{"id":17788,"date":"2020-12-19T15:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-19T14:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=17788"},"modified":"2020-12-18T18:00:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T17:00:50","slug":"wordpress-content-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-content-audit\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps for a Successful Content Audit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you have a website, you\u2019ll have content on it. If you have content, you\u2019ll have to audit it. If you ever audited content, you know that it\u2019s slow and methodical precision-work you should perform with reverence. A content audit is a valuable process for getting insights and learning how to be better at content creation. It\u2019s a staple of <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-maintenance\/#yearly-wordpress-website-maintenance-tasks\">website maintenance<\/a> calendars, even though it\u2019s not the most exciting thing you\u2019ll ever get to do with a website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If you want to know how your website\u2019s content performs and what you can do to make it perform better \u2014 a content audit is exactly what you need. In this article, we\u2019ll break the process down for you. By the end of it, you\u2019ll know what you need to do and what tools can help you do it. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]In this article, you\u2019ll read:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-is-content-audit\">What Is a Content Audit<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#why-perform-it\">Why You Need to Perform It<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#setting-your-goal\">Bonus Step: Setting Your Goal<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#inventory-content\">Step 1: Create an Inventory of Your Content<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#categorize-content-get-metrics\">Step 2: Categorize Content and Get the Metrics<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#data-analysis\">Step 3: Data Analysis<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#create-action-plan\">Step 4: Create an Action Plan<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#adjust-future-plans\">Step 5: Adjust Your Future Plans<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#content-audit-tools\">The Best Content Audit Tools<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-is-content-audit\"><\/a>What Is a Content Audit?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-a-Content-Audit.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"What Is a Content Audit\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-a-Content-Audit.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-a-Content-Audit-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-a-Content-Audit-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/What-Is-a-Content-Audit-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Let\u2019s tackle this mammoth task by first defining it. <strong>A content audit is, unsurprisingly, an audit of all the content you have on your website.<\/strong> Sounds simple? It\u2019s not in the slightest. <strong>It can get very complicated. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Without going into specific content audit steps just yet \u2013 there\u2019ll be time for that later \u2013 <strong>you should know that a content audit is a qualitative process.<\/strong> As opposed to a quantitative process, which just aims to create an inventory of the content, <strong>a qualitative process will aim to describe that content<\/strong>, usually by analyzing some key performance indicators to answer the simple question \u2013 <strong>how good is the content<\/strong>?[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Of course, this being a part of a process that benefits from precision and meticulousness, what makes content \u201cgood\u201d is subject to change and is often determined by examining the content against a certain standard for metrics. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]So there you have it. <strong>A content audit is a somewhat difficult process of creating an inventory of your content so you can dissect it and analyze it and look at all those numbers that should show you the quality of the content.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"why-perform-it\"><\/a>Why Do You Need to Perform It?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Why-Do-You-Need-to-Perform-It.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Why Do You Need to Perform It\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Why-Do-You-Need-to-Perform-It.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Why-Do-You-Need-to-Perform-It-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Why-Do-You-Need-to-Perform-It-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Why-Do-You-Need-to-Perform-It-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Why would anyone go through all this trouble? Well, the pot that awaits at the end of this particular rainbow contains one of the most valuable things marketers, website owners, editors, or content creators who don\u2019t suffer from a complete disregard for metrics, can get \u2013 <strong>an insight, and an actionable one at that.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]We do content audits because they\u2019re what tell us how well our content performed in the past year or so, depending on how often you perform them. We can see the metrics that let us compare the performance of the content with our actual goals. <strong>An audit lets us see what worked, how, and why, and what didn\u2019t work, how, and why. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Speaking from the perspective of a writer, <strong>a content audit can yield some useful guidelines that can help you create content that\u2019s more valuable and relevant to the reader<\/strong>, and that contributes more to the overall strategy of your website. Without it, writers would have to rely on intuition, which is great and a disaster at the same time. They\u2019d also rely on what scraps of data they can find, and that\u2019s not ideal.<strong> For an independent writer, an in-house copywriter, or any other writer who writes for a specific purpose and specific audience, an audit can provide a clear set of guidelines that can help them produce effective content. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Now that we know what it is and how much value it can bring to a publisher,<strong> let\u2019s see the five steps that should get anyone through a content audit and produce some great results.<\/strong> We\u2019ll also talk a bit about the tools necessary for the job.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-seo-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;81px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"setting-your-goal\"><\/a>Bonus Step: Setting Your Goal<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bonus-Step.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Bonus Step\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bonus-Step.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bonus-Step-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bonus-Step-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bonus-Step-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Setting the goals is a common first step in performing a content audit because the goal you choose will dictate the metrics you will use.<\/strong> It makes little sense to go through sales metrics if your goals are to improve SEO, right?[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Here are some of the goals you can set for your content audit:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><strong>Examine SEO performance to improve it in the future.<\/strong> Check the optimization, the quality and relevance of content, outliers in terms of high quality, and content that can\u2019t be helped.<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><strong>Examine conversion rates to improve them.