The Ultimate Guide on How to Do a Content Audit (+ Template)

High-performing contented is cardinal for gathering your wide concern goals. 

But however tin you guarantee the contented you’ve created is really driving results? 

Try revisiting your existing contented to spot however effectual it is—which is wherever a contented audit comes in.

What Is a Content Audit and Why Do One?

A contented audit is the process of analyzing the existing contented connected your website to measurement however good it’s performing and supporting your concern goals.

If you person contented pieces that are helping you execute your desired results, you’ll privation to make much pieces similar them. But if you person galore that are performing beneath your expectations, you whitethorn request to update, consolidate, oregon delete them.

We precocious audited our ain blog and made improvements to galore of the articles.

The result?

Our blog’s integrated postulation has reached an all-time precocious and continues to grow, arsenic you tin spot from this graph successful our Domain Overview tool.

By meticulously evaluating our content, we were capable to pinpoint precisely what needed to beryllium done to amended performance.

A contented audit tin besides assistance you:

• Reveal topics that you haven’t covered yet, providing opportunities for caller contented creation
• Ensure that each the contented aligns with your marque dependable and benignant guidelines
• Find opportunities to amended engagement
• Come up with ideas to summation conversions

So, if you’re looking to execute greater success, a thorough contented audit mightiness beryllium what you need.

In this guide, we’ll locomotion you done a proven contented audit process. 

Let’s get started.

How to Do a Content Audit (Step by Step)

Below, we’ll amusement you precisely however to execute a contented audit for your website.

1. Define Your Goal

First things first—you request to specify your goal.

Having a wide extremity from the commencement is important due to the fact that it’ll find however you measurement contented show and measure whether your efforts were palmy aft implementing immoderate changes.

Here are immoderate wide goals radical person erstwhile they determine to bash a contented audit:

• Improve SEO results: Check however your existing contented is performing successful integrated hunt (unpaid hunt motor results) and place opportunities to summation rankings and integrated traffic
• Increase engagement: Understand the existent level of idiosyncratic engagement with your contented and find ways to heighten it
• Improve conversion rates: Evaluate however good your contented guides users toward conversion goals similar pb generation, purchases, oregon different desired actions—and optimize it accordingly

It’s besides omniscient to marque your extremity specific. So there’s nary question astir whether you achieved it aboriginal on. 

Your circumstantial extremity could beryllium thing similar achieving an mean ranking presumption of 3 crossed each contented pieces and expanding wide integrated postulation to much than 200,000 visits per month.

Once you're wide astir your goal, you tin tailor your contented audit process accordingly. And find which metrics you’ll privation to absorption connected erstwhile you benchmark your existent performance. 

You’ll spot however to bash this aboriginal successful the guide. For now, conscionable marque a transcript of our SEO contented audit template truthful you tin travel along.

2. Compile a List of Relevant Content Pages

Next, cod a database of each the important contented pages connected your site. Which mightiness see blog posts, achromatic papers, landing pages, etc.

Why is this important?

Because you don't privation to accidentally place immoderate pages during the auditing process.

If cardinal pages are near out, you won't get a implicit representation of however your contented is performing. This tin pb to missed opportunities for optimization and improvement.

If you person a tiny website, it’s casual to manually cod each the links.

But if your website is large, you request a instrumentality similar Site Audit. To prevention clip and find your pages automatically.

To get started, unfastened the tool, participate your website URL, and click “Start Audit.”

The configuration model volition unfastened up. 

From here, you request to set a fewer basal settings.

First, specify subsections of your website wherever each your contented pieces live. So the instrumentality tin absorption connected those areas only.

You tin bash this by going to the “Allow/disallow URLs” tab and adding the applicable subfolders successful the archetypal box.

For example, you mightiness see /blog/, /resources/, and immoderate different subfolders containing your content.

Next, acceptable a threshold for however galore contented pages you privation the instrumentality to find—which is fundamentally each of them. 

So, spell backmost to the “Domain and bounds of pages” option. If you person astir 900 contented pieces, set the threshold to the adjacent highest fig disposable successful the drop-down database (i.e., 1,000).

This volition guarantee each the applicable contented pages get captured by the tool.

Once you’re done, click “Start Site Audit.”

The instrumentality volition instrumentality up to a fewer minutes to cod data.

Once it’s done, spell to the “Crawled Pages” study and you’ll get a database of pages recovered by the tool.

Export the database arsenic a CSV record (there’s an export fastener successful the apical close corner).

Then, transcript and paste the URLs into your transcript of the contented audit template.

IMPORTANT: Exclude pages that person been precocious published if your extremity is focused connected SEO. Because caller pages astir apt haven’t had the accidental to found themselves successful hunt results, auditing them present could pb to misguided conclusions and unnecessary changes.

