When engaging with a new client, we rarely jump right in and start creating new content for them without conducting a content audit first. The purpose of such an audit is to recognize areas of improvement and identify content that is performing well. Well-performing content can be repurposed or expanded to produce even better results.
A content audit is a process of systematically analyzing and assessing the content on your website. The overall objective is to reveal strengths and weaknesses in your content strategy so you can adapt to further meet your content goals.
You may be thinking; I’m a small business; that’s too much time and effort with little payoff for someone like me. Well, my small business friend, a content audit can be the difference between your small business and growth opportunities to turn it into a big business, so keep reading!
In this guide, we’ll explain the various steps involved in conducting a content audit. Let’s get into it, shall we?
A content audit can seem like a complex, convoluted process. For this reason, it’s essential to start with clear objectives right out the gate.
Think about your business goals and map out areas you wish to improve.
For example, one of your goals may be to improve audience engagement. To do this, you’ll likely need to identify the most and least engaging content you’ve produced in the past. Look at the topics your visitors respond best to and determine what kind of content generates the most buzz on social media.
Once your goals are defined, match them to meaningful content metrics. For our example above, you’ll likely want to look at engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, saves, mentions, etc. Additional common content metrics to pay attention to include SEO metrics, user behavior, and sales metrics, among many others.
During this step, it’s important to decide what kind of content to review. You’ll most likely want to audit internal content, such as blog posts, educational materials, and landing pages, or your external publications.
Focusing on your website, collect the URLs of web pages you want to analyze. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to generate this list, there are several tools, like Semrush Content Audit, that can analyze your content based on your sitemap date. It’ll automatically compile a list of URLs and their metrics for easy analysis.
If your site doesn’t have a sitemap, use a sitemap generator tool to create one. This helps search engines find and navigate your site, which helps to increase your SEO.
Organize Your Content
Once you have a list of URLs, organize them into different categories. Here’s an example of ways to segment them.
• Funnel marketing/buyer’s journey stages (awareness, consideration, decision, etc.)
• Content format (text only, images/video, etc.)
• Number of words
• Content type (landing page, blog post, whitepaper, case study, etc.)
• Date of publication
NOTE: When pulling and organizing data from your website, it’s very useful to also analyze the metadata (title, meta description, h1) for each page, especially if one of your goals is to increase your SEO.
Once you’ve collected your data, which can be a lengthy and timely process, you’ll then want to organize it further so it’ll be easier to analyze it. Again, if collecting this data manually and dropping it into a spreadsheet is too much for your brain to handle, there are plenty of tools that make it easy to conduct steps two and three.
When selecting tools, take a look at the functionality and make sure it fits within your budget. If you’re looking for a broader range of data, Google Analytics can be a great, free tool.
Interpreting Your Content Audit
Now that you’ve done all the work to collect and organize this data, how do you make heads and tails of it? Take a step back to examine your content metrics as a whole to gain a clear picture of the state of your site’s content.
For example, if one page on your site is drawing in high traffic, but your bounce rate is also high. This could mean that this page isn’t providing the right value for visitors to stay engaged. You may want to dig deeper to see why users are leaving this page. It could be the content’s relevance to your site, no clear call-to-action, or it could even be a slow page loading issue.
Organize Your Content Assets
Just as you would if you were cleaning out your closet, organize your data in categories based on their metrics.
Keep
If your content is performing well, you’ll want to keep it. Think about promoting this content on some of your external channels to further amply it.
Tweak
During your audit, you may find content that performs ok, but it’s not fully meeting the needs of your target audience. Put this content in the “tweak” pile. Outdated content will also fall into this bucket to be revised.
Delete
If you found a few duds in your content frameworks that are too outdated to be reworked or no longer relevant to your business, then schedule this content for deletion.
At this stage in the content audit process, you have a pretty good idea of what’s working and what’s not working. It’s not time to make an action plan based on your goals and the conclusions you’ve drawn from your analysis.
Prioritize Your Work
Before getting started, take stock of all action items and identify low-hanging fruit that can be fixed quickly that will yield great results. You’ll also want to organize areas that align with your immediate and long-term goals.
When constructing your action plan, break the content out into various different types to help organize workflow. For example, common buckets would include content that needs to be:
1. Reused
2. Rewritten
3. Expanded upon
4. Refreshed
5. Restructured
6. Adjusted to include a call-to-action
7. Adjusted to include additional images or video
8. Optimized with metadata or internal linking
When conducting a website content audit, it can seem like a short-term strategy, but be sure to keep a long-term mindset when looking at the data. Continuously tracking successes and failures can help you reach your marketing goals for years to come. Expand on what works and chuck what doesn’t. Also, keep track of what your competitors are doing. This can help you gain and maintain a competitive advantage.
