The shift to structured content: the smarter way forward

Unstructured and HAT-based (Help Authoring Tool) workflows eventually hit a ceiling. Content becomes harder to maintain, reuse breaks down, and every release demands another round of manual fixes. Structured content removes that friction, giving you a model that scales smoothly as products, versions, and channels grow.

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Why teams make the switch: from fixing to scaling

Unstructured systems force you to maintain content. Structured content lets you build and reuse it. In an unstructured or HAT environment, most of your effort goes into keeping content alive. Manual clean-ups, format-first content creation, and limited content reuse, leave teams in constant maintenance mode.

When you switch to structured authoring in a CCMS, content is modeled – lifting the burden of document maintenance from your team. Topics, components, and metadata define how information fits together. Reuse is systematic. Publishing is automated.

Unstructured: Maintenance Mode

  • Manual clean-ups and format fixes
  • Format-first content creation
  • Limited content reuse
  • Constant maintenance mode

Structured: Build and Scale

  • Content is modeled
  • Topics, components, and metadata define structure
  • Reuse is systematic
  • Publishing is automated

Migration is easier than it looks

Moving from Word, Google Docs, Confluence, or a HAT doesn’t mean starting over from a blank page. A planned migration lets you keep the content that still works, clean up what doesn’t, and introduce structure step by step.

01

Select your first content set

Prioritize frequently updated or high-value docs.

02

Break it into structured topics

Turn long documents into reusable, semantic components.

03

Import, refine, and establish your patterns

Templates, metadata, and workflows keep everything consistent.

04

Scale as you go

Apply the same model to additional products and teams.

Migration Made Manageable with Built-In Guidance

Paligo provides teams with guidance, import tools, and best-practice models – so migration stays manageable, predictable, and low-risk.

Download our Guide to Migrating To Structured Content

Are you interested in learning more?

When is unstructured no longer good enough?
What happens when you make the switch