Mention the word “audit,” and many of us immediately think of stress, scrutiny, and – ARGH!!!! TAXES! Run away! Run away!
But a content audit is far from a cause for alarm. In fact, a well-managed content audit improves your content management processes and enhances your digital landscape. Especially if that landscape has gotten a bit… well, overgrown.
You know how it is. You intend your content to go up as part of a planned strategy and most of the time it does. But then sometimes content expands organically; you throw something up in response to a last-minute request from sales or an article gets published ASAP in in light of unexpected events.
Over time, this organic material clutters things up with bits that no one really owns or manages. The result is content management that is more challenging than it needs to be and possibly a dilution of your brand’s message and impact.
The solution to these woes is the content audit. It’s a valuable opportunity to take stock of your existing content, understand its strengths and weaknesses, and chart a clear path forward.
Let’s demystify the content audit and talk about how it can be a positive experience for you and a positive process for your organisation.
What Are Content Audits?
A content audit is a comprehensive review of all the content your company has published across different digital channels, including your website and social media platforms. The process involves cataloguing your content, assessing its quality and relevance, and analysing its performance. That sounds like a lot, but with the right approach and tools, it’s entirely manageable. I went into a bit more about what content audits are and what they are not previously if you want to know more.
What Do You Get From Content Audits?
The end result of a content audit is a stack of invaluable insights into your content supply—a detailed inventory of your existing content, an understanding of what resonates with your audience, and what doesn’t. This is critical knowledge that serves as the foundation for informed decision-making about your content road map.
Leveraging Content Audit Results
The real value of a content audit lies in how you use the data and knowledge you’ve acquired. Let’s delve into the benefits:
- Smoother Website Redesign or Migration: Knowing exactly what content you have and its current performance can guide your decisions during a website redesign or migration, ensuring that valuable content is preserved and under-performing content is reevaluated.
- Better Informed Content Strategy Development: With a clear understanding of your content’s strengths and weaknesses, you can develop a content strategy that truly aligns with your business objectives and audience needs.
- Identifying Content Gaps: A content audit can highlight areas where your content is lacking, allowing you to strategically address these gaps and better meet your audience’s expectations.
- Consistency in Tone of Voice and Branding: Reviewing your content as a whole allows you to ensure that it consistently reflects your brand’s tone of voice and values, enhancing brand recognition and trust.
- Analysing Content Performance: Understanding what content performs best—and why—can inform your future content creation, leading to more engaging and effective pieces.
- Compliance and Risk Mitigation: Ensuring your content meets regulatory and legal standards is crucial. A content audit can help identify any areas of non-compliance, reducing the risk of penalties and protecting your brand’s reputation.
Embracing Audits for Content Success
A content audit is not a cause for fear but a cause for action. With the clarity and insights a content audit provides, you can ensure that your content continues to engage your audience, reflect your brand’s values, and meet your business objectives.
And in today’s world, those objectives must include maintaining a compelling, coherent, and effective online presence. Meeting that objective is a lot easier and much more likely if a content audit is one of the organisational tools in your digital toolbox.
So don’t viewing content audits as daunting or tedious. See them as the opportunity they are for growth and improvement. Embrace the content audit process with an open mind and a strategic approach, and watch as your content—and by extension, your brand—flourishes in the digital landscape.