It’s best practice to conduct a content audit once a year can help you stay on top of your goals and your content. Depending on your industry, it may be beneficial to conduct audits more frequently to continue to engage and reach your audiences. One thing is for sure, the digital environment is ever-changing, so it’s not a bad idea to keep a close eye. Good luck!
A website content audit is a process of reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the content on your website to determine what is working, what needs improvement, and what should be updated or removed.
A content audit looks at more than just whether pages exist. It examines factors such as:
The goal is to ensure your website content continues to support your customers and business goals. Regular content audits help businesses identify opportunities to improve visibility, engagement, and overall website performance.
Your website is not a “set it and forget it” marketing tool. As your business evolves, your content should evolve with it.
A content audit helps businesses:
Without regular reviews, websites can accumulate outdated pages, broken links, inaccurate information, and content that no longer supports customer needs.
There is no one-size-fits-all timeline, but many businesses benefit from reviewing website content at least once a year.
A content audit may need to happen more frequently if:
Regular audits help businesses stay competitive and ensure their website continues providing value to visitors and search engines.
While they overlap, a content audit and an SEO audit focus on different areas.
A website content audit evaluates:
An SEO audit focuses more on technical and search-related factors such as:
The two processes work best together because great content needs a strong technical foundation to perform well.
Your website may benefit from a content audit if you notice:
Even websites with strong traffic can benefit from audits because customer expectations, search trends, and business goals change over time.
A thorough content audit typically reviews:
Website pages
Content performance
SEO elements
Content quality
A complete audit provides a clear picture of your website’s current health and opportunities for improvement.
The first step is creating an inventory of your website content.
Start by:
A spreadsheet can be helpful for tracking information such as:
Organizing your findings makes it easier to prioritize improvements.
Several tools can help businesses collect data and identify opportunities.
Common content audit tools include:
These tools can help identify:
The right tools depend on the size and complexity of your website.
Pages that may need attention include:
A page does not always need to be deleted because it is old. Sometimes a strategic update can improve performance and extend its value.
Not always.
Before removing content, consider:
Some outdated content can be refreshed, while other pages may be better removed or redirected.
The goal is not to have the most pages. The goal is to have the most valuable pages.
A content audit can uncover opportunities to improve search visibility by identifying:
Search engines prioritize helpful, relevant content. Keeping website content accurate and useful helps create a better experience for visitors and supports SEO efforts.
Yes. A content audit can help identify areas where website content may be preventing visitors from taking action.
For example, an audit may reveal:
Improving website content can help guide visitors toward actions such as:
Customers visit websites looking for answers. If content is outdated, difficult to understand, or hard to find, visitors may leave.
A content audit helps improve customer experience by ensuring:
A better user experience builds trust and increases the likelihood of conversion.
If time is limited, prioritize pages that have the greatest impact on your business.
Start with:
These pages typically influence customer decisions and business results the most.
As search continues to evolve, businesses need content that clearly demonstrates expertise, answers questions, and provides helpful information.
A content audit can help identify whether your website:
High-quality, well-organized content is important for visibility across both traditional search and emerging AI-powered search experiences.
Common mistakes include:
A successful audit should consider both search performance and the human experience.
The timeline depends on:
A small business website may take a few weeks to review, while larger websites may require a more extensive process.
The important part is not rushing through the audit. The goal is to uncover meaningful insights that improve your website.
A content audit is only valuable if you take action on the findings.
After completing your audit, create a prioritized plan that includes:
Prioritize changes based on potential impact rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Yes, small businesses can conduct basic content audits internally. However, a professional review can provide deeper insights into:
Many businesses benefit from having an outside perspective because it is easier for someone unfamiliar with the website to identify gaps and opportunities.
The biggest mistake is creating website content and never reviewing it again.
Your website should grow alongside your business.
Successful businesses regularly:
Your website content is an investment. A content audit helps ensure that investment continues working for your business.
A content audit provides valuable insights that can guide future marketing decisions.
It can help businesses understand:
By understanding what is already working and what needs improvement, businesses can create smarter, more effective marketing strategies.
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Sincerely,
Anna Teal
Anna is an author and award-winning marketer who is passionate about the art of storytelling. She enjoys connecting with small businesses in her community while taking their marketing efforts to the next level of growth.
