, making it easier to manage and adapt over time. By investing in this upfront, you reduce complexity and avoid costly rework, saving both time and money in the long run. A strong content model ensures your team can deliver user-focused solutions efficiently while maintaining flexibility to scale and evolve with changing needs.