I’ve all the time been a knowledge nerd at coronary heart. Phrases like “audit” and “A/B testing” don’t scare me. Nonetheless, once I set about refreshing greater than 10 years’ value of branded content material to deliver The Content material Strategist updated with our present net optimization and model requirements, I knew I had my work minimize out for me.
We began writing weblog content material in 2011—again when Fb fan pages and Klout scores have been the advertising tendencies of the second. For sure, loads has modified since then. We wished a data-backed motion plan for making our content material as related as doable in 2024 and past.
Whereas the method was extra difficult than I anticipated, the journey was extremely instructional and, dare I say, even a bit enjoyable. It revealed invaluable insights about content material longevity, search engine marketing, and the way our readership has advanced.
Right here’s what the train taught me—and what I feel different content material entrepreneurs can be taught from my expertise.
How one can refresh content material: Our course of
After we set about auditing The Content material S trategist, we rapidly realized we had a bigger, extra advanced downside on our fingers—one which wouldn’t be fastened with a fast search engine marketing scan of our weblog content material. The extra we dug in, the extra we discovered we had a elementary concern with our top-of-funnel advertising technique. As I put it to my crew, we have been attempting to catch a fish with a gap in our web.
There was no straightforward method to repair this. Despite the fact that it will be an enormous endeavor, we would have liked to conduct a simultaneous content material and search efficiency audit to determine what was damaged and the place.
This was a three-part course of, involving:
1. search engine marketing and key phrase evaluation
We knew we weren’t rating as excessive as we wished to for our principal areas of experience and that we would have liked to retool our search engine marketing method. So, we began out by conducting a complete key phrase and competitor evaluation.
First, we used Contently StoryBook—our proprietary content material technique instrument—and Contently Analytics, together with third-party instruments like SEMrush, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console to find out the energy of our natural key phrase distribution and rankings. We audited the key phrases we have been at present rating for to find out in the event that they nonetheless made sense for our model and viewers.
We additionally performed an search engine marketing competitor evaluation towards firms who supply comparable options to Contently. This audit revealed that our opponents have been outranking us in a number of key areas. Whereas we had been busy being essentially the most well-known CMP in market, our opponents had gotten scrappy, creating mass quantities of content material to assist them rank for a wide selection of key phrase variations, usually with decrease search volumes. We wanted to take again a few of that area they’d acquired.
2. A complete content material audit
Along side the search engine marketing audit, we completely assessed all our current content material. This revealed a disconnect between the kind of content material we’d been publishing for the previous three years and the subjects which can be essentially the most fascinating, invaluable, and looked for amongst our audience.
We categorized our current content material into 4 principal buckets:
- Related matter, high quality content material, wants search engine marketing
- Related matter, not high-quality content material (e.g., out-of-date or misaligned)
- High quality content material, misaligned matter, misaligned search engine marketing
- Content material that not served any function
This categorization helped us perceive the scope of the issue and prioritize our efforts.
3. Hole evaluation and technique improvement
Primarily based on how a lot of our content material match into every class, the way it was rating, and the key phrases we have been focusing on, we have been capable of start pinpointing particular areas through which our top-of-funnel advertising actions had come out of alignment with our model and audience.
If I may put out a PSA to different entrepreneurs recapping what I realized from this course of, it will be that having an built-in advertising technique is extremely essential—each exercise, whether or not paid, owned, or earned, must be coordinated and aligned. In our case, misalignment led to a compounding impact: As a result of our technique was off base, our key phrases have been out of sync, our content material was lacking the mark, our rankings have been falling, and our viewers was discovering what they wanted elsewhere.
Put up-audit actions to replace content material
To deal with these points, I set to work growing a multi-pronged technique to revitalize our content material, enhance its efficiency, and strengthen our key phrase rankings.
Right here’s what we did—and the way different content material entrepreneurs can apply these learnings to their very own methods.
1. Establish which tales to avoid wasting vs. toss
Step one concerned figuring out if a narrative was worthy of updating or if it wanted to be faraway from the weblog completely. We discovered that the majority of our content material was salvageable in some capability.
“Saving” content material was essential for a number of causes. Along with the prior funding—we’d already put effort and {dollars} into publishing the fabric—holding content material reside helps keep our area authority. If we have been to take away an article from our web site and redirect visitors to a different web page, it may take Google’s algorithm months to acknowledge the web page not exists and deindex us for that key phrase hit. So, we opted to replace reasonably than take away wherever doable.
