8 steps for the best knowledge base organization

You know, organizing a knowledge base is kind of like organizing a messy closet – it can be discouraging, but also so rewarding in the end. A properly organized knowledge base not only saves you time and headaches, but also empowers your customers, giving them the tools to find answers independently.

With all being said, are you ready to discover the secrets to a knowledge base organization? Then let’s dive into these 8 steps that will help you achieve the best knowledge base organization you’ve ever dreamed of.

Risks of an unorganized knowledge base

But before we dive into the specific steps of effective knowledge base organization, let’s take a moment to understand the risks associated with leaving your knowledge base in a state of disarray.

Imagine this simple scenario: a customer is searching for answers to a simple question. They decide to visit your website, navigate to the knowledge base section, and… they find a mishmash of outdated and scattered articles. They become frustrated as they try to make sense of the conflicting and outdated information. Ultimately, this leads to the customer becoming irritated with your company which can cause them to switch to one of your competitors.

And it doesn’t stop there. An unorganized knowledge base can have a domino effect on your team’s productivity. If your employees are spending hours rummaging through a disorganized sea of files to find the right document, it not only wastes their valuable time, but also affects their ability to provide efficient and effective customer support. It can also lead to poor service quality which harms your company’s reputation. Your customers may start viewing your business as unreliable or untrustworthy causing a major blow to customer loyalty and your overall brand image.

But don’t just take my word for it. According to a study done by Microsoft, more than half of the customers say that the main reason they cannot resolve a problem on their own is due to lack of information available online which causes major frustration. Another research by Software Advice shows that after just 10 minutes of searching online, more than 52% of customers will give up and contact your customer support team instead. This means that you need to organize your content better in order to facilitate the navigation and availability of your articles.

The bottom line is that an unorganized knowledge base puts your customer satisfaction, employee productivity, and company reputation at risk. But don’t worry! Now, we’ll explore the simple steps you can take to avoid these risks.

8 Steps to organize your knowledge base

Now that we understand the risks caused by an unorganized knowledge base, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! Let’s build a plan to organize your knowledge base and bring order to the chaos. The best part? This process can be applied to different types of content, whether it’s articles, FAQs, tutorials, or other additional resources. So, no matter what kind of knowledge you’re dealing with, these steps will have you covered.

Step 1: Define clear objectives

First things first, it’s important to have a clear vision in mind. So take a step back and ask yourself: what is the main objective of your knowledge base? Is it to provide exceptional customer support and help your customers find solutions to their problems? Or perhaps it’s to facilitate onboarding of new employees, ensuring they have easy access to training materials and helpful resources.

Defining the objectives is like setting the destination on a GPS before a road trip. It guides you through the entire process and helps you make informed decisions along the way. Having a well-defined objective will help you determine what kind of information is relevant and how it should be properly categorized and structured.

Step 2: Identify target audience

Now, with a clear objective in place, it’s time to turn your attention to those who will be using your knowledge base and benefit from the type of content you create. Stats show that 91% of customers would prefer to use an online knowledge base if it were available and tailored to meet their needs.This means that understanding your target audience is important in order to create an organized platform that fully serves its purpose.

Different groups may have different needs, preferences, and levels of technical expertise. Therefore, tailoring your content structure and language to suit your target audience best is like speaking the language of your customers. Imagine explaining a complex concept to a beginner in the field versus an expert. The approach would be drastically different, right? So, by identifying your target audience, you’ll be able to prioritize the information that matters most to them, use the appropriate terminology, and adopt a tone and style that resonates with them.

Step 3: Content audit and inventory

The next step on the journey to an organized knowledge base is content audit and inventory. Think of this step as decluttering your knowledge base from outdated and irrelevant articles that no longer serve their purpose. Remember, the goal is to make your knowledge base tool accessible and user-friendly. So, take your time. Once you are done, it will give you a clear picture of the scope of content that needs to be organized.

Step 4: Create a logical structure

In order to create a knowledge base that is structured and easy to navigate, imagine a tree with different main branches (categories) and smaller branches (subcategories) that extend from them. This structure will create a clear hierarchy of your content, making it easier to find the right information.

For example, if you have a knowledge base for a software company, you might create categories like “Getting Started“, “Technical support“, and “Billing and payment methods“. Within these categories, you can then create subcategories like “Installation,” “Common Errors,” and “Accepted payment methods.” This allows users to follow a logical path as they navigate through the knowledge base.

Creating this logical structure is all about making things easy for your users. So, map out the structure of your knowledge base and ensure it’s intuitive and user-friendly.

Step 5: Develop a tagging system

Developing a tagging system involves assigning relevant keywords or tags to each article or piece of content. These tags act as descriptors for the content, helping users quickly identify and filter relevant information.

But you might be asking yourself: why is a tagging system so important? Let’s imagine that a user is searching for information about a specific feature. With tags in place, they can simply click on the relevant tag and see all the articles related to that specific topic instead of rummaging through other articles that won’t provide the right information. For example, if you have an article about “Common Errors” in your troubleshooting category, you could use tags like “error messages“, “bugs“, or “technical issues“.

Also, it is important to keep your tagging system consistent throughout your platform to ensure that similar tags are used for related articles, making it easier for users to navigate their way from one article to another.

Step 6: Revise and optimize content

Now, it’s time to give your knowledge base articles a makeover by revising and optimizing them.

One of the key reasons for revising each article is to ensure accurate answers and clarity. Review the content and make sure that your target audience will be able to easily understand it. Make it your mission to provide clear, concise, and user-friendly information in each article. Additionally, reviewing your articles regularly will ensure that all the information is current and relevant.

Consistency in formatting is another important aspect to look out for during the revision process. Make sure that all headings, fonts, and styles are consistent throughout your knowledge base articles which will give them a more polished and professional look.

Making your content SEO-friendly is also worth mentioning. By using relevant keywords and optimizing your titles, meta descriptions and URLs, you can improve your visibility in search engine result pages. This will help you attract more organic traffic to your knowledge base and improve your brand image.

Step 7: User-friendly titles and descriptions

When it comes to crafting user-friendly titles, put yourself in the shoes of your users. Ask yourself, “What would they search for?” The titles should therefore directly reflect the queries your users might have. For example, if you have an article about troubleshooting Wi-Fi connection issues, a user-friendly title could be something like “Solving Common Wi-Fi Connection Problems: A Step-by-Step Guide“. By using keywords and addressing the main problem directly in the title, you increase the chances of your article being relevant and easily discoverable.

In addition to catchy titles, write brief descriptions for each article. These descriptions should serve as summaries of the content, giving users a preview of what they can expect if they click on the article. With a well-crafted description, users can scan through the knowledge base and find what they need in a flash.

Step 8: Implement visual enhancements

We all know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” right? Implementing visuals such as images, videos or diagrams into your content will take it to the next level. These elements complement the text by breaking up large chunks of text into more easily digestible parts which makes the text easier to read and understand. Videos are also a powerful tool for conveying information. They provide visual demonstrations, step-by-step tutorials, or showcase product features. Including them in your knowledge base not only adds a dynamic element but also caters to different learning preferences.

When selecting visuals, remember to aim for high-quality. By incorporating them, you’ll create a visually appealing and immersive user experience, making your knowledge base not only informative but also enjoyable to explore.

How can you organize your internal knowledge base for different departments?

When it comes to organizing your internal knowledge base, it’s important to consider the needs and requirements of each department within your company. Different departments often have their own specific knowledge that they need to store and benefit from. Let’s look at four common departments and the types of knowledge they can store in their dedicated sections:

Even though each department has its own dedicated section, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across departments is key for every successful business. One way to facilitate internal communication is by taking advantage of LiveAgent’s features such as internal calls, internal chat, or sharing of attachments, documents and files. These features help employees collaborate on projects, conduct internal meetings, promote seamless knowledge sharing, and cross-departmental cooperation. This also leads to improved productivity and efficiency across your entire organization.

If you would like to give our knowledge base a try, take advantage of the 30-days free trial. You will be able to enjoy many amazing features for free without any strings attached.

How does a well-organized knowledge base article look?

A well-organized knowledge base article should consist of several key features in order to be valuable to users and for them to quickly find information they need. Let’s take a look at some examples of a well structured and user-friendly article.

First of all, the article should have a clear and descriptive title that directly reflects the user’s query. In this case the title “How to create a shared inbox in Gmail” suggests that the article is going to guide you through the process of creating a shared inbox.

It also provides a concise introduction that sets the context and outlines what the article is about to address.

Another important thing is to organize the article in a logical manner and present the information in a step-by-step format or in defined sections. These sections should be clearly labeled and accompanied by relevant information.

Using visual design elements such as images, videos, or diagrams can also make the article easier to understand. In this case, LiveAgent provides video as well as step-by-step instructions with images to show you the entire process of setting up proactive chat invitations.

Incorporating internal links and cross-references can help users navigate from one article to another, expanding their understanding of the topic and engaging more with your knowledge base content. However, don’t place your internal links randomly throughout the article. Use relevant keywords that will suggest the content hidden behind the internal link, so the user knows what to expect when they decide to click on it.

To provide additional information or to further support users in their quest for knowledge, you can provide links to other related articles. You can create a separate section where you display them and encourage the user to explore more information related to the topic they are interested in.

How can you encourage users to explore the knowledge base?

Encouraging users to explore more of your awesome knowledge base can be a game-changer in providing self-service support and reducing the load on your customer service team. However, it can be a difficult task to do.

Therefore, to make your knowledge base enticing and user-friendly, here are a few strategies you can consider:

Conclusion

To sum it all up, understanding the risks of a disorganized knowledge base is crucial because without a proper organization, valuable knowledge can get lost, leading to frustrated users and strained customer support teams.

By following our 8 simple steps, you can transform your knowledge base into a well-organized and engaging resource. Each step plays a vital role in creating a user-friendly experience. But remember, it’s not just about organizing your external knowledge base for customers. Internal knowledge base organisation is equally important. Different departments within your company can strongly benefit from having dedicated sections for their specific knowledge needs. Allowing them to share information internally can boost collaboration and efficiency among your team members.

So, take the time to organize your knowledge base, both internally and externally, and watch as users become more engaged and self-sufficient. It is a valuable resource that can streamline support efforts, boost customer satisfaction, and empower users with the information they need at their fingertips.