Content audit

A content audit is the judging step that follows a content inventory. The inventory says what exists; the audit says whether it is any good. Each page or asset is assessed against criteria you chose in advance, then given a verdict: keep, update, merge, move or delete.

Choosing the criteria

The criteria matter more than the spreadsheet. Typical ones are accuracy, whether it is current, whether it matches the style guide, whether it answers a real question, and whether it supports a business goal. Add traffic from an analytics report so you do not spend a week polishing a page nobody visits, or delete one that quietly drives sign-ups.

Audit versus inventory

Do not blend the two. An inventory is a factual list and anyone can compile it. An audit requires judgement from someone who knows the subject and the audience. Teams that skip the inventory and “just audit” usually miss the forgotten corners of the site, which is where the worst content lives.

In practice

You rarely need to audit everything. On a site of several thousand pages, sample each major section, find the pattern of problems, and audit fully only where the stakes are high. The output feeds directly into information architecture work: you cannot design a sensible structure around content you have not decided to keep.

The common mistake is a verdict column full of “update” with no owner and no date. An audit without assigned owners is a list of regrets.