Nature.org delivers strategic mission-driven content to engage, influence and convert new visitors and deepen the relationship with loyal supporters.
AEM Web Resources
Access useful AEM material such as training, component glossary and monthly release notes detailing new and important updates.
Designing for Nature.org
Being mindful of the user experience and design of an interface stewards useful, usable, and engaging digital experiences to our audience. Below are resources, guides and learnings around designing for nature.org.

Feature
Optimizing Article Layouts Through Chunking
Chunking content on a page could help users process and scan information more easily and in turn, increase their engagement across the page.
Best Practice Guides
Listed are materials for best practices around web page layouts, content optimization and web accessibility.
Guide to building landing pages on AEM for chapters, programs, campaigns and storytelling features.
Guide to building article pages on AEM, including a guide to page sections, available components and how-to guide on filling out page properties.
Striving for accessible web content ensures all users can access and use the site. Learn about about web accessibility and ways to make your content accessible.
Learn how to optimize an image to make it most accessible to all nature.org audiences.

Feature
Redesigning ‘Places We Protect’
Take a closer look at how we revamped the design and user experience of nature.org's Places We Protect preserve locator.
UX & Design Learnings
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UX & Design 101: A GDU Presentation
Learn the basics of how User Experience Design impacts product success and what you should consider when designing content for nature.org. See the Presentation
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Web Accessibility 101
Understand the basic principles of web accessibility and how to create a more inclusive design. See the Presentation
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Web Accessibility 102
Learn how to use web accessibility principles to create and enhance maps and graphics. See the Presentation
Data Analytics at TNC
Data analytics is the science of analyzing raw data to draw meaningful insights. Data analysis can reveal trends and metrics that could be used to inform publishers how to best optimize their content and processes to increase the efficiency for their business or system.
Digital Analytics
Driving for results
One of the goals of the Global Digital Analytics team is to use data to inspire action in your day to day.
To achieve this goal, we need to track as much TNC content as possible. We have built analytics into AEM so user activity on the site is tracked.
There are a variety of tools that we use to track content. To learn more about our tools and methods, head over to our Web Analytics page.
Optimizing Web Content for Search
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a way to make sure your audiences are able to find your pages when they're searching for that topic.
Goal of SEO
SEO is a way of writing and structuring pages so that:
- They are visible in search engines (like Google)
- Your audience wants to click on them
We want Google (and other search engines) to understand what our content is about to show it to people searching for that information, and we want our audiences to find our content authoritative and appealing in search results and click on it.
Do we care about other search engines?
Most visits from natural search come from Google. However, most of the SEO practices apply to all search engines. What works for Google typically also works for Bing, Yahoo, and smaller search engines.
How to Write for SEO
There are millions of pages on the web about any given topic, and it's a search engine's job to find the ones that are most relevant, trustworthy, and authoritative. Most of the people who find a TNC website through Google are looking for more information on a topic, and fortunately TNC is a respected expert on the conservation topics we write about.
However, we still need to demonstrate to both Google and our readers that we're guided by science so that we can earn those top placements in search results and enjoy the benefits of high traffic numbers.
How do we do that? Learn the basics of doing your own keyword research and how to best structure your pages through the trainings below.
Get Trained in SEO
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SEO 101 GDU Presentation
Jun 27, 2023
View the presentation and slide deck from SEO 101. This course goes into detail on how we can get our content to rank on Google searches and how to optimize content for success. SEO 101: A Global Digital University Presentation
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SEO 102: GDU Presentation
Aug 13, 2019
In this deeper dive into Search Engine Optimization, SEO Specialist Lindsay Mineo explains how Google ranks pages and how TNC content creators can optimize nature.org pages. SEO 102 Recording and Deck
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Monsido Training
Find and fix broken links, images, and other quality issues across your site group! Broken links create a poor user experience and also harm the site's health. Watch the Recording
Fun & Informative SEO Stats
Learn more in SEO 101-
28%
of clicks are on the first organic result.
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59%
of our traffic is from natural search
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3%
of our published articles drive 50% of total web traffic
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42%
of natural search visits are from mobile devices
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83%
of mobile visits are new to TNC
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99%
of photo contest clicks are from non-branded searches
Content-First Strategy
In line with our marketing goals to build awareness, engage audiences, increase influence and drive revenue, our content strategy on nature.org is meant to be a reflection of the organization's goals and mission. Aligning content with TNC's priorities with our editorial guidance provides consistency in messaging, goal-setting and audience targeting.
Audience is key when thinking about content on nature.org, and each audience has unique goals when creating content. Below are three personas to consider when strategizing content and call to actions to target towards their unique user needs:

