Improve Under–Performing Web Content with a Content Audit
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Improve Under–Performing Web Content with a Content Audit DAVID STURTZ | DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT STRATEGY
description
Can your website visitors easily find important information? Are you overwhelmed by the need to constantly create new content while maintaining all of your existing pages? Attend this session and learn how implementing a comprehensive content audit can help you increase conversion rates, improve traffic from search, decrease bounce rates and prioritize the most impactful online content. Learn how to effectively use your current content assets as well as have a better understanding of how to develop new content that’s relevant to your audiences. In this webinar, you learn how to: Implement a quantitative content inventory Employ popular methods for evaluating your content quality Use your current content assets more effectively Get laser–like focus in developing new content that's useful and relevant to your audiences Create a basic content governance structure to help manage online content assets for the long–term
Transcript of Improve Under–Performing Web Content with a Content Audit
Improve Under–Performing Web Content
with a Content Audit
DAVID STURTZ | DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT STRATEGY
David SturtzDirectory of Product Strategy | Geonetric
David is the product lead for Blaze. He is passionate about connecting people with information through systems that support user experience design, information architecture, and content strategy. He holds a MS in library and information science, and a BA in graphic design.
David tweets at @sturtz
Today’s Presenter
Geonetric Clients
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About Geonetric
Geonetric develops the VitalSite healthcare CMS, and provides online marketing services to hospitals, physician practices and health systems.
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Video Of This Webinar
Watch the VideoCan your website visitors easily find important information? Are you overwhelmed by the need to constantly create new content while maintaining all of your existing pages? This session will explain how implementing a comprehensive content audit can help you increase conversion rates, improve traffic from search, decrease bounce rates and prioritize the most impactful online content. You’ll walk away knowing how to effectively use your current content assets as well as have a better understanding of how to develop new content that’s relevant to your audiences.
Watch the webinar!
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New eBook Available
DAVID STURTZ | DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT STRATEGY
Improve Under–Performing Web Content
with a Content Audit
Have You Ever…• Discovered new content (or entire websites)
halfway through a project?
• Had difficulty defining what content was in/out of scope for a project, where to draw the line?
• Were afraid to look at some of the content on your site out of fear of what you might find?
• Debated whether you have too little or too much content?
• Spent more time developing content than anticipated?
How Does This Happen?
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The Content Lifecycle
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Too often, we take a shortcut…
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We can’t keep up
Our website
is outdated
Users can’t fi
nd
information
We need a new CMS
… hurting the whole system
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We might be able to get to that next month.
That whole
section has
outdated
information
We’re not
meeting our
goals This is taking longer than we thought
…increasing effort and expense.
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Content Strategy Closes the Loop
Content Strategy Puts You in Control of Your Content
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A content audit is the essential foundation
for a rock-solid content strategy.
Content Audit Process
1. Plan
2. Inventory
3. Audit
4. Decide
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1. Plan“Begin [your content audit]
with the end in mind.”– Stephen Covey
What Data Will We Need?
Outcome
URL
Topic
Format
Content Owner
Audience
Call to Action
Page Views
Etc. …
Balance content X X X X X
Support new organizational goal X X X X X
Clean up outdated content X X X
Create new navigation/IA X X X
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What ‘Counts’ as Content?
What ‘counts’ as content?
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Comprehensive AuditWhen?• Major overhaul, redesign, migration, rebrand, merger or
acquisition
Why?• Establish accurate scope and estimate of effort• Reduce, reuse, recycle
What?• All the things
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Scaling a Content Audit
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Rolling Audit
When?• All the time! (Weekly, monthly, quarterly)
Why?• Improve governance, consistency, accuracy, voice
and tone• Prioritize review and revision
What?• All the things (A little at a time)
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2. Inventory
Content Inventory
URLsPage Metadata
FormatLength
Web AnalyticsSocial Stats
Quantitative
Inventory Data Sources
Automated Inventory with Blaze
Automated Inventory with Blaze
Content Auditing with Blaze
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3. Audit
Content Audit
URLPage Metadata
FormatLength
Web AnalyticsSocial Stats
SubjectAudience
Owner / SMEMessaging
Call to ActionContent Quality
Quantitative Qualitative
Click icon to add picture
Content QualityContent Quality
So what?No call to action
Useful & Relevant
Clear purposeActionable, Timely
ErrorsPoor readability
Clear & Accurate
Factually correctPlain language
‘Coming soon…’Missing information Complete All info provided
Related info linked
Poor usabilityHarmful SEO factors
Usable & Findable
Follows SEO guidelines
Clear navigation and cross-linking
‘Fake’ or ‘sales-y’Influential &
EngagingWorth sharing
Best format
Wrong voiceInappropriate tone Voice & Tone
On-brandAuthentic,
empathetic
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Poor content quality results in underperforming content.