3. Measure the Current Performance

Once you person a database of your pages, it's clip to measure however each leafage is presently performing. As good arsenic the wide show of the contented sections.

This volition assistance you spot wherever you presently stand, truthful you tin enactment toward your goal.

If your extremity is to amended SEO performance, you should absorption connected the pursuing information.

Organic Traffic

Organic postulation is however overmuch unpaid postulation your pages person received from hunt engines similar Google.

It’s 1 of the astir important metrics for measuring SEO success.

Because a precocious magnitude of integrated postulation often translates to much conversions. Like signifier submissions and purchases.

You tin usage Google Analytics to find retired however overmuch integrated postulation your contented pages are getting.

To bash so, log successful to Google Analytics and take the tract you’re auditing.

Go to “Reports” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition.”

From here, acceptable the day scope to the past afloat month. And filter for a peculiar leafage by adding a “Page way and surface class” filter and pasting successful the URL slug.

Scroll down to spot however overmuch postulation came from integrated search.

Do this for each and each leafage connected your list.

Then, spell backmost to the contented audit spreadsheet. And log the postulation numbers for each URL successful the "Organic Traffic" column. 

Now, if you adhd each the postulation numbers unneurotic (using the SUM function), you'll get the full integrated postulation for each your contented sections combined.

Note that fig successful the “Total Organic Traffic” file successful the audit spreadsheet.

Keyword Rankings

The adjacent happening you request to cheque is wherever your contented pages are presently ranking for their superior (main) people keyword.

Are they ranking successful the apical 3 results? Top 10? Or further down connected the search motor results pages (SERPs)?

Finding this accusation is important due to the fact that it allows you to measure your pages’ existent show to place which ones request optimization.

Use Semrush’s Position Tracking instrumentality to get ranking data.

Open the tool, participate your domain name, and click “Set up tracking.”

You’ll spot a setup window. In the “Targeting” section, set your tracking preferences by choosing a hunt engine, device, location, and language.

Then, click “Continue To Keywords.”

Here, input the superior keywords associated with your pages. (If you’re not definite what these are, cheque retired our primary keywords usher to place the astir applicable presumption for your pages.)

Then, click “Add keywords to campaign” and “Start Tracking.”

Now, the instrumentality volition cheque wherever pages fertile for these keywords and study those positions.

Specify these ranking positions successful the "Current Ranking" file of the contented audit spreadsheet.

After that, cipher the mean (with the AVERAGE function) to get an wide consciousness of wherever your contented pieces usually rank.

Note that fig successful the “Average Ranking” file successful the audit template.

Backlinks

Backlinks are links that constituent from different websites to your own. They’re incredibly important from a ranking standpoint.

So, you request to get backlink information for each of your contented pages. And find the full fig of backlinks your main contented sections have.

Having this information allows you to pinpoint contented pieces that whitethorn beryllium underperforming owed to a deficiency of prime backlinks.

To get the backlink data, you tin usage Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool.

Open the tool, participate 1 of your contented sections, and click “Analyze.”

Navigate to the “Indexed pages” report.

Here, you’ll spot a database of your contented pieces on with however galore backlinks each 1 has. 

Once you person numbers, adhd the information successful the “Backlinks” file successful your contented audit spreadsheet.

Repeat the process for each the different contented sections you’re auditing.

After you’re done, adhd each the numbers together—once again, the SUM relation volition travel successful handy. And you’ll get the full backlinks your contented sections have.

Record that fig successful the “Total Backlinks” file successful the contented audit spreadsheet.

On-Page SEO

Your content’s SEO show besides depends connected its on-page optimization. This refers to the assorted elements wrong the leafage itself that power however good it tin fertile successful hunt engines. 

Some cardinal on-page factors are:

• Title tag: The leafage rubric that shows up connected browser tabs and tin look successful hunt results
• Meta description: The little leafage statement that tin look nether the rubric successful hunt results 
• Header tags (H1, H2, etc.): The hierarchical headings that operation the content
• Content quality: The extent and wide worth of the page's main content
• Keyword optimization: How good the people keywords are people incorporated into areas similar the title, headers, assemblage copy, etc.
• URL slug: The past information of the URL that identifies the page 

When auditing your content, you should corroborate whether it’s optimized for on-page SEO.

To bash so, usage Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker tool.

Open the tool, participate your domain name, and click “Get ideas.”

The setup model volition open. From here, acceptable your people determination and click “Continue.”

Go backmost to the archetypal CSV record you downloaded from Site Audit and upload it into a blank spreadsheet.

Edit it to incorporate conscionable 2 columns: keywords (these should beryllium the archetypal column, and you’ll request to adhd them) and URLs (these should beryllium the 2nd column). And delete the remaining columns.