Core Supporters (Donors)
Core Supporters care about protecting the future of their children, livelihoods, and the planet. The goal in creating content for a Core Support is to connect them to a cause where they know they can make a difference by donating. To appeal to Core Supporters, your call-to-action should include clear messaging on the impact of their contribution. If you are using a Donate call-to-action for a specific cause, make sure it is consulted by your BU or by our membership colleagues. If there is not a specific donation ask, push for email sign ups to further connect the visitors to TNC’s work, which can later lead to future contributions.

Change Agents (Influencers)
Thought Leaders are conservation influencers who turn to TNC as a trusted environmental organization with insights on the latest science, policies, financial reports and research. Provide them with compelling stories, research, reports and data that can support their work as project advisors, management directors and sustainability partners. Elaborating on conservation details, scientific data and impact statements with supporting data visualization and maps would appeal to the needs of Thought Leaders.

Mindful Movers
Over 60% of Nature.org’s traffic comes from search, and most of those visitors are under the age of 60. Mindful Movers are eco-conscious individuals who seek a lifestyle that aligns with their values but may not yet be aware of TNC. They seek content that will educate them on environmental issues and want to take meaningful actions. To engage with Mindful Movers, offer educational, awareness building content, as well as tangible ways for them to get involved, such as signing petitions/pledges, donating or volunteering. They pay close attention to call-to-actions that speak directly to them and their interests. Note that this audience for nature.org is aimed at US based users.
Content Guides and Resources
The Web Team and Editorial and Content Team are tasked with elevating and enhancing the voice of TNC accross our digital properties. Part of that work involves developing tools and resources to support all programs in creating engaging and successful content.
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Article Pages
Article detail templates should be used for all story pages and any detail on topics. Best practices for building pages in the Article Detail Page Template. Article Page
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Landing Pages
Landing Pages are built in either the Chapter/Program & Region Landing Page template or the Landings & Campaigns Page template. Landing pages are entry points for information about TNC programs. Landing Pages
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Aggregation Pages
Aggregation Pages are built in the Aggregation (Auto) Page template or the Aggregation (Manual) Page template. Aggregation pages are collections of related content, such as stories from a region. Aggregation Pages
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Contact Pages & FAQs
Contact pages are built in Contact Detail Page templates or Contact Listing & FAQs page templates. FAQ pages are built in the Contact Listing & FAQs Page template. Contact Pages & FAQs
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Press Release Pages
Press Release pages are built in the Press Release Detail Page template. This template is used ONLY for press releases. Press releases all live in the newsroom section of the site. Press Release Pages
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Biography Pages
Bio Pages are built in the Biography Detail Page template. This template is used for creating biography pages for TNC leadership, scientists, and also to create bio fragments for external authors. Biography Pages
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Preserve (Places We Protect) Pages
Preserve pages are built in the Preserve Detail Page template, which are housed under the Places We Protect (PWP) landing page. Profiles of TNC preserves and other places protected by TNC are built in this template and live the the PWP section. Places We Protect Pages
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Event Pages
Event Pages are built in the Event Detail Page template and live under Find Events under Get Involved. Pages are typically invitations for the public to participate in TNC-hosted activities. Event Pages
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Volunteer Page
Volunteer Pages are built in the Volunteer Page template and live under Volunteer section of the site under Get Involved. Pages are to promote volunteer opportunities for visitors to participate in. Volunteer Pages

