Plan Before You Build: Information Architecture & Content Strategy

If you’ve been doing websites for clients for a while, you know the hardest thing to get out of them is their CONTENT. What if you could create an information model for their business, how pertinent information can be re-used, modeled and promoted to develop a Content strategy for your clients?

We’ll be talking about:
- Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomy and what they mean and how they can be used for your Content Model
- How to break down complicated websites into specific, connected areas of content to better organize and make it easier for your clients to input information.

Transcript

1. pods.io | @podsframework
   Plan Before You Build
   Information Architecture & Content Strategy
   Jim True, jimtrue.com | @jimtrue
   

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2. pods.io | @podsframework
   Jim True
   Support Lead & Community Manager
   Pods Framework
   jimtrue.com | @jimtrue
   pods.io | @podsframework
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   

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3. pods.io | @podsframework
   What is Content?
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   

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4. pods.io | @podsframework
   Content is the hardest thing to collect from your clients

   (other than the paycheck)
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   SHOW ME
   THE CONTENT!!!
   

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5. pods.io | @podsframework
   Content is (for the web)
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   Content can be anything of substance
   that you need to share, promote or
   provide information to your users about
   your business or service or products.
   

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6. pods.io | @podsframework
   Information Architecture
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   The structural design of
   shared information environments;
   The art and science of organizing and
   labelling websites, intranets, online
   communities and software to support
   usability and find-ability
   

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7. pods.io | @podsframework
   Content Should Be
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   Organized
   Easily Accessed
   Promotable
   Shareable
   Usable
   Findable
   Connected
   

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8. pods.io | @podsframework
   Amazon as an Example
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   What is the purpose of Amazon’s Website?
   To Sell Products, Primarily
   

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9. pods.io | @podsframework
   Content as Information
   Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
   How does Amazon use 

   information organization to fulfill this pupose?
   Product pages make it easy to upsell things or cross-sell things

   based on your (or other buyer’s) purchase history and through 

   recommendations, reviews & similar products.
   Products SELL themselves (self promotion).
   

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10. pods.io | @podsframework Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Media &
    Photos
    Amazon Product Page (Content Model)
    Product Details, ISBN, Creator & Publisher,
    Reviews & Collections, Genre
    Book Formats, Pricing, Offers & Sales
    Price
    One Click Purchase
    Shipping Details
    Current Offer/Sale
    Shopping List
    Wish List
    Product Description, Recommendations
    and Purchase History Comparisons
    

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11. pods.io | @podsframework
    Amazon Organized (Data Model)
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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12. pods.io | @podsframework
    TX State Parks as an Example
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    What is the purpose of a State Parks Website?
    To Increase Park Attendance, Primarily
    

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13. pods.io | @podsframework
    Content as Information
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    How does Texas State Parks use 

    information organization to fulfill this pupose?
    Park Pages make it easy to find Park Information, Hours, Contact Details,

    Events at the Parks, Recreational Activities and Camping Details for

    each Park.
    Parks Promote Themselves (self promotion).
    

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14. pods.io | @podsframework Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    State Park Info Page (Content Model)
    Map, Fees, Amenties, Event Calendar, History & Reviews
    Park Photos
    Camp Info

    Contact Details

    Hours

    Social Links
    Reservations
    

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15. pods.io | @podsframework
    State Parks Organized (Data Model)
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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16. pods.io | @podsframework
    Content is the Key
    • All of your content should drive the PURPOSE
    of your website.
    • You’re looking at it as usable, searchable,
    organized CONTENT
    • The content is DATA you’re trying to represent
    in a Logical, Structural way
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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17. pods.io | @podsframework
    It’s all connected
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Purpose
    Content
    Data
    

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18. pods.io | @podsframework
    Content Strategy fulfills the Purpose
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Content Strategy

    (Purpose)
    Content Model

    (Wireframe)
    Data Model

    (Information Architecture)
    

