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6.6Searchability and Discoverability
A knowledge base that nobody can find information in is useless. Invest in discoverability.
Tagging and Categorization
| Strategy | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Consistent naming conventions | runbook-*, guide-*, troubleshoot-* prefixes |
| Tags / labels | Tag pages by area (checkout, payment), type (runbook, guide), audience (new hire, senior) |
| Cross-references | Link related pages to each other ("See also: ...") |
| Glossary | Define acronyms and domain terms in one central glossary page |
| Landing pages | Create index pages for each major section with descriptions |
Search Optimization
- Use descriptive titles: "How to Reset the Staging Database" not "Database Runbook"
- Include keywords people search for: If people search for "flaky tests," make sure that phrase appears in the relevant document
- Write introductory paragraphs: Most search tools index the first paragraph heavily
- Use headings that match questions: "How do I set up the test environment?" as a heading makes the page findable for that exact question