The Ultimate Curation Guide
Data curation is the process of accumulating and updating content into one localized page. Let’s talk about how you can use data curation to do just that.
Yext
Dec 21, 2021
There is an overload of data and content on the internet, and users are exhausted. With literally billions of pages of content to sift through, users have begun turning to pages dedicated to collecting and organizing the best content out there in one place.
Whether you're developing an in-depth, vertical search engine or promoting a business's online presence through social media, high-quality data curation is one of the best ways to build and retain an audience.
If you're unfamiliar with the term data curation, don't worry; we'll go over it. At Yext, our goal is to help companies succeed, so let's talk about how you can use data curation to do just that.
What Is Data Curation?
Data curation is the process of accumulating and updating a specific genre of content into one localized page.
Imagine a real-world example: let's say there is a restaurant that cooks just about every type of food on the planet. Their menu is a medium-sized novel, and every time you go, you're overwhelmed with options, and not all of them are quality dishes.
Then a new restaurant opens and focuses specifically on pizza. You know that their menu will be exclusively pizza, not to mention high-quality recipes because that's their only focus.
If you knew you wanted pizza, why would you go to a restaurant that has too many options?
This is the same principle as data curation. Users will flock to sites that specialize in a specific topic if that's what they're looking for because they want someone else to have gone through all the noise and put all of the best content onto one page.
Why Is Data Curation Important
As we mentioned, there is an overwhelming amount of data available on the internet, and users are seeking out web pages that have done the dirty work of going through all the bad content to find the good for them.
Taking advantage of this situation has several benefits to your company. Data curation can attract new visitors to your page interested in the available content, which boosts your site traffic and potential business.
It also allows you to build a relationship with your audience through reliable content, making your company one that users are more likely to turn to when they need either the data or content that your page provides.
Here are a few reasons that data curation is important to your business and your audience.
Target Specific Interests
Whether you already have a business with a specific demographic or you're interested in pursuing a unique audience, data curation is a powerful way to connect with a particular set of users.
Consider that you already have a business that sells fashionable but affordable clothes. Your demographic might be the younger generation. Curating content that interests that demographic and building a collection similar to your already existing business is a powerful tool to draw in your demographic and gently nudge them towards your products.
Increasing Site Traffic
A benefit related to targeting specific interest groups is increasing your site traffic. Curating content of a wide yet still related variety gives people more reasons to visit your page.
The more reasons there are to visit your page, the more likely it is that people will come to your site to find information, increasing your page traffic.
While they may not immediately be there for purchasing purposes initially, getting them on your site is a big step towards conversions.
Develop A Trustworthy Reputation
Users are used to spotting unreliable sources. The internet is full of spam and less than truthful content, and they can usually sniff it out a mile away.
That's why developing a trustworthy curation of data is so important. When a user finds a source that they trust, they stick with it, but you have to earn their trust.
Consistently providing your audience with reliable content will keep them coming back. If you can provide data that consumers know won't let them down from the beginning, you start developing a level of trust with your demographic.
How Do You Curate Online Data?
We've discussed what data curation is and how it can benefit you, but how exactly do you go about doing it?
As you might assume, it's a lot of digging through content and collecting all the high-quality assets you can, but there are some more details to keep in mind.
Here's a step-by-step process of how to curate online data.
Specify Audience And Genre
This might seem obvious, but the first step to data curation is deciding what topic you'll be focusing on.
If you already have a business that you're trying to promote, consider something related to your content or that is interesting to your demographic. Suppose you have a wheel and tire company, curate content based on vehicle details. If you run a clothing store, focus on fashion.
It doesn't necessarily need to be focused on a specific topic. You can also look at your target audience and hone in on subjects that would be interesting to them.
Sourcing
As the curator, it's your job to go through and collect all of the related content that's out there so that your audience doesn't have to. At this point, you want to be absorbing as much as you can, stockpiling data that matches your focus goal.
Powerful tools are available to help you search across multiple pages at once. So, instead of manually roaming across social media, these services allow you to look for specific content across the internet at once, saving time and effort while not compromising the amount of data.
Filtering
This is what separates the successful and the not successful curators. Anyone can build a massive collection of content, but users are looking for the cream of the crop.
Going through and filtering out the low-grade content will make your work as a curator is much more reliable and valuable to consumers.
Repackaging
You don't necessarily want to have a bunch of content put together that's all designed differently and doesn't aesthetically match.
You want the data you curate to look good and be organized and easily accessible. Make sure to credit wherever you find your data or content, but repackage it so that it has some of your flair and matches the surrounding content.
Maintaining
Data curation is a constantly moving project. There isn't really a point at which you can wash your hands and call it a day. Consumers expect regular updates and consistency from curators.
This means you should be perpetually sourcing and filtering content for your page so that your audience always has a reason to return.
Important Tips
Now that you've started curating content, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that you're getting the most out of your well-spent time and effort.
Focus On Quality Content
Quality over quantity is a valuable principle no matter what the context. Quality content is what's going to keep your users coming back.
A large quantity of content might increase your one-time visits, but curating high-quality content in the specific field you're aiming at will develop a trust and relationship with consumers that will have them confident of returning to your page.
Make Your Content Easily Accessible
Even on a page with high-quality, curated data, users like to have a convenient way to access all of it. Implementing an internal search engine helps your users go through your content to find what's interesting to them.
Yext Answers is a highly advanced internal search engine that provides your website with a search bar specialized to your content, using artificial intelligence to ensure that your users are getting the most accurate results from their search queries.
Our mission at Yext is to boost your company's success and your clients' positive experience, and we believe that a finely tuned search engine on your website is one of the most important tools to attain that goal.
Put In The Time
Just about anyone can collect a large amount of content now and then. Even filtering out the data and only keeping the decent-quality pieces wouldn't take too much time.
But consistently putting in the time to find the best, most reliable content for your target audience will make the difference between a reasonably interesting page and a successful page.
Users want curators to do the work for them, and putting in the time to get that done and the time it takes to build trust with your audience will have them coming to you for information.
Share Your Work
Curating high-quality content takes a lot of time in the long run, and it's important to make the most out of your efforts.
Make sure to share your content as regularly as possible everywhere you can. Data curation is a great way to build a social media presence for your business, but consistently posting and sharing your new content is how users will know to visit your page for new material.
Conclusion
Curating data is a powerful way to connect with your audience. By providing them with regular, trustworthy content, you build a relationship that consumers will use to decide whether or not to return to you for more information or products.
It can be a lot of time and effort, but with how much information there is today and how much is constantly being added, your users will be happy to have a reliable source for their content.
References:
