The following are examples of problems I have solved and solutions I have provided for clients in the past, to give you a deeper insight into how I can contribute to your team.

Site Search

Site search for a major consumer electronics site was not surfacing the right content. The same search engine was not employed from one part of the site to another, and much of the machine learning to power the type-ahead had to be managed more closely because of inappropriate search queries and activity. My team and I recommended removing irrelevant content that was being indexed, reviewed the query logs more closely to understand what users were looking for (over one million queries per month), and worked with the design team to streamline the search experience across different business units on the site. We also crafted a taxonomy to support editorial-managed search results to supplement machine learning tools.

Notifications

Wrangling notifications is another type of content strategy challenge. I worked with a financial institution to understand the obstacles they were facing in the user journey of notifications across different delivery systems. I partnered with the product managers to understand offline and digital notifications and the impact these were having on their site and mobile apps. From there, I developed a process for identifying gaps and consolidating notifications, as well as a taxonomy and metadata model to support proper management of the communication types.

Product Information Management (PIM) Systems

Evaluating e-commerce/product information management (PIM) systems requires a keen insight into database architecture, how people search, and business models. When these three facets do not align, it reduces the chances of conversion. To implement a solution, some key questions need to be addressed: Does the system need a synonym ring or a better taxonomy? Does the search engine need to be configured in a different way, or does the PIM not even have the best data? I have worked closely with cross-functional teams in various industries to help uncover these answers, identify the parts of their systems that need help, and build what is needed.

Enterprise Search Applications

Out of the box, many enterprise search applications are not as effective as advertised. I have worked with multiple clients to understand their business requirements, the content to be indexed, and the user journey in their sites or intranets. I have helped evaluate the search solution in the context of their technology infrastructure and provided consultation on its configuration.

Tagging Systems

In many of my engagements, clients did not have a robust category or tagging system to support content management, auto-classification, and automated ad delivery. I have developed well-researched, domain-specific taxonomies for such industries as e-commerce, job search/recruiting, healthcare, customer support, and marketing.