How content audits can save your content strategy
Audits. Just hearing the word can make your blood freeze. Regardless of whether you’re being audited by the IRS or not, audits make us anxious — even content audits.
Content audits are one of the most labor-intensive parts of maintaining your content strategy. However, as content marketing continues to evolve, audits are becoming increasingly vital. Why?
Google alone made over 3,200 updates to its search features in 2018. As search engines and customer habits change, your content library will become outdated. Conducting an audit pinpoints which information is now irrelevant and what content could benefit from improvements. So, while content audits can seem like your worst nightmare, they’re actually your best friend.
Content audits breathe new life into your marketing
Content audits help you view all of your content in one spot. This new perspective makes it easier to spot issues or discover opportunities for your library. Let’s explore these benefits in greater detail:
Content audits allow you to optimize for SEO. Search engines are continuously changing, and so is the way they rank content. By examining whether your content fits the new standards, you’ll be able to update any outdated articles. For example, you may have used keyword stuffing to rank higher on search engines. However, several of Google’s updates have targeted this practice, and overusing keywords will now get you penalized. Your content audit can help you identify both risks and opportunities for your SEO.
Auditing your blog posts makes your website easier to navigate. As you analyze your content library, you may find new ways to improve your sitemap and make other user experience tweaks. You may also discover broken or outdated links that you can fix for a better user experience.
Content audits help you discover opportunities for more engaging content. Comparing your list of current content with your audience’s interests can give you fresh article ideas. Let’s say you’re targeting people who enjoy hiking and were focused on topics like scenic hiking spots. However, through research, you discover that your audience is also interested in the best types of hiking clothes. Now you’ve found an opportunity for a whole new content cluster.
Audits reveal the weak spots in your content collection. Weak spots can cause your website’s SEO to plummet and hurt customer engagement. For instance, your articles may focus on the right topics but rank lower than your competitions’ because it’s out-of-date.
Audits help you create a consistent brand voice. A consistent voice makes your company stand out in the sea of content creators. Your company’s voice typically changes as you adjust it to your customers’ preferences and your business’s strengths. Looking at your entire library of content highlights where your voice starts to deviate and which articles you have to rewrite to match the rest of your blog.
Content audits allow you to assess how your strategy is performing. By running an audit, you can pinpoint new ways to improve your content library.
You’re being audited, content audited
While IRS audits will probably always be scary, content audits don’t need to be. Audits are one of the best ways to find out how your content strategy is performing. But what if you discover that you need to revamp your strategy?
Content Reactor can help get your content back on track. We can help you identify new topics and content cluster opportunities, create a consistent brand voice, and write engaging technical copy. Contact us today for a free consultation.
