{"id":49464,"date":"2022-11-30T07:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eigene-homepage-erstellen.net\/?p=49464"},"modified":"2023-10-20T12:45:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T19:45:36","slug":"why-should-i-audit-my-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eigene-homepage-erstellen.net\/blog\/content\/why-should-i-audit-my-content.htm","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need Content Audits in 2023 and When to Do Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Website content is very much alive and requires ongoing maintenance. Even if you think your content is in tip-top shape, there are tons of benefits you can glean from an audit.<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we dive into reasons why you may need a content audit, let’s start with a quick recap of what a content audit entails..<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Content Audit?<\/h2>\n

A content audit is a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of website content that helps us better understand what’s working and what may be hindering content performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

A content audit may look at behavioral trends, organic search visibility, and social engagement. An audit could also shed light on things like content relevance, accuracy, and readability. <\/span><\/p>\n

Content audit findings help determine content opportunities and the steps to take toward content optimization.<\/span><\/p>\n

When to do a Content Audit?<\/h2>\n

A content audit may feel like a heavy lift, especially for websites that have large content inventories. That said, a content audit may unveil opportunities that could help regain your competitive edge, improve user engagement, and generate more leads and sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

And while we encourage our clients to do content audits regularly, there are several instances where content audits are an absolute must. <\/span><\/p>\n

Your Organic Traffic is Down<\/h3>\n

Many reasons can contribute to a dip in organic traffic. The rise of new and existing competitors, internal website changes, and Google algorithm updates are amongst the most obvious.<\/span><\/p>\n

And while some traffic variation is expected, major traffic losses over long periods of time can be detrimental to your business. <\/span><\/p>\n

To better understand why traffic may be down, take a look at your <\/span>Google Search Console<\/span><\/a> (GSC) and see if you can spot any major drops in <\/span>impressions<\/span><\/a> (how often your site appears in Google’s search results) or <\/span>average rankings<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you’re in GSC, go to <\/span>Performance<\/span><\/i> then <\/span>Search results<\/span><\/i>. Then, select <\/span>Total Impressions<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Average Position<\/span><\/i>, leaving <\/span>Total Clicks<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Average CTR<\/span><\/i> unchecked<\/span>.<\/span><\/i> Next, change the date range to display a comparison period over the last three months. This time frame will help you identify glaring red flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

From this view, you’ll be able to analyze what search queries are responsible for the dip in your organic traffic and the landing pages associated with them. If certain pages are not ranking as well as they use to, you should run them through a content audit.<\/span><\/p>\n

GSC aside, you can use tools like <\/span>STAT<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Ahrefs<\/span><\/a>, or <\/span>Semrush <\/span><\/a>to monitor changes in your keyword performance. While these tools are not free, they’re a phenomenal resource and a huge time saver.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Content is Out of Date<\/h3>\n

Google prefers <\/span>useful and relevant content<\/span><\/a>. Having fresh and up-to-date content on your website plays a big role in this. If you haven’t updated a piece of content in over two years, keyword rankings and organic traffic will start to dwindle. <\/span><\/p>\n

Content updates are especially important for websites that want to be authoritative in their space. To be authoritative, you must be relevant. And to be relevant, you must have an ongoing conversation about what content you need to update or retire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Updating older content can be more beneficial than creating new content. Even if the older content isn’t ranking well for its target keywords, there’s a good chance it’s ranking for something, and you’re not starting from scratch. Older content may also have backlinks, which give content credibility and a competitive edge. <\/span><\/p>\n

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out our study on the <\/span>benefits of refreshing old blog posts<\/span><\/a>. Whether you rewrite the content from scratch or make minor updates, content edits can help you rank better in organic search.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’re Out of Content Ideas<\/h3>\n

It’s not entirely unusual for companies to feel as though they’ve said all there is to say about their brand, product, or service. After all, how much content could you possibly produce about air conditioners?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are struggling to come up with new content ideas<\/a>, content audits can help you get a better understanding of what you’ve written about. Once you have this information, spotting content gaps becomes much easier. <\/span><\/p>\n

You’re Adding a New Product or Service<\/h3>\n

When adding new product or service pages, you should be mindful of how these pages flow with the rest of your site ecosystem. Regardless of whether this update is core to the entirety of your business model or another variation of something already existing, you need to ensure that the new information fits in flawlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don’t quite know where to start, think about the <\/span>user journey<\/span><\/a> and ask yourself the following questions:<\/span><\/p>\n