On May 13, technical writer and podcaster Beth Haggerty presented a webinar on the Madcap Software Suite. Haggerty outlined how best to use MadCap Flare for creating and managing technical online content. She focused on how this content management system allows technical writers to develop content that is both single-sourced (refined content that excludes redundancy and errors) and search engine optimized (SEO).
The first step before using Flare is identifying how your users browse for information. Then, come up with a list or outline of digestible chunks, each containing one stand-alone idea, and write them in plain language. Making that content keyword-rich is crucial.
Haggerty went deep into the following topics:
Single-source content
- Topic files and properties. Apply a naming convention when breaking down content in Flare. It is important to create consistent descriptions and metatags (elements that provide information about the metadata of an HTML document) and to use relevant keywords in the content.
- Metadata, or “data about the data.” It relates to file-naming conventions, taxonomy, titles, descriptions, and headings. It’s essential to know what the file includes and where it belongs without having to open it, so Flare allows you to set up a taxonomy. If end users need more information they can click to display details.
- Snippets. You can write content and reuse it by creating a snippet, which appears in Flare’s library as text, tables, images, or videos. When you need to make changes to the snippet, they will show up wherever this content is displayed. This makes the content consistent and accurate.
- Condition tags. You can use a single source of content without having to duplicate it for different outputs.
- Links and alt tags. When including or editing a link, you can add alternate text or screen tips.
Context-sensitive help (CSH)
Context-sensitive help lets you link topic-related help content within a specific software screen and at a field level. This helps users navigate.
To produce context-sensitive help (CSH), you have to open an alias file, which is needed to populate a header file with the information necessary for producing this CSH. Flare can create this file automatically or you can do it manually to customize your settings.
SEO tools
- Keyword link controls. A keyword link is a help control that lets you open topics related to the current topic based on index keywords that they share, and it is fundamental to SEO.
- Search filters. The software’s project organizer allows you to create search filters, which let users narrow their search based on concepts that you have inserted into your project’s topics. That way you can guide your users’ searches.
- Micro content. Micro content is brief and concise information that is available when users need it. It allows you to create a collection of brief phrases and corresponding responses, such as questions and answers. These phrase/response combinations can be used in different ways such as FAQs, featured snippets in search results, or field-level help. You can create as many pieces of micro content as you need, preset users’ searches, and provide multiple ways to find information.
More information about MadCap Flare and its tools is available at www.madcapsoftware.com and http://help.madcapsoftware.com.
Missed the webinar?
STC members and students: Register here to receive a recording of the event.
Non-STC members: Register here to receive a recording of the event.
Ernesto Campo is a freelance writer with a background in journalism, marketing, and public relations living in Calgary, Alberta. He recently got his Technical Writing Extension Certificate at Mount Royal University. He is also an author of children’s literature and short stories.