The password is...

As a kid I always liked the game show Password. The point of the game was to convey the "password" to your playing partner by giving only one-word clues.

In some ways we play this game with our users on our websites. We label buttons and navigational choices with a word or two that we hope conveys the right meaning to the user. But what we think of when we hear or read a certain word is a complicated thing. A major task of good Information Architecture is choosing words that will mean the same to the users as they do to the organization.

Check your site's search engine reports to see what users are searching for on your site. Sometimes this information can indicate content they are having difficulty finding using the navigation. Often a minor change in wording can help users find their way.