How do I resolve, prevent and remove duplicate index key words?

Question

The problem I'd like to resolve in in my index is: I have
mutiple 'Getting Started' topics in each module (for example). When
I open the Index in the application and click 'Getting Started' I
am presented with 41 selections. Could be more, I stopped counting
after 41 and refused to scroll. I would have to click on each one
to find the "Getting Started" topic I was looking for. I know as an
end user that I would come un-glued if I had to click and close 41+
topics in my quest for help . Help should be ... well, helpful. If
I need help the last thing I'm looking for is annoyance at a tool
that I hoped would be my salvation. As I'm writing this I'm
beginning to wonder if what I want can be accomplished. What can I
do to indicate to the user what specific topic any given "Getting
Started' refers to so they don't find themselves instead in a click
and close coma? It seems to me that I have a bloated, out of
control index. Any suggestions on how I might put my index on a
diet and provide optimal index effectiveness??

Answer 1

You could try renaming the topics to something like "Module A
Getting Started", "Module B Getting Started", etc. but I'd also
suggest that having 40+ topics against a keyword is not the right
way to do things. I personally wouldn't have 40+ Getting Started
topics. By all means have an Overview topic at the start of each
main area of your help and link to other parts of the same book
(e.g. to the major tasks).
A better way however may be to have a single Getting Started
book at (or near to) the top of your TOC which tells the users what
they can do. Then link to the topics elsewhere in the TOC that
provide the detail.
As far as indexing is concerned, we have an unwritten rule
that you have no more than two index levels and no more than 5-6
topics per keyword. If you think this is impossible maybe you need
to look at how you are indexing.