Additional Content Frameworks
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The editorial calendar includes important TNC and global events, campaigns and milestones that can help content creators plan out the delivery of content. We encourage all content creators to utilize this for their own content planning, recommend any new content as well as learn what other teams have in their pipeline. To learn more or to acquire access to the calendar, email us at digitalcontent@tnc.org.
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Nature.org content is driven by a powerful taxonomy of themes, terms and keywords that can generate relevant content and be scaled across the entire site. Some of those major sections within the site that generate this taxonomy-driven content:
- Global Insights - Focused exclusively on influencer content for Change Makers, typically formatted as Perspective articles.
- Magazine - Membership, editorial content geared towards donor members and general audiences.
- North America - Geared towards North America audience, covering local and regional issues.
- Global Sites - Focusing on country-specific content, with multiple audiences, driven by the region priorities.
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Who is producing the content? Each section of nature.org is assigned a dedicated “publisher,” who owns content production and page updates as needed, and together, they make up the Publisher Network. For those major content sections that produce content on a regular basis (such as North America, Magazine) the publisher may manage a group of authors that write or create pages, and then the publisher will push them out live onto the site. Global Digital ensures this network is kept up to date on new updates with our content management system AEM, best practices on building content, and optimizations and audits.

Instructional Material
Content Success Stories
Learn from nature.org content authors as they share how they built featured content and why they believe it was a success.
AEM Training and Access
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is the main content management system used by TNC. Nature.org and many of our country sites are built on AEM. To become an AEM author you must complete training on ConservationTraining.org and request an account through the Digital Request Form. Training is in two parts, Part A and Part B, which together take around 4.5hrs.
List of AEM Training & Access Links
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Part A Best Practices for Content Creation
Takes approx. 90min to complete. Covers concepts fundamental to authoring TNC content that engages audiences, correctly utilizes the available tools in AEM, and best represents the organization. AEM Training Part A
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Part B Authoring and Publishing Pages and Assets
Approx. 4hrs. An orientation to the essential features and functions of AEM. Through demonstrations and guided simulations, you will learn how to build pages from start to finish. AEM Part B Training
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Login to AEM Production Environment
Before we can set up permissions for new AEM authors, we need that author to login to Author.tnc.org using their single sign on TNC ID. Login and simply close out to create an account. AEM Production Link
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Submit a Request for AEM Account
Submit a digital request form. On the request page click the link for "AEM Issues" then choose the category "Access/Permissions". Fill out the form completely for quicker processing. Digital Request Form
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Two Factor Authentication
You will need to use two factor authentication to authenticate your sign-in to AEM. Learn more about 2FA. Read about 2FA
AEM Authoring Resources

Manual Anchor Links
How to create a link on your page that will jump users to a specific section of that same page.

Photo Upload Guide
Guide to uploading photos and adding photo properties in the AEM DAM.

Guide to Basic AEM Authoring Tasks
A step by step guide to authoring pages in AEM, including how to create new pages, how to add components, how to upload images, and how to publish.

Common Page Property Tabs
Learn how to correctly complete the Basic, Image, OG, SEO and Temple-Specific page properties.
AEM Release Notes
Review the latest release notes to discover fixes, enhancements and new components on AEM.
Donor/Audience Portal Training & Support
For Portal authors, check out the authoring support linked below.
Site Taxonomy Chart
This dynamic taxonomy chart can help you to explore the taxonomy terms we use at TNC.
The first page shows all of the major, useful taxonomy terms or categories.
- Use the lowest tag possible. For example, if you tag your image with “Red-winged blackbird”, there is no need to tag it with “Animal”, “bird”, etc.
- Any category with lower level tags is clickable.
- If you click, it takes you to a slide with the lower level tags listed.
- Every slide has a Return to Page 1 link in the upper right-hand corner.
Publisher Network
The publisher network is a resource for nature.org authors. Publishers can answer questions about content design and best practices, provide updates on the CMS, and review and approve any content created on nature.org. Every AEM author will be paired with a publisher.
Analytics Training Resources
Adobe Analytics is the standard tool used to track nature.org content. The Analytics team can help get you set up with an Adobe Analytics account, a dashboard tailored to your program's KPIs, and reporting. For help from the team, submit a Digital Request Form on Connect.
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Request an Account
Submit a digital request. Select 'Analytics' then the sub-category 'New Adobe Analytics Account.' Then fill out the fields and indicate the level of urgency and submit. Digital Request Form
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Adobe Analytics Navigation
Adobe Analytics uses search, fly-out navigation, and easy access to favorites and frequently viewed reports and dashboards. This short video guides you through ways to navigate reports and dashboards. Adobe Analytics Navigation
Coming Soon!
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