Content Modeling Best Practices to Follow

Building a scalable and future-proof content model requires more than just defining fields and relationships—it requires strategy, collaboration, and a long-term vision. This article introduces a set of best practices that help ensure your content models are flexible, reusable, and ready for omnichannel delivery and AI-powered workflows.

To get the most value from this article, it’s helpful to already be somewhat familiar with content modeling. We also recommend watching the Content Modeling Best Practices tutorial for a hands-on walkthrough of these concepts.

Key Terms to Know

Before diving into the best practices, let’s define some core terms:

• Content Model: A structured framework that defines content types, their relationships, and attributes to organize and deliver content effectively.
• Single Source of Truth (SSoT): A central repository that ensures content is consistent, accurate, and reusable across teams and platforms.
• Scalability: The ability for a content model to support growth—more content, more types—without major rework.
• Reusability: Designing components and content types so they can be used across multiple contexts without duplication.
• Separation of Concerns: Distinguishing between content, structure, and presentation to ensure flexibility and longevity.
• Omni-Channel Delivery: Publishing content seamlessly across multiple platforms and devices.
• Localization: Adapting content to meet the language, cultural, and regional preferences of different audiences.
• Translation: Converting content from one language to another for multilingual accessibility.
• Cultural Relevance: Ensuring content aligns with the values and norms of specific target cultures.
• Content Governance: The policies and processes that ensure consistency, quality, and compliance in your content.

Categories of Best Practices

To make these best practices easier to understand and apply, we’ve organized them into eight key categories:

• Foundational Importance (FI): Practices that create a strong foundation for long-term success.
• Collaborative Input (CI): Encouraging stakeholder collaboration to align business and technical needs.
• Separation of Concerns (SoC): Promoting a clear divide between content, structure, and presentation.
• Scalability and Reusability (SaR): Supporting growth and flexibility across platforms and use cases.
• Global Considerations (G): Addressing localization, translation, and cultural needs.
• Content Governance (CG): Establishing systems and policies to maintain content quality and compliance.
• Content Model Maintenance (CMM): Keeping your model current through continuous updates and audits.
• Performance and Feedback (PaF): Gathering data and input to improve your model over time.

Foundational Importance (FI)

• Design First, Develop Later
  Plan your content model thoughtfully before you implement it.
• Emphasize a Single Source of Truth
  Keep content centralized and consistent to avoid duplication and fragmentation.

Collaborative Input (CI)

• Involve a Diverse Team
  Get input from authors, developers, designers, marketers, and legal early in the process.
• Make It Developer-Friendly
  Ensure the model works well with API consumption and integrations.
• Make It Author-Friendly
  Make the authoring experience intuitive with clear field names, helpful instructions, and logical structure.

Separation of Concerns (SoC)

• Use Design as a Guide
  Let design inform structure, but don’t hard-code presentation into the model.
• Separate Content from Presentation
  Keep layout, style, and formatting out of your content fields.
• Focus on Intent, Not Appearance
  Model the meaning and purpose of content, not how it looks.
• Optimize for Omni-Channel Delivery
  Design with flexibility so content can be delivered across platforms, devices, and interfaces.

Scalability and Reusability (SaR)

• Ensure Scalability and Future-Proofing
  Anticipate growth in content, teams, and delivery channels.
• Use Components for Structure and Reusability
  Break content into modular parts that can be reused and rearranged.
• Avoid Redundancy in Content Types
  Don’t create multiple content types that serve the same purpose—consolidate when possible.
• Limit the Number of Content Types
  Too many content types can lead to confusion. Keep things simple and strategic.

Global Considerations (G)

• Address Localization and Translation Needs
  Plan for content to be adapted across languages and regions.
• Address Cultural Relevance
  Design for flexibility so teams can tailor content to fit local customs and norms.

Content Governance (CG)

• Implement Content Governance
  Define clear rules, ownership, and processes for maintaining content quality.
• Design Authoring Workflows
  Build structured processes for content creation, review, and publishing.
• Consider Outdated Content Discovery
  Include strategies to identify and manage stale or irrelevant content over time.

Content Model Maintenance (CMM)

• Keep the Model Updated
  Regularly revisit and refine your model as needs evolve.
• Document Thoroughly
  Maintain clear documentation so that everyone—from devs to authors—understands the model.

Performance and Feedback (PaF)

• Monitor Performance
  Track how your model performs in real-world usage—API calls, page loads, authoring speed, etc.
• Gather Stakeholder Feedback
  Actively collect input from authors, developers, and end-users to inform improvements.

Final Thoughts

Following these best practices will help you design content models that are scalable, flexible, and aligned with the needs of your business and users. From laying a solid foundation and involving the right people, to managing governance and maintaining the model over time, each category contributes to building sustainable and intelligent content systems.

Start by evaluating your current model against these categories. Are you supporting global needs? Are your content types redundant? Is authoring intuitive? Use these questions to guide refinements and ensure your model continues to deliver long-term value.

For a visual walkthrough of these practices in action, be sure to watch the Content Modeling Best Practices tutorial.