Developing a deep understanding of your current content allows you to see more clearly how it can be improved, or what new content is needed. 

Content audit

A content audit will show you the scope and scale of your current content, and how it is structured and organised.

A content audit involves collating information about all published content related to your project. For a website, this is usually done in a spreadsheet that lists every URL on the site (or on a specific section of the site), along with its page title, content type and metadata. 

This spreadsheet should also show the hierarchy of content, so you can see the page structure.

Content analysis

You can use your content audit as the basis for a deep analysis of your current content. This goes beyond just seeing what types of content exist – it allows you to examine how effectively the content is meeting user needs and business needs. 

Analyse each page individually, as well as the structure and relationships between pages. This will help inform decisions about what content to keep, what to rewrite, what to merge, and if there are any gaps in the information.

Content analysis involves considering: 

  • the subject matter and level of detail – this is especially important when the content is complex or scientific
  • content types and formats 
  • clarity and readability 
  • accessibility and inclusivity
  • completeness, currency and accuracy
  • structure, flow and navigation 
  • logic and consistency 
  • appropriateness for users and stakeholders, including the topics, style and tone. 

Content ecosystem

Your content ecosystem is all your content channels: your website, social media channels, newsletters, as well as any apps or other websites related to your organisation or brand. 

Creating a visual map gives you a clear view of your current content ecosystem. This can help you identify areas to consolidate content, remove unnecessary channels, strengthen connections across your channels to help users find what they need and improve your publishing processes.

Start by listing all your channels in a mind map. Next, add any connections between channels to show how they relate. For example, your social media channels or newsletters connect to your website, as they funnel in traffic. 

This content ecosystem map will give you a short visual overview to complement your detailed content audit spreadsheet.

Depending on the needs of your project, you can delve deeper into your content ecosystem map to understand things like:

  • user pathways to your main website
  • publishing processes
  • the spread of content topics and where you could avoid duplication and improve crosslinking
  • the audiences of each channel and how they might interact with other channels.

Tip for complex information. Content ecosystem maps can be expanded to include how people may access your online content, but who do not directly interact with your online products.

For example, people who need to access online health information but have low digital literacy may ask a friend or trusted community member to find information for them. This can be helpful to consider in a content ecosystem as a way to show information flow for all your potential users.

Current state vs future state

Use the insights you have developed from your content audit, analysis and ecosystem map to determine the future state for your content. The future state should aim to address any content issues you have identified, balance user needs and business needs, and be based on best-practice content development approaches.

Next steps may include: