Good SEO companies should provide their clients who sign up for ongoing SEO and/or content services with a content audit on a specified timeline. Similar to a technical SEO audit, the results of the audit should define future strategies and priorities for the next stages of content work. Without an audit, you are flying blind because you won’t know what your content is missing and what content you’ve overdone.
Common findings after conducting web content audits provide a framework for how to address content and ways to improve website content to retain users on your site longer and ultimately, convert. Cha-ching.
Error #1: No clear calls-to-action
Content audits constantly reveal that calls-to-action were not a focus. Any visitor to your page should know exactly how to contact you or buy your product or service. It is the entire point of having a presence on the net.
Error #2: Missing content for all stages of the customer journey
Content, on the whole, should track where each page is aimed in regards to the customer journey – awareness, consideration, purchase or retention. Many websites tend to have a disproportionate amount of content aimed at one phase of the customer journey instead of being inclusive of all of them.
Error #3: Testimonials are on the sidelines
Many pages dedicated to testimonials are only the Interwebs of a company’s website.
Internet users of the 2000’s are more apt to trust reviews on third-party sites like Yelp, Google My Business, TripAdvisor or some other popular review site.
Error #4: Not making content locally relevant (when relevant)
When location is important to your business, you should not only use testimonials to boost your local relevance but also your content.
Error #5: Leaving pricing out
Many companies, do not want to list prices on their website. It’s understandable if your business really is a, “it depends on the product or service you want” type of business. Shying away from pricing altogether can lose you customers, especially people who are searching for pricing information. Have content related to pricing. This way, if a prospect knows your price range, they can reach out for more information.
Error #6: Page duplication from migration to HTTPS
Sites are getting an SSL certificate and moving to HTTPS. It’s more important than ever to make sure you have 301 redirects set up from the HTTP version to the HTTPS version to prevent unintentional duplication of your entire website. Duplicate content impacts search rankings – it’s another no no.
Error #7: Bad internal linking and site architecture
Content organization on a site can be as important as content quality. Missing proper organization, users will fight to surf a website fruitfully and search engines will have a hard time defining which pages are considered most important.
Wrapping up
Content audits are interesting in how idiosyncratic they are. Defining good content and identifying what a page has to say and how it says it is absolutely doable. Ensure if your company is making the time and monetary investments in a website and content that this investment is maximized by conforming to the rules of the web. You should reap the returns in full.