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19. pods.io | @podsframework
    They all work together
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Fulfill the purpose

    of your Site, and 

    informs
    More Easily

    Populated Wireframes,

    which
    Well Structured Information, which leads to
    

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20. pods.io | @podsframework
    So how does this relate to WordPress?
    • WordPress is a Content Management System
    (CMS).
    • We’re talking about making it easier for our clients
    (or ourselves) to manage our Content within
    WordPress
    • Managing includes displaying that content in
    multiple places on your site without repeating
    yourself.
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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21. pods.io | @podsframework
    Pages, Posts & Categories & Tags?
    • You could try to manage your Content Model in Pages
    & Posts, and organize it with Categories & Tags
    • Pages don’t have all the additional fields you’d need. No
    way to differentiate different content types. Also, no
    way to easily segment part of the page to display in
    different areas.
    • Categories works great for hierarchy, but no way to
    pick and choose the ‘organizational’ model. Genre isn’t
    the same thing as Color or Model.
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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22. pods.io | @podsframework
    Content Management in WordPress
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Custom Post Types
    Custom Taxonomies
    Custom Fields
    

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23. pods.io | @podsframework
    Custom Post Types, Fields & Taxonomies
    • Custom Post Types register_post_type

    https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/register_post_type/

    Plugins: CPT UI, Types, Pods
    • Custom Fields register_meta

    https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/register_meta/

    Plugins: ACF, CMB2, Types, Pods
    • Custom Taxonomy register_taxonomy

    https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/register_taxonomy/

    Plugins: CPT UI, Types, Pods
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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24. pods.io | @podsframework
    WordPress & Pods
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    Grow Beyond Posts & Pages
    A Content Development Framework for WordPress
    https://wordpress.org/plugins/pods/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxpH68u3sgw
    

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25. pods.io | @podsframework
    How does Pods Help with Content?
    • Manage Custom Post Types, Taxonomies, and
    Custom Fields all in one place without any coding!
    • Connect content to content (relationships)
    • Extend existing Post Types: Users, Media, Comments,
    Posts, Pages… even Custom Post Types from other
    Plugins!
    • Easily prototype your content with Pods Templates
    (no code!)
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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26. pods.io | @podsframework
    Plan Your Content With Pods
    • Plan your Content Types based on Data Model
    • Determine which will be Custom Post Types and which will be
    Custom Taxonomies
    • Add Custom Fields to the Content Types above
    • Determine if you need to extend what WordPress provides
    (Users, Media, Pages & Posts) or other content from other
    plugins (ie WooCommerce)
    • Determine where your connections will be (relationship fields
    between Pods)
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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27. pods.io | @podsframework
    Taxonomy vs. Relationship
    • If your content can stand alone by itself (one
    author, one book), it should be a Custom Post Type
    connected with a Relationship
    • If it can only exist as a group of things (items that
    are red, science fiction books or movies), then you
    organize them with a Custom Taxonomy.
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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28. pods.io | @podsframework
    So What Kind of Content

    Do YOU Have?
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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29. pods.io | @podsframework
    Gutenberg Times
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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30. pods.io | @podsframework
    Naples Music Club
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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31. pods.io | @podsframework
    Naples Olive Oil
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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32. pods.io | @podsframework
    Kayaking in Florida
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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33. pods.io | @podsframework
    3D Rendering Directory
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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34. pods.io | @podsframework
    Artist Cooperative
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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35. pods.io | @podsframework
    Where to get help with Pods
    • On Our Website:

    https://pods.io/forums/
    • On Our Slack Chat:

    https://pods.io/chat/ #support
    • On WordPress.org:

    https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pods
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    @podsframework | YouTube: https://youtube.com/podsframework/
    

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36. Pods is a FREE Plugin with FREE Support
    We believe that price shouldn't be an
    obstacle in getting you started building
    powerful, data-driven websites.
    That's why Pods is FREE.
    Just because we're free doesn't mean we're not
    valuable. If you find value from the websites
    you build with Pods, please consider giving back
    to the project by joining Friends of Pods.
    Find out more at: https://friends.pods.io
    

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37. pods.io | @podsframework
    Thank You!
    :)
    Plan Before You Build | Jim True | 4/19/2018
    

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