Is your website stuck in 2012? If you're not periodically auditing your website content, you might be losing out. No matter how brilliant your content was when you created it, if it's outdated in terms of content or SEO best practices, it might be irrelevant to your target market.
The solution? Putting a system in place to regularly perform a content review/audit. There are two functions of a website audit - content and technical performance - and this article will focus on the benefits of a content audit.
What can happen if your content is outdated?
Back in the day, search engines functioned a lot differently than they do now. What used to be effective search engine optimization is now considered "keyword stuffing." When you take a fresh look at the content on your website, you can tweak your keywords to make them more search engine friendly. You might, for example, discover that you've got exact match anchor text links throughout your website. If your site is stuffed with keywords, or your searchers need to have an exact term to find your site, you're not going to get the web traffic you could be getting.
Another issue can be related to the currency and relevancy of data. Facts and statistics change all the time, and you don't want to be giving wrong information. If you haven't updated your content since the Obama administration, it's time to take a look and see if your facts and information are still correct.
Why do a periodic audit of website content?
When you periodically audit your website content, you create a site that is more engaging to your visitors. Content that was relevant even a few months ago can quickly become outdated.
Plus, search engines give higher rankings to websites that create new content frequently.
Conducting regular audits also lets you know what is and isn't working with your content, and it allows you to make sure that your website is achieving its goals. Measuring and tracking performance will give you the data you need to continue to appeal to your target market.
What to look for in a content review/audit
There are a few metrics you want to make sure and track during each audit. They are:
Organic traffic: How many people are coming to your website on their own? If it's not a lot, you might want to look and see if your content strategy is working for you.
Bounce rate: If people are leaving your site after reading just a little bit of content, then it's a sign that your content isn't appealing enough to encourage them to look around.
Time on page: How long are people staying on your page. Is it long enough to actually read it? If not, then they are bouncing before finishing your content.
Pages per session: Once they get to your site, how many pages do your visitors explore? Interesting content makes people want to look around.
Conversions: Are your content pieces doing what you want them to do? It's not always about the sale (although that's great when it happens). If you're trying to get newsletter sign-ups, shares, reposts, or something else, make sure your content is doing that.
Overall, implementing a regular content review/audit can help your website work for you and your business. Need help with keeping your website up-to-date? Our team at Engine Room can help - contact us today to get started.
