Using guidelines in Kontent.ai

Effectiveness of guidelines in Kontent.ai

As you prepare to build your content model in Kontent.ai, set ample time aside to create guidelines. These can be set for your content types (also separately for each content group), elements, assets, and taxonomies. Rushing through the process can pose difficulty in maintaining your content model and producing quality content, as well as make your content creators, freelancers, or new hires feel lost. Effective guidelines can give your team the knowledge to create quality content that embodies your brand.

Guidelines in Kontent.ai

As you create content types, you’ll see that Kontent.ai comes with an element called guidelines, which can be used for the whole content type. Besides, every individual element you add contains a field for guidelines. However, these two types of guidelines serve different purposes. Let’s get into the specifics.

Guidelines element in content types

 Use the guidelines element to create a detailed guide for your content creators. You can:

• Format guidelines the same way as content in the rich text editor.
• Add helpful screenshots showing:
  • Where to find the right button
  • How the content appears on your channels
  • Links to external resources.
• Provide practical steps to include components.
• Explain what each content type is for and how to work with it.
  • For example, if you have an Article content type, explain what this content type is, its purpose, and how it works in your channels, such as your website.
• Include a cheat sheet to speed up the content creation.

Guidelines for individual elements

You can use the guidelines in individual elements to:

• Let creators know the common mistakes to avoid in each element.
• Write short unformatted instructions on each element’s purpose.
  • If you have a custom element, inform creators how it works.
• Inform creators of each element’s limitations, as it is possible that it may not be explicitly understood.
  • For example, if you have a Title element in your content type, you can inform creators how to make titles SEO-friendly and what type of keywords to use.

Guidelines for assets

Setting guidelines for your assets can help your content creators stick to the content standards. Encourage content creators to:

• Name assets clearly and descriptively.
• Add descriptions to assets.
  • The image description serves as an alternative text.
• Categorize assets via taxonomy.
• Create animations with a specific duration, framerate, color limits, and so on.
• Use images with or without people.

Use content briefs