Content audit

A content audit is "an accounting of all currently published web content"

{{cite book

| last1 = Halvorson

| first1 = Kristina

| authorlink = Kristina Halvorson

| last2 = Rach

| first2 = Melissa

| title = Content Strategy for the Web

| publisher = New Riders

| edition = 2nd

| date = Feb 2, 2012

| isbn = 978-0321808301

}} and a "cornerstone of content strategy".

{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fdTQZZ0-4U4C&q=cornerstone+of+content+strategy

| last = Lieb

| first = Rebecca

| title = Content Marketing: Think Like a Publisher - How to Use Content to Market Online and in Social Media

| publisher = Que Publishing

| year = 2011

| page = 164

| isbn = 978-0789748379

}} It is a qualitative analysis of information assets on a website; that is, the assessment of content and its relationship to surrounding information assets within specified website content analysis parameters.

A related term, content inventory, is a quantitative analysis of a website. It simply logs what is on a website. A content inventory will answer the question: “What is there?” and can be the start of a website review.{{cite web |url=http://www.gossinteractive.com/community/whitepapers/conducting-a-website-review-and-implementing-results-for-increased-customer-engagement-and-conversions |title=Conducting a website review and implementing results for increased customer engagement and conversions |publisher=GOSS Interactive |date=October 2011 |accessdate=15 September 2013 |archive-date=2 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102165529/http://www.gossinteractive.com/community/whitepapers/conducting-a-website-review-and-implementing-results-for-increased-customer-engagement-and-conversions |url-status=dead }} A content audit will answer the question: “Is it any good?”{{cite web|url=http://nform.ca/blog/2010/01/doing-a-content-audit-or-inven|title=Doing a content audit or inventory|first=Scott|last=Baldwin|date=January 2010|accessdate=5 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327194524/http://nform.ca/blog/2010/01/doing-a-content-audit-or-inven|archive-date=27 March 2010|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.hilarymarsh.com/2012/03/12/how-to-do-a-content-audit/ |title=How to do a content audit |first=Hilary |last=Marsh |date=March 2012 |accessdate=5 September 2013 |archive-date=1 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901064538/http://www.hilarymarsh.com/2012/03/12/how-to-do-a-content-audit/ |url-status=dead }} Specifically, Slater states that the content audit can answer five questions: What content do we already have?; Who is making this content?; How do people find it?; How is it performing?; and Is the content current (accurate) or outdated?

{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=75q8VQR6DGUC&q=how+do+people+find+it&pg=RA1-PA5

| last = Slater

| first = Derek

| title = Online Content Marketing In 30 Minutes: A guide to attracting more customers using the Web, email, and social networking

| publisher = i30 Media Corporation

| page = 5

| year = 2013

| isbn = 978-1939924001

}}

Performing a content audit has been called "tedious",{{cite web |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-content-audit.htm |title= What Is a Content Audit? |publisher=wisegeek.com |date=n.d. |accessdate=5 September 2013}} "boring",{{cite web |url= http://www.sitepoint.com/content-auditing-the-basics/|title= Content Auditing: the Basics| first= Vincent|last=Sevilla |date=23 July 2013 |accessdate=5 September 2013}} and "intimidating, time-consuming, and chaotic".{{cite web |url=http://www.seerinteractive.com/blog/craziest-internet-marketing-audit-checklist-on-the-interwebz |title= Craziest Audit Checklist on the Internet |first=Annie |last=Cushing | date=5 November 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2013}}

Different types of content audit have been described. Deciding on audit goals before beginning the audit is an important part of process planning.{{cite web|url=http://www.4syllables.com.au/resources/templates-checklists/content-audits/|title=Content audit guide and template|publisher=4syllables.com|date=n.d.|accessdate=9 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830060619/http://www.4syllables.com.au/resources/templates-checklists/content-audits/|archive-date=30 August 2013|url-status=dead}}

As the name implies, a full content audit is a complete and comprehensive accounting of website content. A partial content audit focuses on a subcategory of the site, often one among the top site hierarchy. Content sampling merely examines samples of content.{{cite web |url= http://blog.braintraffic.com/2012/04/auditing-big-sites-doesn%E2%80%99t-have-to-be-taxing/|title=Auditing Big Sites Doesn't Have to Be Taxing |first=Christine |last= Anameier|date=19 April 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2013}}

Bloomstein describes a rolling content audit as a means to "monitor and maintain" the initial scan. A content manager may go through the audit process at some agreed-upon time – weekly, monthly, or quarterly – to scan for changes.

