Apr 30, 2018

Fundamentals Of A Content Audit

By: Josh Dougherty

Web Design

content audit is a systematic method of evaluating the content on your website. It measures the quantity, quality, and effectiveness of your content.

After the audit is complete, you'll have a roadmap for improving all aspects of your site content. You'll know exactly what steps to take to tell your brand story more effectively, help users achieve their goals on your site, and likely drive more revenue. We break our audits into two parts:

  • Quantitative Audit: Catalogs the pages on your website.
  • Qualitative Audit: Measures the quality and effectiveness of the content on key pages throughout the site.

The Value Of Content

Your digital content is one of the most valuable assets your business owns. Without well-planned and compelling content, the most beautifully designed website will be ineffective. Without an effective website, most businesses will struggle to drive the leads or sales they need to sustain growth.

On most sites, content section after content section has been added because there was no framework for deciding when new content was necessary. Page counts spiral out of control. Many pages have nothing to do with the organization’s business goals. Most are rarely visited.

This is a problem. An unfocused site will bleed users and as a result make it hard for you to achieve your goals. The audit right-sizes things, tells you what content is valuable, what must be cut, and what is detrimentally impacting your site. It's a must-take first step to believing in the value of your content as a strategic asset.

Our Content Evaluation Methodology

The quantitative audit is simple. It’s basically an inventory of the content on your site.

The qualitative audit is more involved. When we complete an audit we follow a systematic process to evaluate the effectiveness of the content on key pages throughout your site. This process includes

  • Identifying content: We identify and list the specific content on the page.
  • Evaluating content quality and effectiveness: We evaluate your content by analyzing whether it is:
    • Valuable to your organization
    • Valuable to the user
    • Well-planned
    • Easy to navigate
    • Readable at speed
    • In everyday language
    • Findable & equipped with complete metadata
    • In your brand tone of voice
    • Credible and professional
    • Well-written
  • Providing recommendations: We provide both page-level and site-wide content recommendations based on the findings from our analysis.

How To Get Started

The best way to get started with an audit is to first sit down and coalesce around your website goals. It's hard to evaluate something without knowing what you're aiming for. Then, get started with the methodology we've shared above.

After we complete an audit, our clients often say that it's the first time they've had a solid grasp on their content. You'll be able to say the same. And more importantly, you'll be armed with the information you need to make your website a more effective tool for your business.

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