Introduction to Content Audits
Your team’s content strategy has been on track for months or even years, producing blogs, ebooks, infographics, social media, and thought leadership pieces. However, the results don’t reflect the effort put in. This is a cue to take a step back and reassess the strategy. A content audit is a useful exercise for maintaining an effective marketing strategy, allowing teams to take a big-picture view and explore content gaps and potential opportunities.
The Content Audit Process
To perform a content audit, consider the following steps:
1. Gather All Assets
Start by gathering every asset produced in a certain time period, typically the last two or three years. This can be a time-intensive process, but setting boundaries and focusing on recent content will help. Pay attention to how easily you can find and organize your content, and think about how to improve your labeling and archiving process for future audits.
2. Map Content to Marketing Infrastructure
Once you have all your content, the next step is to tag everything. A sound tagging structure will help organize old assets and give direction for new pieces. Common tags might include parts of the marketing funnel, personas, topic pillars, industries, and more.
3. Identify What’s Worth Keeping
As you apply your taxonomy, a good audit will reveal what content you can reuse, repurpose, or discard. This is an opportunity to identify what’s working and what’s not, and make decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.
Benefits of a Content Audit
Conducting a content audit can have several benefits, including:
Save Money
By surfacing forgotten assets, you might find content that’s immediately ready to go live or assets that only need minor revisions. This can save time and money that can be redistributed elsewhere.
Increase Efficiency
A content audit can help identify why content is going unused. Perhaps there’s a workflow breakdown, or salespeople don’t know where to access the content they need. Whatever the reason, an audit can help decrease clutter and make content more accessible.
Maintain Consistency
As you decide what content to keep, make sure old assets fit with current marketing strategies, software systems, and brand guidelines. This may require updating tags, tweaking language, and uploading content into a new system.
Conclusion
A content audit is a valuable exercise for any marketing team. By following the steps outlined above and considering the benefits of an audit, teams can take a big-picture view of their content, identify gaps and opportunities, and make informed decisions about how to move forward. Whether you’re looking to improve SEO, increase conversions, or drive traffic, a content audit is a great place to start. With the help of expert content strategists, you can maximize your editorial assets and see big results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should a Content Audit Be Conducted?
It’s generally advisable to conduct a content audit annually or bi-annually, depending on the volume of content and changes in your marketing strategy.
What Tools Can Be Used to Conduct an SEO Content Audit?
Tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, Screaming Frog, and content management systems (CMS) with built-in analytics can help identify what content is performing well and what content could use some attention.
Who Should Be Involved in the Content Audit Process?
A cross-functional team involving marketing, sales, and sometimes even IT or product teams should be involved to ensure that the audit is comprehensive and aligned with broader business goals.