Content Design at Breast Cancer Care
TDLR: I applied content design methods when updating the vital patient information section of the Breast Cancer Care website. The result was an uptick in content performance, donations and traffic.
The problem:
Organic traffic took a massive dip following the launch of the new site. Carrying out standard Search Engine Optimisation tactics lifted the traffic a little, but we needed a new approach to content.
About 80% of the website content was vital patient information pages about breast cancer, from concern about breast cancer to going through treatment, receiving a secondary diagnosis and how to move on once treatment had finished.
Following the site launch, this content was underperforming and was not ranking well on search or had vanished from search rankings.
After I defined a content strategy for the organisation that was linked to organisational goals, I focused on improving content performance and our SERP with content design methods.
What the research showed:
Metrics, screen recordings and heat maps showed users struggling to find the information they needed or not engaging fully with the content. Our users were often using different language to what we used on the site.
We were not addressing key information or the information wasn’t structured in a way to help people get the information they needed, as easily as possible. Analysis of the content and trending breast cancer topics showed we were not covering topics they were searching for.
Why was this happening?
Content was being lifted from printed publications and produced using the same workflow. Patient information wasn’t being produced with any digital input and or data. It was only reviewed for information accuracy about 1 year after being published.
My solution
Working with two members from the Publishing Team we identified key user journeys and I worked with the team to embed content design methods in their ways of working. I ensured we followed this method.
Content discovery (content audit, research forums, on page surveys, heatmaps, analytics) & keyword research > Write user/job stories > Draft content > Publish > Track > Review
I recorded findings from the content discovery, job stories and suggestions to help guide rewrite the content.
Here's an example of a low performing but important page that wasn't meeting user needs.
It was an important page about being referred to a breast clinic. A Content Discovery showed users want to know what to expect at their appointment, which wasn't actually addressed in the original content.
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Headers were re-written to be user focused and using vocabulary our audience was using.
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Key information was front-loaded, based on job stories.
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Content was ‘chunked’ to make it easier to scan.
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Mental models of the reader were taken into account, and used to sculpt tone of voice.
This page then became one of our most popular pages as it's SERP improved across various search terms. We saw similar results for all pages updated using content design methods.
Original page is on the left, and the update is on the right.
In this example, I took a low performing page that attempted to address genuine concerns people had about breast cancer, and re-wrote the content after looking at search data, forum topics and conversations on social media.
The updated blog vastly outperformed the original and went on to be a top ranking page for the site. It still ranks highly for the charity now (which has now become Breast Cancer Now).
Results:
We saw an overall increase in organic traffic to all pages updated using content design methods. The subsequent increase in traffic to the patient information section of the site also led to an increase in donations. On page survey feedback across the site suggested readers were finding our content more helpful and useful.
48%
uplift in organic traffic for the entire site
52%
increase in average dwell time on the site
400%
increase in traffic to the Breast Cancer Care blog after implementing a blogging strategy
95%
positive user feedback (using on page surveys)
The Publications Team became confident in using Content Design methods and the new process and were able to create and update future content without me overseeing the entire process. This gave me more time to focus on optimising other areas of the site.