A practical step-by-step guide to conducting content audits.

1. 7 Steps to
a Successful
Content Audit
© 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 1

2. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 2
60-70% of B2B
content created
goes unused
– Sirius Decisions
Clarify project goals. Before we start any project, we
always ask clients—what’s the goal, and who is the
audience?
Questions to ask:
• Are you trying to reduce old or outdated content?
• Are you identifying gaps in your buyers’ journey?
• Are you migrating content into a new CMS?
Step 1

3. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 3
Confirm scope. This one’s a gimme. But it’s even
more important with audits, because the cardinal
rule of audits is never to go backwards. It leads to
distractions and impedes the goal of producing
consistent data.
Step 2

4. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 4
Don’t forget
metrics
Remember, you can’t manage
what you can’t measure!
Determine criteria. The criteria you audit against
should directly correlate with the project goals.
Age, content type, file format—these are standard
criteria. But if the goal of your audit is to identify
gaps in your buyers’ journey, consider adding
target audience and journey stage to your criteria.
Step 3

5. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 5
Obtain source material. Certain quantitative criteria
are straightforward; nobody will question your file
format classifications. But target audience or
journey stage—you can expect some pushback.
That’s why gathering all relevant source material—
and having it down pat—is crucial.
Key source material:
• Journey definitions
• Persona information
• Traffic data
Audit
criteria
Source
material
Step 4

6. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 6
Use a tool
Check out this post on the
best audit tools to see which
one is right for you
Pull files. Sometimes this is easier said than done.
You’re really beholden to the capabilities and
restrictions of your content management system.
We’ve conducted audits where every file is given
to us up front, and we’ve conducted “hunt and
gather” audits where we start with a URL and hunt
down and follow every link.
Step 5

7. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 7
A good auditor is…
Organized
Process oriented
Intuitive
Creative
Evaluate content. This is when you get down to
brass tacks and do the work. Auditing is no easy
chore—not everyone can do it. While a good
auditor should have a sharp eye for detail, they
also need a host of other skills.
Step 6

8. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 8
Analyze findings. While the audit yields feedback
on individual files, it’s the analysis that provides
comprehensive insight on your overall content
picture. While every audit, at its core, is an
inventory—what types of content do you have and
where does it live—increasingly, the audits we’re
conducting yield quantitative and qualitative
findings, analysis, and actionable
recommendations.
Step 7
33% of B2B
marketers can’t
measure content
effectiveness
– Sirius Decisions

9. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 9
Recap
1. Clarify project goals
2. Confirm scope
3. Determine criteria
4. Obtain source material
5. Pull files
6. Evaluate content
7. Analyze findings

10. © 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 10
The real value of a content audit comes when
comprehensive findings are combined with
strategic analysis and sound recommendations.
For more real-world tips for conducting audits,
click on our infographic to the right.

11. www.tendocom.com
© 2015 Tendo Communications | www.tendocom.com 11