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I’ve always believed that search engine optimization (SEO) is as much forward-looking as it is backward-looking. what do i mean Many people think that SEO is about creating and optimizing new content.
However, it’s also about going back and revamping old content so that it continues to perform well in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is where content audits come in handy.
If you want to better understand content audits, including what they mean and how to conduct one, this article is for you. Read on to explore the power of content audits and how they can transform your SEO efforts.
Related: How to “Spring Clean” Your Website with Content Auditing
Understand content audits
A content audit is a careful and in-depth analysis of previously published, or “old” content that needs to be further optimized to improve search engine performance.
Why is it important for any company to do one? It is easy. A content audit is useful for:
Boosting your ranking
Increased traffic to your website
Generate conversions and engagement
Assess your blog’s strengths and weaknesses
Gain a better understanding of your audience
Given this extensive list of benefits, it’s clear that a content audit is an essential part of the SEO equation and should not be taken lightly.
Carrying out a content audit
Whether you choose to conduct a content audit once or twice a year, or perhaps more frequently, it’s important to follow a sequence of steps to ensure the process is smooth and delivers the results you’re looking for.
Here’s my five-step process to help you achieve your goals.
Step 1: Identify your goal
Not having a clear goal in mind is like shooting in the dark and hoping to hit your target. From experience, I would say that the first step in any content audit should be to identify your target. Identifying the goal will determine what you would like to achieve. Remove or remove old content, optimize old articles for better performance, drive conversions and engagement, improve rankings and traffic, and more.
Step 2: Identify and remove ROT content
With a clear goal in mind, you’re ready for step two. This is where you spend a lot of time identifying and removing ROT (redundant, obsolete, or trivial) content from your website. This will make it lighter and thinner and able to deliver much more value to your audience. Once this “pruning” process begins, you’re ready to move on to step three.
Step 3: Assess your content inventory
The third step requires more complexity. You will need to assess your remaining content inventory. It’s a good idea to create a new spreadsheet that contains all of your site’s URLs. Group them by category, such as product/service pages or articles on your blog.
Also, extract the keywords you want to rank for with each piece of content and add them to your spreadsheet to help you determine whether keywords from some articles should be combined into one article or further optimization will be required.
Step 4: Analyze performance
Now it’s time to evaluate the performance of each content page. Some key metrics to monitor include your bounce rate and how much organic traffic you’re generating, in addition to your SERP ranking. And when that (extensive) process is complete, you’ll be able to take actionable, data-driven steps.
Step 5: Identify areas for improvement
There are many reasons why a piece of content performs poorly. Keywords can be cannibalizing each other. Metadata may not be accurate. Your H2 and H3 could be faulty or poorly organized. Your content may be irrelevant or outdated. Looking at each of these criteria and making a concerted effort to improve them is a great need.
Related: 5 Ways to Optimize Your Content for Better Google Rankings
Best practices for optimizing your content
Based on my experience doing literally dozens, if not hundreds, of content audits, there are some best practices I’ve picked up along the way that I’d like to share with you.
Use data to drive decisions: Don’t approach content auditing casually. Use data-driven insights from trusted tools to help drive your decision-making process.
Update/remove underperforming content – Don’t be afraid to prune or completely remove old, underperforming content. This will create new room for growth.
Focus on SEO and User Experience: Use SEO best practices and tactics to optimize your content both on-page and off page. Your goal should always be to add value and improve the user experience.
Useful tools to carry out a content audit
Below, I will share with you some of the tools that are very useful for conducting your content audit.
Types of tools and templates available:
Some of the tools available in the market are well known and for good reason. They are versatile, flexible and give you information at the click of a button. Examples of these include: Ahrefs and the Ahrefs SEO plugin, Google Search Console and Google Analytics plus SEMrush.
How to choose the right one:
Your first instinct might be to look for the cheapest option. But that would be a mistake. What you should do is focus on the functionalities that each of these tools offers.
Do they help you see what keywords your article has ranked for? Do they show you bounce rates? Do they tell you how much traffic you get?
Remember: there is no one-size-fits-all approach. There is no single tool that is right for every business and every industry. This is why it is so important to do your research carefully.
Tips for using them effectively:
Once you’ve chosen your tool, it’s time to educate yourself on how to use it effectively. Make sure it gives you the right functionality to track the right metrics. Going through a couple of tutorials and best practices from the SEO tool will help you make your content audit work much easier and smoother.
Related: 7 Best SEO Tools to Help You Rank Higher on Google
A case study of a successful content audit
As part of my work with one of my clients, Brosix, I noticed that one of our top articles started losing positions and traffic in the SERPs. That’s when I decided to conduct a content audit and made the following changes and updates to the article in question:
Improved titles and meta descriptions
Removed unnecessary information
It has made the article keyword rich
The results? Traffic went from 3,657 to 5,138 in just two weeks.
Conducting a content audit for your website is not a luxury. It is a must if you want to maintain rankings, strong positions and good traffic. Sometimes the simple but concerted efforts that drive your content audit can lead to incredible results that are truly worth it. Don’t let old content “ROT”. Instead, upgrade, upgrade and renew as needed to enjoy the amazing results.
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