Then, export the edited record arsenic a CSV and adhd it to the On Page SEO setup wizard utilizing the “File” option.

And click “Collect ideas.”

Now, the instrumentality volition analyse each leafage to fig retired if the assorted on-page elements are optimized for amended hunt motor visibility.

If not, it volition suggest ideas for each page.

In our contented audit template, you'll spot a file for "On-Page SEO" wherever you tin prime "Yes" if pages are decently optimized and "No" if they deficiency immoderate optimizations.

Technical SEO

Lastly, you request to cheque the technical SEO wellness of your contented pages. As good arsenic your full website.

Why?

Because method SEO tin power whether hunt engines tin find, store, and show your contented successful hunt results.

So, you should cheque that determination are nary method issues holding your contented back. 

These could be:

• Duplicate content: Having substantive blocks of identical (or astir identical) contented crossed aggregate pages connected your site. Which tin wounded rankings.
• Broken internal links: Including links to your ain pages that are returning 404 errors, which means they couldn’t beryllium found. That impacts crawlability (search engines’ quality to research your website).
• Slow tract speed: Having contented that takes excessively agelong to load. Which frustrates users and tin hinder rankings.
• Lack of mobile-friendliness: Publishing contented that doesn't show decently connected mobile devices. Which hurts your performance.
• Lack of security: Not having a decently configured unafraid sockets furniture (SSL) certificate for hypertext transportation protocol unafraid (HTTPS). It’s the much unafraid mentation of HTTP and is simply a confirmed ranking factor.
• Rogue noindex tags: Unintentionally utilizing noindex meta tags blocks important pages from being indexed and appearing successful hunt results

You tin find whether your tract is affected by immoderate of these issues (and others that are harmful) utilizing Semrush’s Site Audit tool.

Create a caller task successful the instrumentality and acceptable up an audit of your entire website. 

After the audit is done, archetypal spell to the “Issues” tab. These are the issues your website pages person (including immoderate of your contented pages).

If you click connected the contented link, you’ll spot a database of affected pages.

And if you click connected the “Why and however to hole link,” you’ll find much details astir the contented and however you tin hole it.

Even though your audit is focused connected contented pages only, you request to marque definite each the different pages are escaped from method issues. And lick for sitewide problems if determination are any.

Now, let's capable retired the contented audit spreadsheet. 

For each leafage connected your list, cheque the “Crawled Pages” study to corroborate whether determination were issues identified and however many.

And marque a enactment of the fig successful the "Technical SEO" column.

Make enactment of immoderate method issues with the remainder of your tract arsenic well.

Address those first. Then determination connected to the adjacent step.

4. Implement an Action Plan

After your audit spreadsheet is filled out, reappraisal each leafage manually and determine connected the champion people of action.

If your nonsubjective is to amended SEO performance, you person the pursuing 4 options to take from:

Keep As-Is

If a leafage is already gathering oregon exceeding the show goals you acceptable initially, past leaving it arsenic is whitethorn beryllium the close move.

For example, let's accidental your extremity was to execute an mean ranking presumption of 3 for each your contented pages. If the leafage successful question is presently ranking two, it’s met that goal. 

And it’s besides harmless to accidental that the leafage is already bringing successful tons of integrated postulation and contributing good to the postulation extremity you have.

So, keeping that leafage unchanged could beryllium an due decision.

But you should besides marque definite the contented is inactive close and relevant.

If it is, past that leafage whitethorn not request immoderate changes.

Update

You should update the leafage when:

• It’s not presently gathering the show goals you established for the audit
• It’s gathering the extremity but contains outdated oregon irrelevant information

If you person an SEO-focused goal, specifically look astatine the page’s existent ranking. Because if you amended its ranking, integrated postulation volition precise apt increase. Which volition assistance successful achieving your postulation goal.

When updating the page, effort to amended its quality.

How?

Start by evaluating whether the page’s contented satisfies search intent (the wide intent down a searcher’s query). Does it screen everything a idiosyncratic wants to cognize astir the topic? 

If not, rewrite the contented with hunt intent successful mind. And marque definite the penning is wide and engaging. And is formatted utilizing subheadings, abbreviated sentences, and abbreviated paragraphs to amended readability.

You’ll besides request to marque definite you’re pursuing on-page SEO champion practices. And that determination are nary method SEO issues impeding your content’s performance.

So, notation to the contented audit template to spot if determination are issues with either class that request to beryllium addressed.

And spot whether you person capable backlinks to outrank your competition. 

Check the fig of backlinks your leafage has successful the contented audit template. If you’re not ranking arsenic precocious arsenic you want, it mightiness beryllium due to the fact that the pages supra you person much backlinks.

You tin spot if that’s the lawsuit successful our Keyword Overview tool. Type the superior keyword your leafage is targeting, prime the location, and click “Search.”

