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I Love Content Audits

July 10, 2017 | A Dash of Business Paprika

I love Content Audits

There’s a headline I never, ever thought I’d write. Never heard of a content audit? It’s just what you’re picturing: Someone (or several someones) goes though a live site, link-by-link, to see how much content’s there, and how good that content is. Along the way the auditor keeps track of the findings in a fabulous, detailed spreadsheet.

Thanks to my content strategy experience, hearing about a content audit opportunity brings a tiny thrill to my inner content nerd. Why?

It’s fun!

Honest—there’s no better way to dig into a brand’s digital life and see what’s going on.

Sites are developed and maintained in an ever-evolving, iterative process. A content audit is one of the few projects where you take some time to look at how the whole thing’s grooving along as a unit.

The end results are fascinating. Once you’ve gone through everything, you end up with a gold mine of information about the site: You’ll see how pages look, hear how the brand voice sounds, and so much more. It also shows you how your site stacks up to your competition: Where do you stand out? What can you improve? I’m telling you, it’s days and weeks of fun.

I’ve done audits solo and as a member of a user experience team. No matter how the project’s organized, my process is pretty much the same. I pretend I’m a member of the site’s intended audience, grab some coffee, and take a spin through the digital experience.

As I surf the site in my adopted “secret shopper” mindset I look for all kinds of things. Is the content conversational or clunky? Are there any broken links or missing images—and where do the call to action buttons take me? Do products have different names on different pages? And the biggest of all: Where is the Oxford comma?? (Full disclosure: I’m a fan. But if the client isn’t, I let it go.)

At Razorfish I was a team member of an audit that took several weeks, and though the work was hard and left me loopy at times, it was incredibly rewarding (AND it finally got me to like Excel). We were lucky enough to have traffic stats and helpfulness ratings on the pages we were auditing, and that information gave us insight into how the content was performing. My colleague discovered incorrect information on the pages she audited, and I discovered duplicative content in several sections. Presenting this information to the client gave them a sense of what needed to be updated sooner rather than later, and served as a compass for future improvements.

When’s the best time for an audit?

If you’re doing any re-branding or have a site re-launch on the horizon, an audit is a great way to see what content needs to be created, updated, or retired. Any time your content isn’t performing that well—it might not generate a lot of traffic, and isn’t delivering the leads or downloads you want—consider an audit. Your “secret shopper eyes” will see things you didn’t notice before, and give you insight into the concrete actions you can take to improve your content.

I think any site can benefit from an audit.

For the record, I audited my own site before it got this fabulous, looooong-overdue makeover. It didn’t have thousands of pages and assets, but it had more than enough to warrant a critical eye—my own. It took some time, but I am thrilled with the results. Need help with an audit? Let me know. Happy audit season!

Hi! I’m Emily, and welcome to A Dash of Paprika. It’s where you’ll find my freewheeling take on the business world and read about my adventures in New York City and beyond. No matter which path you take, the posts will bring a little zip into your day. Andiamo, ragazzi!

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Emily is an amazing analytical human who can turn verbal diarrhea into pithy copy that cuts through the noise and makes an impact.

Calum Kilgour   |   Slingshot Edge

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Emily in several message development workshops. The workshops are intense and a lot of work, but made fun and exciting by Emily and her team. They are masters of pulling out the significant details and helping craft a message that communicates the true value of your products and services. Emily in particular is very astute in assigning value to ideas making it possible for the true message to rise to the top.

Michael Rocco   |   Power School

Emily is among the best writers I had the privilege of working with, during my nearly-20 years in marketing. Not only is Emily a great pro and a wonderful writer, who knows how to capture the essence of a story and pass it to the reader in a clear and precise way, but she is also a fun person to work with.

Ilan Vagenshtein   |   Marketing, Sales Enablement & Business Development

Emily worked with my team at iCrossing as a freelance Content Strategist for about 7 months and became an invaluable member of our team. Once she’s immersed herself into a project she becomes a go-to resource, retaining even the most minute details. I felt extremely comfortable when Emily took responsibility for a piece of the project because I knew it would be done well, on time, and she would be able to speak to any questions that our clients may have had.

Charlie Chapin   |   Associate Director of Operations, Essence

Emily is one of the most astute, analytical, and strategic forward-thinking executives I have worked with in a marketing capacity — all helped with a keen creative mind and an exceptional sense of humor. Her ability to synthesize complex business needs and devise a creative win-win solution for her clients truly sets her apart from her competitors. I would not hesitate to use her services when the need arises.

Jeffrey Hirschberg   |   Writer-Director/Film Professor

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emily@emilyroche.com
(617) 697-4392
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