7 Steps to a Successful Content Audit

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60-70% of B2B

content created

goes unused– Sirius Decisions

Clarify project goals. Before we start any project, we

always ask clients—what’s the goal, and who is the

audience?

Questions to ask:

• Are you trying to reduce old or outdated content?

• Are you identifying gaps in your buyers’ journey?

• Are you migrating content into a new CMS?

Step 1

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Confirm scope. This one’s a gimme. But it’s even

more important with audits, because the cardinal

rule of audits is never to go backwards. It leads to

distractions and impedes the goal of producing

consistent data.

Step 2

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Don’t forget

metricsRemember, you can’t manage

what you can’t measure!

Determine criteria. The criteria you audit against

should directly correlate with the project goals.

Age, content type, file format—these are standard

criteria. But if the goal of your audit is to identify

gaps in your buyers’ journey, consider adding

target audience and journey stage to your criteria.

Step 3

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Obtain source material. Certain quantitative criteria

are straightforward; nobody will question your file

format classifications. But target audience or

journey stage—you can expect some pushback.

That’s why gathering all relevant source material—

and having it down pat—is crucial.

Key source material:

• Journey definitions

• Persona information

• Traffic data

Audit

criteria

Source

materialStep 4

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Use a toolCheck out this post on the

best audit tools to see which

one is right for you

Pull files. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

You’re really beholden to the capabilities and

restrictions of your content management system.

We’ve conducted audits where every file is given

to us up front, and we’ve conducted “hunt and

gather” audits where we start with a URL and hunt

down and follow every link.

Step 5

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A good auditor is…

Organized

Process oriented

Intuitive

Creative

Evaluate content. This is when you get down to

brass tacks and do the work. Auditing is no easy

chore—not everyone can do it. While a good

auditor should have a sharp eye for detail, they

also need a host of other skills.

Step 6

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Analyze findings. While the audit yields feedback

on individual files, it’s the analysis that provides

comprehensive insight on your overall content

picture. While every audit, at its core, is an

inventory—what types of content do you have and

where does it live—increasingly, the audits we’re

conducting yield quantitative and qualitative

findings, analysis, and actionable

recommendations.

Step 7

33% of B2B

marketers can’t

measure content

effectiveness – Sirius Decisions

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Recap1. Clarify project goals

2. Confirm scope

3. Determine criteria

4. Obtain source material

5. Pull files

6. Evaluate content

7. Analyze findings

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The real value of a content audit comes when

comprehensive findings are combined with

strategic analysis and sound recommendations.

For more real-world tips for conducting audits,

click on our infographic to the right.

www.tendocom.com

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