Go to the “SERP Analysis” section. And you’ll spot however galore backlinks the top-ranking pages have.

For the champion accidental of ranking, you’ll request a akin oregon higher number.

Consolidate & Redirect

This enactment makes consciousness erstwhile you person duplicate pages connected your tract (which you tin place successful Site Audit).

Instead of having overlapping contented crossed aggregate pages, consolidate the champion elements into 1 definitive piece. And redirect the different piece(s) to the main one.

This attack has 2 cardinal benefits:

• It prevents you from competing with yourself for the aforesaid keyword successful hunt results
• It funnels each the nexus equity (ranking strength) to a azygous canonical (main) URL to boost its quality to rank

Let's accidental you person 3 abstracted blog posts that each screen however to usage Instagram for business, and you’re not definite however to proceed. Here’s what to bash successful that case:

1. Identify which 1 is already ranking highest to usage arsenic the starting base
2. Then, cherry-pick the large examples, tips, etc. from the different 2 posts and adhd them to the main one
3. Finally, redirect from the different 2 posts to the recently modified mentation oregon instrumentality canonical tags. This tin amended its presumption successful hunt results.

Delete

Sometimes, the close determination mightiness beryllium to delete the page. 

If your extremity is centered connected SEO, that’s often the lawsuit when:

• It gets nary integrated traffic
• It has nary backlinks
• It targets a keyword (or covers a topic) that’s not important for your business

Before deleting, ever cheque Google Analytics to guarantee the leafage isn’t getting a important magnitude of postulation from different sources oregon driving a precocious information of conversions. Deleting a leafage similar this could negatively interaction your business.

As you analyse each page, delegate the due enactment adjacent to each URL successful the contented audit spreadsheet. And commencement taking action.

5. Measure Your Results

After you’ve implemented the enactment plan, the adjacent measurement is to cheque whether you’ve achieved your acceptable goal.

But however agelong should you hold earlier measuring results?

There's nary definitive clip frame. But if your extremity is to amended SEO results, we urge waiting for astatine slightest 3 to 4 months earlier analyzing the performance.

This allows capable clip for hunt engines to process the updates. And immoderate affirmative ranking impacts to afloat materialize successful integrated traffic.

Once you determine to begin, revisit the audit template. Open the dedicated “Post-Audit Analysis” tab and commencement reassessing the show utilizing the aforesaid information sources from the archetypal audit.

Compare the caller numbers against your baseline.

If you deed your targets, that's great! 

If not, you’ll astatine slightest spot whether you’re making advancement toward your goal. In that case, hold for a fewer much months and analyse the results erstwhile again.

Content Audit Template

If you haven’t already, marque a transcript of our SEO contented audit template.

Simply click the "Use Template" fastener successful the apical close corner. This volition marque an editable transcript successful your Google Drive.

This template includes columns to grounds each the cardinal accusation we've discussed. 

Feel escaped to edit them based connected your goal. Or adhd much columns if you request to.

FAQs

To wrapper things up, we’ll screen immoderate often asked questions astir website contented audits.

How Often Should You Do a Content Audit?

Conduct contented audits connected a regular ground to guarantee your contented remains applicable and effective.

The frequence tin alteration based connected the size of your website. And however often you people caller content. 

For smaller websites with infrequent caller posts, an yearly contented audit mightiness beryllium enough.

Larger websites that perpetually adhd caller contented volition request to audit much frequently—possibly each six months oregon adjacent quarterly.

Our State of Content Marketing study indicates that one-third of marketers behaviour contented audits astatine slightest doubly a year. 

But galore take to update their contented arsenic needed erstwhile it becomes outdated. Without pursuing a fixed audit schedule.

How Can You Get a Buy-in from Stakeholders for a Content Audit Project?

To get support for an audit, commencement by intelligibly explaining the benefits. Such arsenic improving metrics similar traffic, engagement, and conversions.

And enactment straight with your stakeholders to specify a wide extremity for the audit.

Then, outline the circumstantial process you'll follow, the criteria for evaluating content, who volition beryllium involved, and the estimated costs versus imaginable returns. 

With this strategical approach, you tin summation your chances of securing buy-in from stakeholders. 

Which Tools Should You Use When Doing a Content Audit?

When conducting a web contented audit, you’ll request a assortment of tools to cod antithetic types of data. 

For an SEO-focused contented audit, indispensable tools include:

• Google Analytics: To get insights into your content’s integrated traffic
• Excel oregon Google Sheets: To signifier and analyse information effectively
• Site Audit: To get a database of your applicable contented pages and place issues and opportunities
• Position Tracking, On-Page SEO Checker, and Backlink Analytics: To get insights into different invaluable SEO information