These high-level document management best practices and recommendations will help keep your website clean and efficient for both the staff managing it and the end-user.
Webpage vs Document
When creating content for a website, information should be added directly within the webpage body content rather than linking a document. This will allow for better SEO and searchability across your website. The greater number of pages that are indexed the more of an expert you will appear to search engines.
File Naming
When you do need to link or attach a document, ensure that the file names start broad and then move to more specific keywords, e.g. examplecity-planningandlanduse-heritageplanning-oliverstreet.pdf. Search engines look at the filename to determine what is in that file so using keywords is ideal. It is also important to use characters that are recognized by spiders that sweep websites for this information. It is also helpful to standardize your file naming process to help find and manage your files.
Webpage vs Document
We recommend that files are saved in the top-level menu folder for Drupal, e.g. if it relates to the About Us section, save it in a folder named ‘About Us’. This is a key component to employee efficiency; staff should be able to quickly find the information they are looking for and easily know where to save new information.
Alt Tag
All files and images should have an associated alt tag (alternative tag or text). This is another way to describe the content and will improve your website’s accessibility and search engine rankings. Screen readers use these tools to understand what the file or image is about. Similar to file names your alt tag should contain keywords and characteristics recognized by such tools. Alternative text is an important part of the WCAG guidelines, and allows for users that are visually impaired to have a better user experience.
Deleting Files
Over time content that becomes outdated will have to be removed from your website. It is important to first check if that page links to any other pages or websites. If it is linked and then deleted it will result in a broken page link which is often frustrating for users. It is best if only certain admin users have the user permission to delete content so this process can be monitored.