The anatomy of great glossary web pages

When it comes to building great glossary pages (and by that I mean glossary pages that are both informative and persuasive towards your business model) there are a few common factors that most growing businesses should consider.

A well-built glossary page serves more benefits than just educating existing customers. With Google's focus on relevant, easy to digest and informative content, you'll find yourself naturally appearing in search results more often for the terms that matter most for you and your business.

With all things user experience related, there is an element of creativity and space for some design freedoms. We're not trying to rebuild the dictionary, but provide something of genuine value to website visitors.

So let's take a look at some repeatable elements of glossary pages that really pack a punch:

• Glossary Term
• Definition
• Synonyms
• Related Terms
• Share Options
• Search Box
• Jump To Letter
• Contextual CTA

Well, duh! You’ll need to start by specifying the term at hand. Try and use terms that are relatable above technical or expert-specific wording where appropriate.

A little keyword research would go a long way here, as you’ll see which terms are getting the most searches online (and word your glossary page accordingly).

Seems like a given, but providing a full definition for the term or terms specified is crucial when building a glossary page. I’d suggest focussing on making your definitions as concise as possible without omitting crucial information

I have found this often overlooked when reviewing the various glossary pages of third-party websites, but including synonyms or similar words for the current term being defined is a great way of ensuring that you reach customers across the board who may know your offering/industry by different terminology.

Remember, no 2 human beings are exactly the same (not even identical twins), and in that vein of thought, your ability to accommodate for unique searches in this way will pay dividends.

Separate to synonyms directly related to the glossary term, there is value in continuing to educate site visitors and their thirst for knowledge. Including terms that are related to the current one is an awesome way of achieving this and supports your internal link building efforts between web pages.

For example, someone looking up the term "web design" may also be interested in reading about definitions for "development", "email" and "SEO". Having those as quick links at the end of the current definition streamlines the web visitor journey even further.

If your glossary page has proven to be informative and useful for your visitors, then there is no reason why they cannot share this information with relevant parties (like colleagues or others in their predicament). Providing quick share options via a tool like AddThis serves as a perfect way to close the sharing loop.

Including a search box in your glossary page is a very apparent way for users to find the terms that are a priority for them.

Well-built search functionality should take into account more than just the current term, but synonyms, the full definition and other related or hidden content as part of the search result.

Quite a nifty little feature, but having the full alphabet listed out in a line, with each letter quick linking/scrolling to a section with terms beginning with that letter provides a means of navigation that is intuitive and fun!

I’ve seen this in use on a number of sites to great effect, and as something straightforward to implement, it really shouldn’t be missed.

So, someone has read a definition on a term that matters to them. What next? I'd always recommend looking for opportunities to upsell/nurture/engage visitors and what better way than a timely call to action.

Think along the lines of something that says "Know you understand what XX means, why not {preferred action}?"

Of course, this would link through to a relevant page on your own site, like a form to discuss a project, or read more about a specific service.

I hope you are now well equipped with your appraoch to building a great glossary section on your own website that will engage more visitors than ever before.

A bit of parting advice - Rome wasn't built in a day and the nature of your site is dynamic. Simply put, you don't have to build an encyclopedia overnight, but adding a few new terms each week will get you on the path to success.

As always, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.