Findability is a seemingly new term that has become a buzzword recently due to a book called Building Findable Websites by Aarron Walter (not to mix up with Aaron Wall, author of SEO Book). Now as a true SEO 2.0 ;-) I’m always on the lookout for new concepts and innovation. So I took a little time to find out more about findability, it’s meaning, roots, who coined the term and when.
The first thing I found out was that neither Aaron Walter nor renown usability expert Jakob Nielsen used the term findability first. It appears that the term findability and most notably ambient findability was coined in 2002 by Peter Morville who even published a book of the same title. First things first though, so let me explain what findability is about.
Website findability is the new and better SEO so to say or, on-site SEO without the bad rep of the SEO industry if you adopt the definition from Building Findable Websites.
Basically Aarron Walter says that building websites for findability encompasses not only SEO but a holistic approach with usability and web standards etc. in mind, a position I can fully support. One thing that Mr. Walter attempts to tell us though is:
SEO is bad, findability is good.
This is a good move from a marketing perspective as nobody likes SEO of course, the term is a stain in itself or at least is perceived by the majority as such.
When we go back to what Peter Morville wrote in 2002 we discover that findability and SEO are not contradictory but basically twin brothers. He acknowledges how
SEO contributes to a websites findability along with usability and other important aspects of information architecture.
Now that might be the problem of it not generating enough hype so that Aarron Walter took a more aggressive approach.
Also Walter reduced findability to websites build with web standards while Morville’s definition extends to the real world. Morville uses examples like looking for long term parking or restrooms on an airport which strike home very convincingly. Jakob Nielsen used the term in 2006 for the first time as far as I can see. Nielsen also limited it to website findability without denouncing SEO though.
Now am I angry at Aarron Walter for being explicit about SEO? No, I’m glad, glad someone makes a strong point on renaming the “whole problem”. In this sense I took the wrong approach with attempting to redefine SEO and having to deal with it’s reputation problem. Using another, better term is the by far more effective way of redefining something. Sadly it’s mostly used by political think tanks to manipulate the public usually. In this case the outcome of the manipulation is a positive one. People will acknowledge best practices and put them in use.
I don’t care how do you call it, SEO, findability or like myself probably SEO 2.0 as long as we have the same goals. Our goals match while the methods do just partly as findability refers in web development only to the on-site or on-page factors of SEO which is not enough to be found, especially in the Web 2.0 environment, but they match.
The single most positive aspect of website findability the teaching aspect:
Findability teaches designers, web developers and information architects what they condescendingly ignored for years, making websites findable.
Now as I am the garbage man of all these lazy designers, web developers and information architects and had to fix crap websites for years, I’m sick and tired of it. I want to do the real thing, the content, the SEO 2.0 the fun stuff.
So clean up your websites yourself guys and don’t rely on the poor Mexican migrant worker wit a sombrero to do it.
That said, I still prefer the approach of Peter Norville. So do not only read Aaron Walter book but also, or at first Norvilles “Ambient Findability”.
Btw.: Building Findable Websites only covers the on-site SEO basics, adding some microfomats and the likes, if you really want to do web design for findability you need to read the Web Design for ROI, a book that will change your professional life forever.
Findablity resources:
- The Age of Findability - Boxes and Arrows: The design behind the design
- Ambient Findability
- Digital Web Magazine - Ambient Findability
- O’Reilly Media | Ambient Findability
- findability.org - by Peter Morville
- DonnaM » Blog Archive » Usability testing for findability
- A List Apart: Articles: Ambient Findability: Findability Hacks
- Use Old Words When Writing for Findability (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox)
- A List Apart: Articles: Findability, Orphan of the Web Design Industry
- Building Findable Websites: Web Standards, SEO, and Beyond
- Findability Bliss Through Web Standards | An Event Apart New Orleans April 2008
- SEO and Findability blog: LJ Banks — findability expert
From now on please refer to me as findability expert, maybe this way I can outsmart the SEO haters ;-)
Related posts:
- The 10 Worst Findability Crimes Committed by Web Designers & Developers
- 10 Coding Guidelines for Perfect Findability and Web Standards
- 7 Usability Mistakes Usability Experts Commit
- The 10 Simplest Website Tweaks for Designers to Get More Clients
- For Design, Usability and SEO Simplicity Is Key
This thing has 10 Comments
I appreciate the post and mention of the book. I’d like to point out that I’ve not ever stated that SEO is a bad thing as your quote above might suggest to some. The goal of my book is to get people to think beyond keywords to take a holistic approach to how they engage their audience through content delivered with standards-compliant markup. I use the term findability because the way we connect with people extends beyond search to include social networking, viral marketing, and more. As my diagram illustrates (shown above), SEO is an important part of the Web industry, and is one part of the domain if findability.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
While we’re on the subject of books that will forever change your approach to web design, I might add Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think”.
IMHO it’s the granddaddy of all usability/optimization/ROI books. And it’s funny as all get out to boot.
I don’t understand why some many blog post have no date assigned to them?
Anyway, cheers from Berlin :)
Thanks for the shout-out. And here I was thinking that I invented the term “findability.” :) I have not read the book, but I do agree that findability is a more holistic approach. And the term “SEO” does make people uncomfortable. I tend to use the terms interchangeably, but I think there is a difference. And while I do not think SEO is bad, as you point out , SEO 2.0 is an important in findability strategy. And that is a very good thing.
This post is one of the reasons I like reading your blog Tad - well researched!
Regarding “findability” - I wonder if soon we shall have a new breed of FE’s? (Findability Experts) who are basically SEM’s changing their names…
What I do find odd is that although SEO has its own sphere, Paid search doesnt - it cant fall into conventional marketing, and is a huge competititor of AND compliment to SEO.
I think the term ‘findability’ has a major advantage in being semantically rich. None of the acronyms SEO, SEM, PPC, aso bear any meaning to the uninitiated. So, my guess is that you’ll have a better chance of getting your message through if you use findability instead of SEO.
Your wheel of findability reminds me of the layered visualization of the webpage that is found in Jesse James Garret’s ‘The Elements of User Experience’ pdf example here.
Good list of factors. Findability implies being able to find what you are looking for as the result of a search…..providing the answer to a question. The information industry has been using the term for several years…..
Once again : Great Post Mister !
You have the ability to put things in perspective,
and to be honest with you, i feel findability fits what our work is all about, putting things together and making it visible.
it simply makes sense.
I like the fact that findability includes usability.
I tend to bore people about “what a waste it is driving traffic to your website if they can’t use it or you can’t convert them somehow”, so I like having a term that includes at least part of what I’m trying to achieve.
Plus, SEO just sounds a bit sneaky and underhand to me!
I’ve always looked at SEO and marketing as a hobby but I would never use seo on a site I felt doesn’t bring users a good or useful experience. The bounce rate would just make the seo efforts a big waste of time. I do agree that creating and designing new concepts and innovations should always be kept in mind. The internet is still young and it’s exciting to see whats coming next.
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