There are various ways to classify web content. Some of the ways of classifying the content actually help you to streamline your web content migration process.

Frequency of update

This analysis involves identifying the frequency at which the content is being updated. For example, in many websites, news sections have a very high rate of update frequency. Other content sections such as products or services may have lesser update frequency than the news section.

Identifying frequency of update of all content chunks is very important before we put time, cost and scope estimates into content migration plan. This analysis helps you understand content update frequencies and complexities and their impact on your web content migration deadlines. This also helps you prioritise and sequence your migration plan.

As a rule of thumb, static content with low content update frequency should be migrated first and content with high content update frequency should be migrated as the projects approaches end. Content with highest update frequency should be the last item on your list of content chunks to be migrated.

Business value delivered

Classifying the content based on business processes supported or tasks performed directly links the content to business objective of the website. Classifying the content in this way will give you opportunity to focus more on the important content. In the web content migration project with financial or time constraint, this can be very useful information. Your stakeholders will be very happy to know that you are aware about what is important to them.

Classification on the basis of Content ownership

Classifying the content based on content owner definitely helps as a pre-cursor to finalising content migration project plan for two reasons.

It gives you an opportunity to interact with the content owners. We all know that content owners are one of the stakeholders in content migration project. So, interacting with them prior to putting your content migration project plan on paper, will help you avoid surprises.

Surprises can come in many ways, for example, that new design which the content owners want to implement for their section, or that large content update which they have been hoping will be done as part of your content migration project.

Knowing content owners and knowing who owns what content will minimise your project scope and schedule errors.

Classification based on who updates the content

In large organizations various teams belonging to different departments can update the website content. They are one of the stakeholders in content migration project and the team which manages most of the updates can provide you critical information on current website content issues and can also throw light on how to resolve those issues in new system.

You would also know who is affected if a typical content chunk is being migrated in the project. Finding out who updates what content will help you define your project communications plan.