Takeaway for different content material entrepreneurs: Don’t throw the infant out with the bathwater! Most content material—apart from area of interest posts like bulletins for long-past occasions—might be rejuvenated. Evaluating each bit fastidiously to find out essentially the most environment friendly method can prevent time, effort, and funds afterward.
2. Decide which “saved” tales have to be rewritten vs. refreshed
Some tales wanted a full rewrite, whereas others simply wanted a minimal refresh—up to date cultural references, hyperlinks, stats, search engine marketing, and so on. So, we separated our “salvageable” pile into two classes. On Contently, we created two completely different story temporary templates and workflows for these tasks. The “refresh” temporary was barely shorter and didn’t want as a lot overview inbuilt, so these workflows have been extra streamlined. Tackling these lighter refreshes first gave us a number of straightforward wins and a way of accomplishment.
Takeaway for different content material entrepreneurs: Make choices about whether or not or not you’ll replace a URL slug or the way you’ll change your search engine marketing method earlier than re-publishing.
3. Create new, evergreen weblog content material to fill gaps
Early in our auditing course of, we recognized that we have been lacking some key themes in our content material repository. So, for every matter hole, we deliberate a sequence of 4-6 net-new tales that will slot neatly into these gaps, complementing our current content material and offering extra complete steerage for our readers. We made these tales as evergreen as doable, specializing in adaptable methods reasonably than fleeting tendencies.
Takeaway for different content material entrepreneurs: Use your audit as a possibility to determine and fill content material gaps. Create new, evergreen items that deal with present tendencies and consumer wants. This method helps guarantee your weblog content material stays a helpful useful resource to your viewers lengthy after publication.
Different learnings and takeaways from our weblog content material audit
Conducting this audit for our content material advertising weblog was a crew effort—there’s no method I may have dealt with the raise alone. As quickly as I acknowledged the depth and breadth of labor concerned, I took a have a look at our funds to allocate funds for help workers, together with a managing editor to supervise the content material refresh course of and an search engine marketing strategist to deal with key phrase analysis, search engine marketing optimization, and ongoing evaluation of our efficiency.
Working with our Inventive Market crew, I staffed each of those roles with skilled professionals. To work effectively with these crew members, I arrange some key processes from the get-go, together with:
- A sturdy editorial calendar for monitoring progress and noting insights
- Biweekly, recurring conferences
- Common suggestions loops to repeatedly enhance our course of
Working with the managing editor, I additionally developed a scalable pricing mannequin so I may simply plan and funds for the variety of content material refreshes vs. rewrites vs. web new tales wanted every month and quarter.
This versatile pricing plan will show helpful for future content material, too. It permits me to regulate as wanted if we determine an enormous alternative to cowl a brand new cluster of key phrases. I can rapidly and simply pivot my technique and prioritize the funds towards the extra quick want.
Takeaway for different content material entrepreneurs: In the event you’re already working with Contently, your managing editor or search engine marketing strategist can help the majority of the tactical day-in, day-out work behind the scenes, releasing up your time to deal with the larger image. In the event you’re not working with us, it’s a fantastic concept to accomplice with consultants who will help you get essentially the most out of the content material you’ve got.
So, what’s subsequent? To be trustworthy, we’re nonetheless engaged on it! Content material auditing and refreshing isn’t actually “achieved”—however now, now we have a greater system in place and contemporary content material to work with. We’re dedicated to sustaining this course of, usually revisiting our content material to make sure it stays related, invaluable, and optimized, and that our funnel stays wholesome.
It could be a Sisyphean effort, however my internal information nerd is up for the problem.
Ask the Content material Strategist: FAQs about weblog content material audits
How lengthy does the content material audit course of take?
The length of a content material audit can differ vastly relying on the amount of content material and assets obtainable. For Contently’s 10-year content material audit, it took a number of months to finish all phases, from preliminary evaluation to implementation of recent methods.
How usually ought to an organization conduct a content material audit?
The frequency of content material audits is determined by the corporate’s measurement, content material quantity, and trade adjustments. As a common rule, conducting a complete audit yearly, with smaller quarterly evaluations, will help maintain content material contemporary and aligned with search engine marketing finest practices.
What particular search engine marketing metrics are possible to enhance after a content material refresh?
Seemingly enhancements embrace greater key phrase rankings, elevated natural visitors, and higher engagement charges. They may additionally embrace components like time on web page, bounce price, and conversion charges. That mentioned, the precise metrics will rely in your firm’s objectives and bigger weblog content material technique.
Are you able to refresh your weblog content material technique? Get began by scheduling a time to converse with a member of our crew.
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