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4. Decide“One's [content strategy]
is not best expressed in words;it is expressed in the choices one
makes”– Eleanor Roosevelt
Click icon to add picture
Item-level Decisions
Placement
Keep in placeMove / migrateMerge with other contentSplit into separate pagesDelete
Editing
No edits ProofreadReviseRewrite from scratchCreate new content
Click icon to add picture
Site-wide Decisions
BalanceSubjectsAudience / StageContent Type
Enhancements
Content QualityMessagingNew ContentFormat
Structure NavigationLinking Strategies
Priorities Problem AreasUnderperforming Content
GovernanceWorkflowsReview / MaintenanceScope
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A traditional content audit won’t tell you about
content that doesn’t exist.
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Reverse AuditWhen?• Change (or reinvigoration) of strategic direction
Why?• Identify content gaps and opportunities for
improvement• Prioritize effort based on strategic goals
What?• All the relevant things
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Free yourself to focus on the right content,
not just more content.
Reverse Audit: Plan
Goal
Action
Audience
Goal
Mapping the Business Strategy
Action
Audience
GoalIncrease
Cardiovascular Patient Volumes
Patients
Use Benefit Health Medical Group physician for
managing high blood pressure
Have minimally-invasive
cardiovascular surgery performed at Benefit Health
hospital
Referring Physicians
Refer patients to Benefit Health
affiliated specialists
Gather Relevant User Tasks• Open-ended user interviews
• User proxy interviews
• Stakeholder interviews
• BrainstormingPrepare for risk of
health
complications
resulting from high
blood pressure
What are the most up-to-date care guidelines?
Determine if I am at risk due to family history
Am I going to have to be on
medication forever?
Audience: PatientsAction: Use Benefit Health Medical Group physician for managing high blood pressure
Understand why managing blood
pressure is important
Unmanaged high blood pressure can have serious long-term health effects.
Find out if my current physician is managing my condition appropriately
Benefit Health physicians offer the most effective and
current management for high blood pressure
Benefit Health Medical Group is home to the region's most
experienced experts at managing high blood
pressure. Here’s what they do…
TAS
K
Reverse Audit: MatchCreate a content inventory, add tags for sorting and filtering, then:
• Match existing content to user tasks
• Evaluate interlinking of content
• Evaluate format of content
• Identify new content needs (and prioritize)
Audience: PatientsAction: Use Benefit Health Medical Group physician for managing high blood pressure
Understand why managing blood
pressure is important
Health effects of unmanaged high blood
pressure …
Find out if my current physician is managing my condition appropriately
Benefit Health physicians offer the most effective and
current management for high blood pressure
including …
How Benefit Health Medical Group care for
patients with high blood pressure …
TAS
KC
ON
TEN
T
Reverse Audit: Decide• Determine any changes to navigation / linking
• Plan for any suggested revisions or updates
• Add new content ideas to your editorial calendar
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Collaborative AuditWhen?• Best for smaller, focused audits
Why?• Knowledge sharing• Strategic alignment• Voice and tone
What?• Sit down with a small team and discuss what is/isn’t
working with a slice of content
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Competitive/Comparative AuditWhen?• Occasionally, in combination with new strategic
direction
Why?• Improve differentiation• Identify gaps and opportunities
What?• Apply audit criteria to competitive/comparative sites• Don’t assume that everything a competitor does is a
good idea
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A content audit is the essential foundation
for a rock-solid content strategy.
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Content Strategy Closes the Loop
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Let’s edit this to
make our voice
more
consistent
Let’s focus on
this content
first…
Our nu
mbers
are
doing
bette
r, but
here
are so
me
new id
eas t
o
try…
We reviewed
and updated
those sections
last month
…And Puts You Back in Control
We Can Help…
DIY
• BlazeContent.com
Assisted
• Agile Marketing
Full
Service
• Agile Marketing + Content
Questions?Contact Ben:
800.589.1171
www.Geonetric.com
Geovoices.com
@benatgeo
Pinterest.com/benatgeo
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New eBook Available