{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Zg8ZUNIP01kC&q=rolling+content+audit

| last = Bloomstein

| first = Margot

| title = Content Strategy at Work: Real-world Stories to Strengthen Every Interactive Project

| publisher = Morgan Kaufmann

| page = 76

| year = 2012

| isbn = 978-0123919229

}}

A content audit is "the only way to fully understand the structure and quality of the content" on a website.

{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9fwTj1japZcC&q=Undercover+User+Experience+Design

| last1 = Bowles

| first1 = Cennydd

| last2 = Box

| first2 = James

| title = Undercover User Experience Design (Voices That Matter)

| publisher = New Riders

| year = 2010

| isbn = 978-0321719904

}} It can help: develop a content strategy; manage content quality; prepare content for a migration or for the development of a new site IA or design; evaluate content against business goals, editorial style guidelines, and templates; establish a common language among team members; evaluate content for removal or revision; and pinpoint gaps in content.{{cite web |url=http://uxmag.com/articles/from-content-audit-to-design-insight |title=From Content Audit to Design Insight: How a content audit facilitates decision-making and influences design strategy |first=Christopher |last=Detzi |date=20 March 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2013}}

{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6Pp1okJgIMsC&q=reveal+gaps

| last1 = Kadlec

| first1 = Tim

| last2 = Gustafson

| first2 = Aaron

| title = Implementing Responsive Design: Building sites for an anywhere, everywhere web (Voices That Matter)

| publisher = New Riders

| year = 2012

| isbn = 978-0321821683

}}

Because a content audit is a qualitative analysis, methods used will vary from auditor to auditor, by type of audit being performed, and by available tools. While some tools have been developed to help in the content auditing process, human oversight and interaction is essential.{{cite web|url= https://searchinitiative.net/|title= Website Content Audits|publisher= content-insight.com|date= n.d.|accessdate= 9 September 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130827104301/https://searchinitiative.net/|archive-date= 27 August 2013|url-status= dead}} A content inventory sheet is used for tracking purposes and typically includes categories for links, format, keywords, content owners, and more.

Methods used to perform a content audit include content ROT (redundant, outdated, trivial) analysis,{{cite web | url=http://meetcontent.com/blog/rot-the-low-hanging-fruit-of-content-analysis/ |title= ROT: The Low-Hanging Fruit of Content Analysis|first= Rick |last= Allen |date=13 April 2011 | accessdate=9 September 2013}} social media analysis,{{cite web|url= http://blog.list.ly/2013/07/22/what-can-a-content-audit-of-22-top-blogs-teach-you/|title= What Can a Content Audit of 22 Top Blogs Teach You?|first= Nick|last= Kellet|date= 15 July 2013|accessdate= 9 September 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130911053104/http://blog.list.ly/2013/07/22/what-can-a-content-audit-of-22-top-blogs-teach-you/|archive-date= 11 September 2013|url-status= dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.slideshare.net/nickkellet/what-makes-content-social-socialetworksvscontentnetworks |title= What Makes Content Social? Social Networks vs Content Networks|first= Nick |last= Kellet|date=15 July 2013 |accessdate=9 September 2013}} SEO analysis, competitive analysis, content analysis heuristics (including information scent, differentiation, completeness, consistency, and currency),{{cite web |url=http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/08/content-analysis-a-practical-approach.php |title=Content Analysis: A Practical Approach |first=Colleen |last=Jones |date=3 August 2009 |accessdate=10 September 2013}}{{cite web |url= http://boxesandarrows.com/content-analysis-heuristics/|title= Content Analysis Heuristics |first=Fred |last=Leise |date=12 March 2007 |accessdate=10 September 2013}} heat map analysis, among many others.

• Content inventory
• Web content management system
• Web content lifecycle
• Design methods
• Information architecture
• Website governance
• Web archiving

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://www.content-insight.com/resources/books/ Content Audits and Inventories: A Handbook] by Paula Ladenburg Land
• See chapter 5, "Audit", in Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach

• [http://wordpress.org/plugins/content-audit/ WordPress Content Audit Plugin]
• [https://drupal.org/project/content_audit Drupal Content Audit module]
• [http://www.website-governance.com/blog/2013/9/how-to-perform-a-content-audit#audit-report-template Content Audit Report Template]

Category:Website management