<\/strong> Again, you\u2019ll look for content that gets you to your goal \u2013 content that converts, content types that work best, most valuable pages.<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><strong>Examine audience engagement to, again, improve it.<\/strong> Find the content that causes the most engagement, determine which topics are hot, compare different types of content.<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Every one of these goals will require you to look at your content through different metrics, including SEO metrics, engagement metrics, sales, and behavior metrics.<\/strong> If you\u2019re going into an audit with a narrowly defined goal \u2013 you want to improve SEO for example \u2013 the whole process becomes easier and more expedient. <strong>So, best figure out your goal early in the process.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"inventory-content\"><\/a>Step 1: Create an Inventory of Your Content<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Step 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-1.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-1-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-1-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-1-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]This is where the fun begins. <strong>Your major assignment in this step is to create a list of all the content assets you have on your website. <\/strong>How do you do that? Manually, of course, by creating a spreadsheet and noting down every link and the type of content it hosts.<strong> But that method is feasible only for small websites, unfortunately. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If your website has more than a handful of pages, this method isn\u2019t going to work. <strong>In that case, you\u2019ll need a crawler that will show you all the content you have on your website<\/strong>, and grab as much information as possible about the content, such as titles, subheadings, image file names and text, and so on. You want to have it all in a spreadsheet. You want to be able to export it, too. <strong>Make sure to check out the content audit tools section to find out what kind of tool you might use in this step.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"categorize-content-get-metrics\"><\/a>Step 2: Categorize Content and Get the Metrics<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Step 2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-2.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-2-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-2-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-2-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Depending on the columns your spreadsheet already has, you\u2019ll want to add new ones to it.<\/strong> For example, one of the first steps you should do would be to categorize the content by topic, author, type, format, number of words, buyer\u2019s journey stage, date of publication, or the last update.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]This seems like busywork, but it serves an important purpose. <strong>These categories will allow you to find specific segments of the content that need a performance boost, helping you spend your time and effort where it\u2019s needed the most.<\/strong> So take your time and create all those categories and enter them into the spreadsheet.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]You\u2019ll want to use several tools to get all the useful information. Your website crawler might get you somewhere with the metrics.<strong> But then you\u2019ll need data about bounce rates, page visits, and session durations, and a tool to get those.<\/strong> You can also check how many shares your content had on social networks, and a different tool will help with that. And then there are clicks, CTRs, backlinks, even a readability score &#8211; <strong>metrics that might be important to you, and metrics that might require separate, specialized tools. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>A pro tip would be to hire an expert who will get all of this data for you<\/strong>, if you don\u2019t have anyone with the skillset on your team, or if you don\u2019t want to increase your team\u2019s workload too much. You can hire freelance consultants or whole agencies if you can justify the cost. Either way, an audit will never be free &#8211;<strong> it\u2019s just a matter of figuring out how to get the most impact from the money you\u2019re spending. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"data-analysis\"><\/a>Step 3: Data Analysis<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Step 3\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-3.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-3-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-3-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-3-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Your spreadsheet should by now contain an enormous wealth of information about your content and its performance. <strong>With all those metrics in front of you, it\u2019s time to start piecing together the picture of how content on your website does its job. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>What you want to do is look at the metrics to determine the performance of your content and then group it into several categories.<\/strong> For example, you can group the content into:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Content that\u2019s doing well, getting your website traffic. <\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Content that needs a new version, an update to make it more current. <\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Content that\u2019s not performing as well as it should and might need a second look.<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Content that\u2019s so irrelevant there\u2019s no saving it and should be scheduled for deletion. <\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Content that\u2019s not there yet. <\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>This is, again, a step where having the right tools is crucial.<\/strong> However, you should remember that chances are you\u2019ll have to update your content manually if you want to move it into a better category. You might also have to update the spreadsheet manually, too.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"create-action-plan\"><\/a>Step 4: Create an Action Plan<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Step 4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-4.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-4-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-4-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-4-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Now that you have the status of each piece of content, and you have a good grasp on what they\u2019re lacking, <strong>you should start planning how to get all the content on par with the best-performing content on your website. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The tactics at your disposal are many, and most of them are well known to writers.<\/strong> You can improve a piece of content, depending on its needs, by:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Optimizing metadata<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Adding multimedia content\n<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Rewriting or expanding the content<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Updating its statistics and quotes<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">Setting up 301 redirects <\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>You\u2019ll have to figure out what you can do for each URL that needs some work done.<\/strong> For this part of the work, your best friend will be whatever program you use to govern your workflow. Use the tool that ensures everyone\u2019s on the same page regarding the changes you\u2019ll need to make.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"adjust-future-plans\"><\/a>Step 5: Adjust Your Future Plans<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Step 5\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-5.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-5-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-5-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Step-5-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Have you learned any lessons from your content audit<\/strong>? Have you learned that some types of content simply can\u2019t give you results unless you give the writer time to develop them fully? Have you identified the writer who keeps turning in half-baked articles? Has the lack of multimedia on your website finally started to kill your page views?[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>These are the insights you get from performing a content audit.<\/strong> You can use them to create metrics-driven change to your website, give your writers some much-needed feedback, and set the website\u2019s course for the times to come.<strong> First, however, you\u2019ll need to shore up whatever you find to be the weakest point of your website and its content. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"content-audit-tools\"><\/a>The Best Content Audit Tools<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;24px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Best-Content-Audit-Tools.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"The Best Content Audit Tools\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Best-Content-Audit-Tools.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Best-Content-Audit-Tools-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Best-Content-Audit-Tools-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Best-Content-Audit-Tools-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Half of the steps of a content audit, if you have more than a few pages on your website, will be next to impossible to perform without certain tools. Without them, you can pretty much forget about creating an inventory of your website, getting the metrics, and analyzing everything. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]The good news is that you\u2019re probably using at least some of these tools already to monitor your website performance. You\u2019ll find them on this list nonetheless. Let\u2019s get started![\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Screaming Frog<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<a href=\"https:\/\/www.screamingfrog.co.uk\/seo-spider\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Screaming Frog<\/a> is best known for its widely-recommended spider tool that powered many a content inventory creation.<strong> It owes its popularity to its free version that lets you crawl up to 500 URLs<\/strong>. If you have multiple websites you want to audit, or if the one website you have has more than 500 URLs, best cash out the \u00a3149 for a yearly plan. <strong>You\u2019ll get access to significantly more options, and you\u2019ll be using the industry-standard tool.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Yoast SEO<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Arguably one of the best-known SEO plugins for WordPress, <a href=\"https:\/\/yoast.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yoast SEO<\/a> is the trusty companion of WordPress admins and content writers alike.<strong> Its main role might not be during the audit process, but when it\u2019s time to zero in on a piece of content and see what you can do to improve it, the insight you get from Yoast SEO will be pure gold.<\/strong> You\u2019ll get incredible use from the free version, with the option to buy the Premium version &#8211; with expanded features &#8211; starting at $89 per site.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Google Analytics<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There are plenty of reasons why Google\u2019s products are so popular, and one of them is the value they provide. It\u2019s clearly evident from <a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/analytics\/web\/provision\/#\/provision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Analytics<\/a>, the go-to tool for webmasters to monitor and audit web performance.<strong> The sheer level of insight provided by this tool makes it indispensable for everyday website running and yearly content audits alike. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">SEO PowerSuite<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A bonafide jack-of-all-trades, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.link-assistant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO PowerSuite<\/a> is a content audit tool you can download and start using, right now, for free.<strong> It will help you optimize your content, analyze links, monitor your website\u2019s rankings, get professional-grade SEO reports, and even get traffic and social media stats. The suite also includes a Website auditor, a powerful tool for auditing websites.<\/strong> To get the most out of the tool, however, you\u2019ll have to sign up for the $299 yearly professional license.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Semrush<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Another full suite service, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Semrush<\/a> promises to help you with SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, and content research. That\u2019s a big promise, but Semrush manages to cater to several areas of interest, most of which should come up when doing a content audit. <strong>It even offers an SEO writing assistant to make your content better, and it can get you in touch with real, live copywriters who can then create content for you.<\/strong> Plans start at around $83 per month.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">DeepCrawl<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deepcrawl.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DeepCrawl<\/a> is not a tool you want to use if you\u2019re not ready to take your content audits seriously. <strong>Highly technical, this SEO software suits boasts the ability to come up with hundreds of different metrics, crawl millions of URLs, and even help with creating an efficient work process.<\/strong> It can also help you analyze your competitors, which can come in extremely handy. DeepCrawl doesn\u2019t offer pricing plans readily, but third-party reports have them starting at $89 per month.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">BuzzSumo<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<a href=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BuzzSumo<\/a> is an all-around great tool for marketers and publishers who love nothing more than to create high-quality content. <strong>When it comes to its usefulness in an audit, BuzzSumo can shine by providing you with lots of information about your content\u2019s performance on social networks.<\/strong> With a pricing plan that starts at $79 per month, you might consider getting it only if you want to use it outside of a content audit, too.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\">Let\u2019s Wrap It Up<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Content is one of the most important assets a website can have, whether they\u2019re into content marketing or not. The content communicates to people and machines alike, and it\u2019s in an interesting position as such. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Still, website owners or webmasters need to perform a regular content audit. It\u2019s a great way to learn on the job, and it can add a lot of value to the company. Not to mention that you\u2019ll be practicing a brand-new skill if you choose to do it \u2013 that certainly counts for something.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is your website content audit causing you a headache? Don&#8217;t worry, we&#8217;ll show you how to tackle in with just a few easy steps. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9295,"featured_media":18007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25,4,39,13],"class_list":["post-17788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-seo","tag-tips","tag-tools","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}